The next game in the Holiday Hijinks series is here! It’s crazy to think that Grand Gamers Guild has now put out SEVEN of these neat little games. The newest holiday to get its turn is Thanksgiving – can you and the rest of the farm animals make your escape before its turkey time?
| The Turkey Trial (2023) | Grand Gamers Guild |
| 1-4 players | 60 minutes |
| Ages 13+ | BGG Weight – Not yet available |
Disclaimer: We were provided with a copy of The Turkey Trial for the purposes of this preview. -L
As with the other games in the series, The Turkey Trial is an 18-card escape room style game in which players are working together to solve various riddles and puzzles in order to win the game. I don’t want to go too much into the specifics, as I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t yet played, but I will say that the nature of the gameplay is right in line with the others in the series. So if you’ve played one of the other Holiday Hijinks games, this one plays the same way just with different puzzles. And if you haven’t played a Holiday Hijinks game yet, they’re pretty intuitive to pick up and play! The Turkey Trial is rated a difficulty 1 / 3, so if you’re looking to break into this little series, I would say this is a good first game to play.
It’s probably no surprise, but I’m a big fan of the Holiday Hijinks series, and The Turkey Trial is no exception. The puzzles and riddles are unique to this game, and aren’t just a re-skin of the other games in the series. The theme and the artwork are cute, and the puzzles themselves are just fun to solve! And even though this game is rated a difficulty 1 / 3, that doesn’t mean it’s easy – the answers aren’t totally obvious. You’ll still have to use some brain power to figure out all the cards! One of my favorite things about this series is that the game is literally only 18 cards, so you can take it with you practically anywhere! All you need are the cards and most likely a pencil/paper to write notes or help solve some of the puzzles. These games are so accessible and portable, they make it easy to play when you’ve got an hour free. Another neat element is the website for each game. It can provide hints when needed, gives you some common ciphers/codes that may or may not be used in that specific game, and it’s where you type in your puzzle answers to check if you’re right! It’s a neat way to integrate technology to the game, without being totally tech-centered.
Like I said earlier, I think The Turkey Trial is a great first game to get you into the Holiday Hijinks series, as the difficulty is lower and it lets you learn how the gameplay works. On the flip side, if you’re a pro at the Holiday Hijinks, it is very much still worth it to play The Turkey Trial, as it is unique and unlike any other in the series! I loved my play of The Turkey Trial, and I can’t wait to see what others think of it as well. I highly recommend picking this one up, regardless of if you’ve played any of the others before. They’re all different gameplay experiences, but what they do have in common is the element of fun!
