Streaking Kittens - Review

They’re back, and this time, they’re naked! Yes, it’s time to review the second expansion of the well-loved Exploding Kittens. Today, I’ll be reviewing Streaking Kittens, which adds 15 new cards to the original game.

Catomic Bomb can really speed up the game, but will you risk it?

Set-up: 9/10

Setting up the game is almost identical to a normal game of Exploding Kittens. Give every player a Defuse, then shuffle the remaining cards, excluding the Exploding Kittens, and deal seven cards to each player. Then, shuffle a number of Exploding Kittens equal to the number of players into the deck.

Mechanics: 9/10

The mechanics are very similar to the base game, the main exception being the interactions with the new cards. The Streaking Kitten allows a player to hold an Exploding Kitten in their hand, and Curse of the Cat Bum forces players to take their turn without looking at their cards. Otherwise, players play exactly how they would in a normal game, by playing as many cards from their hand as they wish, then ending their turn by drawing a card.

Scoring: 10/10

Like the original game, victory is achieved by not exploding!

The Super Skip is the perfect counter to Attack cards - end all your turns with one card!

Speed: 7/10

With the additional cards, Exploding Kittens can take slightly longer to play. However, it’s still a fast-paced game, following the same rules and mechanics as the main game. The Catomic Bomb especially can really speed the game up, especially if no one has a shuffle in hand!

Replayability: 6/10

Unfortunately, the Streaking Kitten itself is a very controversial card. The ability to hold an Exploding Kitten in hand changes the game play, as card and player interactions are changed. Players are far less willing to play Favour, as they risk receiving an Exploding Kitten. As the Streaking Kitten is seen as one of the more powerful cards in the game, that player will likely find themselves the target of many other players.

The cards come in this small foil packet, making them easy to transport!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoy the Streaking Kitten expansion; I feel it adds a new dynamic to the game. My personal favourite card is the Catomic Bomb, which puts all the Exploding Kittens on the top of the deck. This turns the game into a very cut-throat version of itself, as players desperately vie to not draw the Exploding Kittens.

However, not every player enjoys the expansion, as many of the cards are significantly more powerful than their counterparts in the base game: Curse of the Cat Bum can drastically reduce one players hand, whilst the See the Future and Alter the Future cards allow you to preview or alter the top five cards of the deck, instead of three, which means you can potentially see your next two turns, instead of one. I’d like to use Streaking Kittens more, but for the most part we don’t use it, sticking instead to the base game.

I’d still recommend picking up a copy if you play a lot of Exploding Kittens, but be aware not every player may enjoy it.

Support me by becoming a member, and gain access to extra content, or by becoming a Patron!

Keep up to date and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or Reddit.

Thanks for reading!

Chris