Something Wild! is a compact card game from Funko Games that has a long and wide history across multiple franchises, including Disney and Lucasfilm. Releases have covered Frozen, Maleficent, Star Wars, The Nightmare Before Christmas – the list goes on and on! Each game comes with a miniature Funko Pop figure that is utilised during play and adds unique twists to the game. The most recent release is for Indiana Jones, to tie in with the upcoming Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny, though this game is focussed on the original trilogy of films. While at the UK Games Expo at the NEC, Kat and Mark took a look at the game and how it compares to others in the series.
Mark: Something Wild! One that flew below our radar, but since playing the Star Wars and Nightmare Before Christmas versions of the game, I’ve become hooked. It’s simple to teach, easy to play, and embraced by the entire range of ages in our family. So, when we got to try Indiana Jones, Kat, and I both jumped at the chance! Of course, the first thing to notice is the mini Funko Pop of the good Doctor Jones himself. He is amazing! It can’t be anything, but Indiana Jones and I really feel this has captured the likeness of the character perfectly. The paint work, as you would expect, is top quality and you can see how these can become display pieces in their own right.
The cards carry on this theme with a wide selection of characters from the original trilogy of films. There’s Marion, Sallah, Henry Jones Senior, as well as some of the enemies found from Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. All of them look fantastic in this Funko Pop inspired art form, and we spent a good while just admiring the design work that had gone into them, didn’t we Kat?
Kat: It’s always harder to distil live-action characters into the Funko Pop style because there is a certain way each character looks, which is grounded from their portrayal on screen. Yet these cards use beautiful artwork that matches the recently released Funko Pops, capturing the key details that make all of these classic cinema icons so recognisable. Indiana has his whip, Henry Jones Senior is wielding his trusty umbrella, and Marion has the little capuchin monkey who likes stealing dates.
Now, there’s typically two ways to win at Something Wild! Either you need three cards of the same character, or any three cards of the same colour in numerical order. However, there’s often a third way that’s usually a little Easter egg in and of itself. For example, in The Mandalorian version, you can achieve a run by using the power card, which states that 1, 3, 6, is a winning combination. Seemingly random at first, until you notice that it’s Din Djarin, Bo Katan, and the Armourer – the three Mandalorian’s of the game. Mark, what was the special combination for this Indiana Jones version, and why is it an Easter egg?
Mark: So, the numbers are 3, 4 and 9; Marcus Brody, Sallah, and Henry Jones Senior – those characters found at the end of The Last Crusade. For a universal game between franchises, it’s very difficult to get any theme to come across, yet it is the small details like this that add a smile to your face and are almost a wink from the designer saying, “Oh, we’re fans too!” Another little gem is for Short Round, who is able to count as any colour, presumably because he is small and able to fit in almost anywhere in The Temple of Doom. This isn’t going to be the hugely thematic games that are out there (although we’ll be reviewing the other new Indiana Jones games soon) but it is not meant to be. This is fast paced fun, another sort of game that you can carry with you and get out when friends are together. The little nods that are littered throughout the game are more than enough to make you start making whipping noises as you play Indiana Jones, or “No, no Doctor Jones” when Short Round makes an appearance.
The other thing that I think is absolutely crucial with this game is the price point. This is a game that is only £8, has an easy to learn mechanic, and has a mini Funko Pop to boot. Add to all this that the games can actually be combined to create even more variability (which we still need to do, Kat) and I think this is one of the best priced games out there?
Kat: Even as the cheapest entry into the Funko Games Indiana Jones selection, Something Wild will still delight fans, capturing adventure and nostalgia within its cards. As we’ve said in previous reviews for this game, you can’t go wrong at this price point and with options for just about every fanbase. I’d say Something Wild! Indiana Jones is so good it belongs in a museum, but then we wouldn’t be able to play it!
