HABA 4789 Rhino Hero- A 3D stacking games for ages 5+ English version (Made in Germany)

Product Information

This section isn’t going to be a surprise I’m sure. Rhino Hero is a game of reasonably fine positioning of walls and roofs and rhinos, and doesn’t lend itself to verbalisation. The card-play is trivial, and only sets up the context of the following placement challenge. This is a game you absolutely have to play physically to get any enjoyment. That means that those with impairments in terms of fine or gross motor skills will be unable to play. Not a problem with colour blindness, but bear this in mind when we talk about contrast in the next section If the active player’s hero is now higher on the tower than anyone else’s, they claim the superhero medal token. This token will change hands throughout the game as players grapple to be king of the hill. Then, to conclude their turn, the active player draws a new floor card. The mark shows the number and position of the walls for the new floor. Take the required wall(s) and bend it/ them to the necessary angle. Now position it/them and place one of your roofs cards on top. Have you ever wanted to be a super hero? Have you ever wanted to be a super hero who is also an animal? Have you ever wanted to be a cape wearing super animal climbing a skyscraper? No, me neither but Rhino Hero: Super Battle gives you that opportunity nonetheless! Making it’s way onto shelves six-years after it’s hugely under-promising predecessor Rhino Hero; does Super Battle sit atop the tower of triumph? Building your way to success!

The game box states that Rhino Hero Super Battle (designed by Scott Frisco and Steven Strumpf) is suitable for 5-99-year-olds. What’s amazing about this game is that not only are people of all ages capable of playing the game but the rules contain great ways of allowing younger players to stand a chance of winning against older players. These include:

Setup

The first player correctly places walls on the guidelines provided on the start tile. From here, they choose a roof tile from their own hand to give the next player their platform to test their steel. If this roof tile is plain, the next player goes ahead as before. However, if there is a symbol on the roof card, it may affect the next player’s turn. Then, if the floor card shows a spider-monkey icon, the player takes a spider-monkey token and hangs it off the floor they just placed. There are no intersectional issues that would change the baseline category recommendation so there’s not much for us to talk about here other than our usual considerations.

Take the superhero medal if you are higher up the skyscraper than any other player at the end of the turn.

Object of the Game

If you’re looking for a game that is made well, with illustrations that will make you smile and a premise that is easy-to-learn and easy-to-teach then this is a great starting point. It’s difficult to find a game that keeps all the family engaged these days – there’s so many distractions with social media and technology on demand that sitting kids down for anything longer than half an hour is a task, but with Rhino Hero you can set-up, play and declare a winner in well-under 15 minutes. Again, I have no real concerns here – it’s certainly possible for players to set each other up with difficult tasks but that in the end is exactly where the fun and hilarity comes from. Remember, this isn’t a game where people are trying to make a huge tower – it’s a game where everyone is trying not to be the one that makes it collapse. The collapse is inevitable, and if you cause it you’re a source of delight not frustration. This is lovely because Rhino Hero is a challenging game despite its simplicity. It needs to handle failure well, and it does it with aplomb. Game length is very brisk – ten or so minutes at the high end. It doesn’t just work for conditions with modulating severity – it’s also the kind of thing that works around brief moments of comfort. It does require a solid surface upon which to play but as long as that surface has the dimensions of a playing card you can whip this out. It extends upwards, not outwards. For a game designed for children, there is a bit of strategy that comes into play when choosing which ceiling tile to place. You can mess with the next player by playing a ceiling tile that calls for only one wall, or an orientation that will further unbalance the tower. You can also play cards that will empty your hand faster and force your opponent to skip turns. While these may seem like simple mechanics to adults, they are presented in an easy-to-learn way for younger gamers. We felt that this game did a great job of meeting the needs of gamers and non-gamers alike over the entire age range of 5-99. Final Thoughts But before you can do so you have to build the floor, with one or two walls. Have a look at the marks on the foundation or on the last roof card that has been placed.

Often there is kind of dichotomy here – every impairment category we look is a multi-axis spectrum of severity and symptom and impact. The game characteristics that would stop someone with Parkinsons playing a particular game might not be a problem for someone making use of a wheelchair. However, Rhino Hero proclaims on the front of the box that it’s ‘a card game that can grow over 3 feet’. It’s not often it gets that high, but two feet isn’t unusual and one and a half is probably where the median lies. As such, if it’s not possible to stand it often won’t be possible to play at all. Rhino Hero is about a heroic rhinoceros, clad in a cape and cowl, trying to scale a skyscraper! (If that hasn’t grabbed your attention, nothing will.) Technically this is a children’s game by hugely popular publisher HABA, but don’t let that put you off. While you can – and will – enjoy this with children of all ages (realistically aged five and up, for them to grasp the dexterity concept), it’s also guaranteed to be a smash hit with the adults, too! Whilst all these intoxicatingly bright colours are a feast for the eyes, it has ignited some of the more interesting debates I have had in my life. Endeavouring to convince people to play what essentially looks like a children’s TV show is more problematic than I thought. For me, this is one of my ‘lazy games’– when I know we’ve got people coming around and I’m not feeling at my most sociable, or when there’s a bit of a wait on the dinner and I’ve got an irritable teen and an interfering Nana, I’ll look to Rhino Hero to entertain them (and me) for a short space of time.ANYWHO! Similar to nearly every dexterity game on the market, Super Battle asks players to build a tower/skyscraper by placing walls and floors. You get to play as one of the four heroic heroes: Rhino Hero (Obviously), Giraffe Boy, Big E. and Batguin. The double-sided starting tile should then be placed: the side showing the two wall placement lines is your easier option, the side showing only one can be used for a more competitive family shootout or by those up for a challenge. We recommend you avoid Rhino Hero if you have anything other than the most minor of visual impairments, with that recommendation becoming firmer the more pronounced impairments may be. Cognitive Accessibility Roll the light blue die. The number rolled indicates how many floors your superhero can be moved up the skyscraper. I have two small negatives about Super Battle. First, it feels like a missed opportunity that this game does not integrate with the original, and second, the box is far larger than it needs to be. These issues aside, however, the production of this game is top-notch, and it’s great fun to play.

It’s easy to see now how Rhino Hero appeals to everyone. Kids love the challenge, and almost thrive on having to move the rhino. Whereas adults, whether playing in the pub or once the little ones have gone to bed, will pull the most outrageous faces as they desperately attempt to concentrate, while the engrossed, watching crowd cheer their every move. Rhino Hero Super Battle is an amazing game! I’ve laughed and shouted playing this game more than any other in my collection. If you make use of the variations for younger or less able players then you can be laughing and enjoying it with anyone! Of course, all of this is based on the assumption that players have some degree of visual discrimination. The game is not remotely playable in situations of near or total blindness given the fact it involves the placement of cardboard walls within tight constraints with little margin for error. This in the end is the primary accessibility concern with the game. In many ways it’s comparable to competitively building a house of cards – it’s certainly not impossible for those that are totally blind but it requires a considerable degree of extra care and attention. Within Rhino Hero, all the other players are hoping you fail and engineering the circumstances as best they can to bring that failure about.Super Battle emulates the perfect crescendo; a smooth and circumspect event but as the skyscraper grows, the tension begins to build until the grand finale of everything toppling over and exploding like a firework of urban landscape. I thought the original Rhino Hero was decent, but nothing to write home about. Rhino Hero: Super Battle, on the other hand, is fantastic. This game completely replaces the old one for me.