Cute kittens meet charming cuisine in Bananya

by Mikael Yang

In the adorable world of Bananya: The Card Game, cute kittens and bananas are one. Bananyas come in all shapes, sizes and colors and they all have their own banana. Bananyas are not only delightful, each variation can be surprising and most overwhelmingly cute. Scientists have tried to measure their cuteness but none of their tools can measure such sweetness. Each kitten is adorable in their own way and the banana is an extra layer of fun. The colors used are very endearing and are reminiscent of pastel art. The card game is based on an enchanting little anime available to watch on Crunchyroll. The rules are simple. Each player is given seven playing cards and a reference card. Each Bananya comes with unique art and its very own special power that may come in handy in a pickle. Once the player has collected a set of 10 different Bananyas, they can shout “Nya!” and claim their victory. If they chose to shout “Nya!” without 10 different Bananyas to back up their claim they must shuffle their hand and discard two Bananyas randomly. The discard pile is called the Litter Box and players are able to draw the top card on their turn, unless they play Calico Bananya which lets them choose whichever card they want! Once a card has been drawn from the Litter Box, the player must wait their next turn to play it. If the draw pile runs out, the Litter Box can be used as a new draw pile until one of the players can claim their adorable victory.

Bananya: The Card Game is quick to pick up and fun for the whole family. If you haven’t found your favorite Bananya in the main game, there are four expansions coming out with many more Bananyas. The expansions follow four different themes each with their own unique variations. The themes include “Elder Wisdom,’’ “Sweet,” “Music” and “Magic.” While Elder Wisdom features an older bearded Banaya, Sweet has dessertthemed Bananyas for those with a sweet tooth. Magic will certainly satisfy those who love the majestic and elusive unicorn. Finally, Music is for those who want to rock and roll in a cute way. But don’t let those themes fool you – random Banayas like the Ninja are present as well. The care that went into making all these beautiful banana kittens is admirable and the art design is certainly delightful.

Bananya: The Card Game ($14.95) and the four expansion packs ($4.95 each) will be available for purchase in March 2023. You can pre-order them now with your favorite distributor.

by Justin Spicer

Whenthe COVID-19 pandemic first gripped the world and essentially shut down the everyday life we had become accustomed to, board games were one of the few safe havens for many. Despite the limitations imposed by lockdowns and limited business, the surge in popularity amidst the hobby continued to grow.

Neat and Tidy Packaging

With the increased interest came companies, FLGS, and publishers beginning to rethink how board games came to consumers. Not only did this entail new points of retail, online shops and curbside pick-ups, it also meant looking to new means of producing and packaging the board games and components therein that gamers have come to love when playing their games.

A recent report from Greenpeace states that less than 5 percent of plastics are recycled, with further investigations stating that many everyday plastics don’t even meet the basic thresholds to be considered recyclable.

One of the fronts where publishers were already reassessing the costs, resources and time were in the components and packaging. During many