Ramen Fury

Today's review is of the 2019 release, Ramen Fury. For 2-5 players, it takes 30 minutes.

Overview

Ramen noodles are so delicious, with so many proteins, veggies, and flavors to choose from. Can you maximize points based on your combinations?

the cards; image from here

In Ramen Fury, each player has three bowls to fill. On your turn, you have two actions, and you can use them to draw cards (from the deck or pantry), play cards to your bowl, 'eat' your bowl (turn it face-down), restock the pantry (the four face-up cards you can choose from), or even steal from other players' bowls (twice per game, using the spoon tokens). And you can play chili peppers on your own or others' bowls.

the game at start; image from here

To eat your bowl, you must have at least one flavor and one other ingredient. You can have up to four ingredients and exactly one flavor in a bowl. Your flavor determines how the bowl is scored. Once ready, use an 'eat' action to flip your bowl over. Once a player has flipped their final bowl, each player gets one more turn, then points are scored.

a player's game in progress; image from here

The flavors (fury, soy sauce, chicken, beef, shrimp) determine whether you get points for chili peppers, unique veggies, matching ingredients, unique proteins, or sets of veggie/protein combos, respectively. Only eaten bowls can count towards point totals. The most points wins!

Review

A set collection game with some twists (you determine which set(s) are relevant to you based on the flavors you choose), this game is okay. There are a number of set collection games out there, and while the twists are appreciated, this didn't feel unique enough to merit a higher ranking. It isn't bad, but it doesn't contribute anything special to the genre.

Rating: B-