Coco: Remember Me Review

If you know me or Travis, you know that we’re both big fans of Disney/Pixar. I grew up with the classics, and still enjoy pretty much everything that has premiered in my adulthood. I always hate being asked, “What’s your favorite Disney movie?” because that is SO hard to answer honestly – I love so many of them! But one that has definitely earned a spot towards the top of my list is Coco. The animation, the music, the storyline – a movie after my own heart. So when I saw this Coco-themed game on the shelf at my FLGS, I couldn’t resist adding it to my collection. But does the gameplay hold up to the love I have for the movie? Come find out!

Coco: Remember Me is a Loteria game. And what, you may be asking, is a Loteria game? Loteria is a traditional Mexican game that is akin to Bingo. Instead of calling numbers, a deck of cards is used. Players have their own player board (similar to a Bingo card), and cards from the deck are revealed one at a time – if your player board has a picture matching the revealed card, cover it with a token. The first player to get a winning combo is declared the winner! To setup for a game, shuffle the player boards and give one randomly to each player. Shuffle the deck of cards and give them to the player who will act as the caller for the game. Pile the tokens within reach of all players, and the game is ready to begin! Pictured below is the setup for a 3-player game.

There are 2 ways to play the game: Basic and Traditional. There is only a small difference between the two, so I’ll describe them both. To play the Basic game, each turn the caller will reveal the top card from the deck, and announce it to all players. If your player board has the matching picture, cover it with a token. In the Traditional game, the caller will create a short verse or riddle about the image on the card, instead of simply announcing it. Then, all players must guess what they think is the picture based on the clues, placing tokens as needed.

The game continues in this fashion, with the caller revealing cards and players placing tokens, until a player has a winning combo. Like Bingo, you must have tokens on your card in either a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line. In Coco: Remember Me, you can also have the 4 corners of your card covered to win, or create a square pattern of 4 tokens anywhere on your card. Players then check the images on the winning card against the cards revealed by the caller – if everything matches, that player wins!

So overall, like Bingo, Coco: Remember Me is pretty basic when it comes to gameplay. You’re really just making matches based on the drawn cards. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because I love a good game of Bingo myself! One thing that I really appreciate about this game is that the simplicity of the gameplay makes it accessible to much younger gamers. Travis’s 6-year-old is a rockstar at this game, and she loves being the caller. This truly is a fun family game that is enjoyable for all involved – not just the kids. And since it plays so fast, you can play many games in a row before getting tired of it.

To touch on components briefly, this is a pretty basic game in that regard as well. The player boards are nice thick card stock, and the deck of cards is standard as well. The tokens are little cardboard chits that are pretty sturdy. The real star of these components is the artwork. It’s all themed from the movie, but it has a unique and more traditional style that really makes it pop. Half the time when I am getting the game setup, I find myself just admiring all of the colors and uniqueness on the player boards and cards. It’s such great artwork that really helps elevate the atmosphere of such a simple game.

All in all, I’m a fan of Coco: Remember Me. Yes, it is just a themed Loteria game, but it’s a theme that I love. And if you’re not as big of a fan of Coco as I am, that’s ok! The Op Games has a Harry Potter themed version as well (that Travis has too) and plays the exact same way! I would say it’s possible to really theme this game with just about any movie/TV show, and I wonder if The Op Games has any plans to make more different versions. But that’s up to them I guess. If you’re looking for a fun and simple game that can get even your youngest gamers to the table, look no further than Coco: Remember Me. Maybe even turn it into a whole Coco night – watch the movie and then play this game! It’s fun, fast, and engaging for all players, and I would definitely recommend it. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a solid 12 / 16.