TACO CAT GOAT CHEESE PIZZA! These are the words that you and your friends will shout repeatedly and also the cards you will play in the party game of the same name… No, you say? I’m doing something wrong? Oh, this is the sequel? Sorry, I’ll start again: TACO HAT CAKE GIFT PIZZA! You’re going to shout that repeatedly in this eponymous sequel…. Wait, this is yet another variant/sequel to the aforementioned game by Blue Orange Games and distributed by Geronimo Games!? Oh, and this version you will just shout TACO CAT GOAT CHEESE PIZZA again!? Well, hopefully the cards won’t turn their backs on you in Taco Back Goat Cheese Pizza: a game that doesn’t turn the original on its head, but does turn it 180 degrees.
Very similar to the previous instalments, you and the other players have to get rid of all the cards in your personal deck. How do you do that? Players take turns calling out the words TACO, CAT, GOAT, CHEESE or PIZZA (and again) whilst playing a card. If the spoken word corresponds to the picture included on a card, players try to slap their hands on the discard pile as quickly as possible. The last player that slapped must take the cards that were played into the pile into his own deck.
This is all easier said than done. Some of the pictures are rather tricky, especially when the colours are mixed up. Because you have to say the right word, play a card and watch which card is played at the same time, mistakes are easily made. If you make a mistake (saying the wrong word or putting your hand on the pile too early), you must of course take it. A mistake is a downright gift to the other players.
The twist in this new part? Some of the pictures have literally turned their backs on you. If the picture corresponds to the spoken word, but with the back turned, players must hit the table with the back of their hand. This creates an extra challenge and confusion.
If there is a panda, moose or sea lion on the card played, players must make a special gesture and place their hands on the pile similar to the narwhal, gorilla and groundhog from the first game or the unicorn, monkey or ninja from Taco Hat Cake Gift Pizza. The last player to perform the move and bang his/her hands on the table must again take the cards and is one step away from winning. Be careful here too, because cards can turn their backs on you.
I compared the first game to a slice of pizza and a taco: a pizza is a good snack and especially tasty with an alcoholic beverage, and just like eating a taco, you can’t play this game without making a mess of it. Just like in the first game (and the second game), it is still laughter dan crazy fun. Hands fly across the table, players shout at each other, make animal noises and weird gestures and also make a lot of mistakes.
Despite the twist of the separate parts, each part remains very similar to every other part, except that there are slightly different cards. The line with the backs of the pictures is a funny twist that causes extra confusion. If you are a huge fan and collector or a newcomer, then it is a nice addition to your collection, but I can imagine that most players get enough satisfaction from a single volume. By the way, it is fun to mix the cards from games: it is easy to add the special cards to the other game, but you can also go for an extra challenge by combining the normal cards as well. What about your TACO HAT BACK CAT PIZZA CHEESE GIFT? You can make it as crazy as you want.
