Ever felt like judging a book by its cover is the best way to make friends? Well, that’s basically what you’re doing in this review of Faces. Grab your most judgmental pals (or just the ones who laugh easily), because I’m about to share all the laughs, odd faces, and honest takes that came from my own game nights. If you want to know whether this party game is a must-have or a miss, keep reading—awkward glances and nose-snorting giggles guaranteed.
How It Plays
Setting up
First, shuffle the big stack of face cards and deal some to each player. Then, pick one lucky player to be the judge. That person gets the stack of question cards and a power trip that lasts one round.
Gameplay
The judge reads a silly question, like “Who would borrow your lawnmower and never return it?” Everyone secretly picks a face card from their hand that fits the question. You slide your pick face-down to the judge, who mixes them up. Then, the judge tries to guess which player sent in each face. I promise, you’ll laugh at how off these guesses are!
Winning the game
Any player who fools the judge scores a point, and the judge scores for every right guess. Pass the judge role to the left for the next round. First player to the set point limit gets bragging rights as the most mysterious (or confusing) friend at the table!
Want to know more? Read our extensive strategy guide for Faces.
How Much Fun is Faces?
If you want a game that makes aunt Linda laugh so hard she snorts, Faces is the answer. I brought it out at a family gathering, and soon everyone was pointing, giggling, and making some pretty weird faces themselves. The whole point of the game is to match oddball questions with funny, strange or downright confusing photos of people’s faces. You get to guess who picked which face, which leads to all sorts of wild accusations and even wilder explanations. One person in our group picked an old man’s picture as ‘most likely to eat raw onions’—don’t ask me why, but the whole table fell apart laughing for about ten minutes.
Faces wins big for replay value. Sure, you’ll see the same faces eventually, but the questions and people’s choices change every single round. I played with kids, parents, and even a friend’s dog (okay, maybe not the dog, but he looked amused). Each group brings out some different side of the game. It gets competitive but stays friendly, because nobody can guess every pick perfectly. The best part is watching players try to justify their wild choices—”He just looks like a man who would steal a pie!”
If you’re into games that guarantee goofy fun, break the ice, and get everyone talking, Faces is your jam. Next up, let’s see if the rules are as painless to learn as a goldfish memory test.
How Easy Are the Rules in Faces?
If there was a game that handed you rules as simple as a slice of bread, it’s Faces. The rulebook doesn’t need a magnifying glass, a law degree, or a plate of cookies to get through. Even your cousin who still thinks Monopoly is a lifestyle choice could pick this up in a few minutes. I’ve watched my friends, most of whom have the attention spans of squirrels, learn to play after just one round. No arguments, no wild rules lawyering, just pure and simple fun.
You start with a row of photos showing people’s faces (no, not your neighbor’s dog, unless he’s got good expressions). Each round, a question is asked like, “Who looks like they just found out their favorite show got cancelled?” Everyone tries to guess which face the judge picked, and points are handed out if you match. That’s pretty much it! No hidden scoring, no tricky symbols, and not a dice in sight. It’s like charades without the acting or the awkward interpretive dancing. This makes it super easy to teach to new players, including that one friend who always forgets the rules (you know the one).
The hardest part? Not bursting into laughter when you see some of the faces and the silly matches people make. Everything in Faces is straightforward, so the focus stays on goofing off and laughing, not rule-checking and book-flipping. Next up: I’ll yap about how replay-tastic Faces is, whether you play with family, friends, or that group of semi-strangers at your cousin’s weird birthday party.
Why ‘Faces’ Shines With Every New Group
Alright, let me tell you, I’ve played Faces with my family, my friends, and once with a very competitive book club (don’t ask). Every time felt like a completely new game. That’s because the people you play with matter more than the board or the cards. You get a mountain of face cards—smiling, grimacing, looking like they just ate a lemon—and opinions about those faces change depending on who’s around the table.
With my family, it turned into a wholesome laugh fest. My uncle claimed every tired-looking card was a perfect match for how he feels after Thanksgiving dinner. My friends, on the other hand, went full detective, analyzing every eyebrow and wrinkle to match the most ridiculous description possible. One game, someone said a face looked like it “just heard a pineapple can sing”—I couldn’t stop laughing for five minutes straight. That never happened twice, trust me.
The beauty of Faces is that you can play it ten times with ten groups and have ten different games. You don’t need to be an actor, just willing to laugh at the weird ways people see a face. The only limit is your group’s creativity (and, sometimes, how seriously your aunt takes her role as the judge).
So if you ask me, the replay value is bananas. If you’ve got people and a spare hour, Faces is on the table. Next up, we’re getting into the nitty-gritty—are the face cards actually nice to look at, or do they make you want to run for the hills? Stay tuned for some honest thoughts on artwork and card quality!
Artwork & Card Quality in Faces: Expression Overload!
Let me tell you, Faces really delivers when it comes to its face cards. You aren’t going to find boring, cookie-cutter drawings here. Each card in Faces has a real, often ridiculous photo of a person making all sorts of wild expressions. I saw faces that looked shocked, faces that looked guilty, faces that could haunt my nightmares, and even a few that reminded me of my Uncle Bob after he’s eaten bad sushi.
The best part? There’s enough variety that no two rounds look the same. The printing is sharp, too. You won’t squint and wonder if that’s a smirk or just the printer running low on ink. I once pulled a face that was so over the top, it made my friend Brittany do a spit take (apologies to her soda). The cards are thick enough to survive rough shuffling, though I wouldn’t recommend letting toddlers teethe on them—unless you want tiny teeth marks giving a new twist to those oddball faces.
Another thing I liked is the size. The cards are big enough for everyone around the table to see—so no one has to lean in and knock over their drink (again, looking at you Brittany). The finish on the cards keeps the fingerprints to a minimum. Faces did their homework here, making sure the only thing you’ll be focusing on is the game and not whether someone sneezed on the deck.
If you enjoy a party game that looks as fun as it plays, I say Faces is a winner. The cards are sturdy, the art gets laughs, and I totally recommend it for your next get-together!
Conclusion
Well, that’s the end of my Faces review. If you want a board game that brings out weird laughs, mad guesses, and some pretty odd faces, this is your jam. The rules are simple, and you can teach anyone in under two minutes—even my uncle who still can’t set a timer on his microwave. The card quality is top notch and the artwork is silly in the best way. Replay value is high, since every group brings new chaos. My only beef? If you don’t like games that are all about reading people or if you want pure skill, Faces can feel a bit random. For parties, though, it’s a winner. 4 out of 5 stars from me. Time to go practice my best confused hamster face. Review over, folks!
