The title of the game says just about everything you need to know about this tiny card game. Soda Jerk is a hand management game with a nice level of cruelty. Thankfully, this mean game has colorful illustrations that will help you keep the rage at bay.
Flavors Galore
Soda Jerk is played over the course of three rounds. Players will receive a hand of cards in five different fruit flavors. In the center of the table are the five different flavored taps which are marked Blueberry, Kiwi, Banana, Strawberry, and Orange.
On your turn, you can either play a card from your hand, facedown under one of the five taps, or you can flip over a previously played card under a tap. You can play any flavor from your hand under any tap you’d like. Playing the same flavor under a tap will count as positive points while playing a mismatched flavor will give the tap a negative value.
If I play a three orange card under the blueberry tap, the blueberry tap is now worth negative three points since it’s not a match. Cards are always played face down to keep the values hidden from the other players. You can choose to flip a card over instead of playing a card, which can get you the hidden info you need.
The round is over when someone at the table starts the round with three cards in their hand, or if every player chooses to flip a card during a single turn.
The Big Score
In Soda Jerk, players will score all the flavors that they end up holding at the end of the round. If I end the round holding two banana cards and one blueberry card, I’ll receive points for the blueberry tap and points for the banana tap times two.
This card game is all about manipulating the market. You want to be sly in the way you tank the flavors that others are holding while raising the value of the cards you have. Players never have perfect information, but you can play to the strengths of the cards that are in your hand.
When players feel like someone is sabotaging the flavor tap, flipping a card face up in that column can give you an idea of who’s invested in that flavor. Each round of Soda Jerk is only around five to seven minutes. There are times when a round may end quickly because every player ends up choosing to flip a card when it comes to their turn. It can feel a bit like a game of chicken. The three opponents have all flipped a card in the display, will you flip a card and end the round?
Once players are familiar with the gameplay, each flavor tap has a “B” side that has a unique tweak to the scoring. Advanced play introduces these scoring effects that get revealed throughout the three rounds of play.
Final Thoughts
Soda Jerk comes in just the right format for the type of game that it is. The game is small and portable, a game that is easy to take on the go. It’s a game that is easy to toss into a game night or bring on vacation or to your local restaurant.
The game plays two to four players with a slight adjustment at two players. At this player count, both players will get a “Switcharoo” card that, when played, will change a positive flavor value to a negative, or visa-versa. This is a nice way to keep the game competitive and offer a surprise at the lowest player count. I do wish that Soda Jerk played more than four players since we often have five or six people around the game table.
Soda Jerk is a great filler card game that I’ve really enjoyed teaching and it’s a game with just the right level of “mean-ness” for our family. With it being in a tiny box, it’s going to probably travel with us often when we’re taking games on the go.
Soda Jerk is available on the Allplay webstore or online through Amazon today.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- Fun and whimsical art style
- Great filler card game to take on the go
- Encourages players to be skeptical of other players
Lows
- Wish that it supported more than 4 players
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
