Alongside the perks of living for millennia and never aging, being a vampire, unfortunately, also comes with a few drawbacks. Vampires are no longer able to get a real tan, enjoy some tasty garlic bread, or see themselves in the mirror. Without a reflection, how can you check your makeup or ensure that your outfit of the day is in vogue and not a serious fashion faux pas? While not much can be done about the garlic bread or suntans, one’s fashion sense and attire are easy to adapt and change. Though some looks are certainly timeless, others should have been thrown out ages ago so grab a few of your fellow immortals, ready your wardrobe, and take a quick trip down the batwalk to make sure you are up on the latest trends!

After a Fall 2019 Kickstarter campaign, Vamp on the Batwalk from Jellyfish Game Studios is currently reaching both backers and retailers alike. This 2-6 player card game was designed by Jon Simantov, who also designed Liberation from Button Shy Games. The bright and colorful illustrations were provided by Michael Rankin. The version we received for this review included even more of Rankin’s art as it came with four additional characters.

One of the coolest things about Vamp on the Batwalk is that it uses the actual box as a physical component for the game! When setting up the Batwalk, players will take the bottom of the box, flip it upside down, and insert it perpendicularly into the lid. Each player will then collect a standee and matching set of cards for the “vamp” of their choice. All standees being used for the game are placed on the ‘start’ space on the Batwalk. All cards being used in the game are shuffled together into one deck. Five cards are then dealt face down to each player, with the remainder being set aside. Players will not look at their own cards but instead will form their hands facing away from them and in view of everyone else. Two-player games have slightly different setup rules and include a 3rd “dummy player.” The most fashionable player is chosen for the role of first player.

The fashion show begins with the first player drawing a card from their hand and placing it face up in the middle of the play area. This card is known as the “lead” card. With play passing to the left, the next player then uses their deductive skills to try to discern what cards they may or may not have in their hand to decide what card to play. If you play a number card, it becomes the lead if it was of the same suit and higher value. Stars will always take the lead unless there is also a Garlic (normally the lowest value card) in play. If that’s the case, the most recent Garlic card played will take the lead. Vamp on the Batwalk is played over just three rounds and the winner is the player who has earned the most points, but a player can steal the show and win immediately if they score ten points.

Vamp on the Batwalk is a very light, trick-taking card game that is also surprisingly puzzle-y. The memory and deduction elements are what give the game its depth, but the added twist of no communication between players is what sets this game apart from others with similar concepts such as Hanabi or Christmas Lights. For some players, this will be a turn-off, but I found it to be a nice change because I got to rely on myself and not on trying to communicate (and often failing to do so effectively) with others for information about my hand. Though the game does scale well, it is drastically different at certain player counts when compared to others. This is mostly due to the sheer number of cards being in play. For us, Vamp on the Batwalk really seemed to shine at both the 2-player and 4-player levels. The dummy player is well implemented and certainly gave us a challenge to try to beat. All in all, I found the game to be enjoyable and feel it’s great for when I’m in the mood for something lightweight and fast, bringing new members into my game group, or in need of a filler game in between other, heavier games.

All photos of Jellyfish Game Studios products were taken and edited by Krista.