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The Superficial card game calls itself the skin-deep game for shallow people, so I had to open it up and see what that’s all about. It was sent to me to check out.
I haven’t tried it with friends yet. This is my first look at the box and how a game goes, so you can decide if it’s for you.
Quick Verdict
- Buy it if: you like edgy humor and would rather win or lose as a team
- Skip it if: anyone at the table is under 18, or snap judgments won’t go over well
- My favorite feature: nobody plays against anybody, you’re all on the same side
- Would I buy again? Ask me after game night
A party game where the whole table is on one team
Most party games crown one winner. In Superficial, everyone wins or loses together. One player knows who the mystery person is, and the rest of you work together to figure it out.
The catch is how you figure it out. You only get to go on what the characters look like, which we all know you’re not supposed to do. That’s the joke.
Superficial Adult Party Card Game by Inspiration Play
A cooperative card game for adults with 90 illustrated character cards, 50 question cards and a divided box.
Superficial players, play time and cards
- Ages: 18 and up
- Players: 2 to 8, or more
- Play time: 10 to 20 minutes
- Character cards: 90
- Question cards: 50
- Modes: normal and hard
- Box: divided, about 5.75 x 4 x 1.25 inches
- Art: hand-drawn by an American artist
- Also inside: an instruction booklet
Who is Superficial for?
It’s made for adult get-togethers with people who know each other well enough to laugh at their own assumptions. It’s also a cute gift idea for friends who love games.
If it’s going on a holiday list this year, the free holiday gift planner on Admin Arcade keeps the budget and order-by dates in one spot.
If your crew likes party games that take two minutes to explain, the Spit Out First card game is a fast race to name something in a category, and it fits in your palm. For a family game, Trivia for Everyone has two difficulty levels so casual players can keep up with the know-it-alls.
What comes in the Superficial box?
The box is split in two, with character cards on one side and question cards on the other, so everything goes right back where it came from. It doesn’t take up much room, either.
The cards are sturdy, colorful and feel high quality. A little booklet walks you through a sample game so you get the gist before you start.
How do you play Superficial?
One player knows who the mystery person is. The rest of you work it out together, narrowing the lineup down to that one face.
- One person knows the answer: they hold a role whose name is a swear word (I bleeped it), and only they know who the mystery person is.
- Everyone else asks: the questioners take turns as lead questioner, read question cards out loud and decide which faces fit.
- You guess from appearances alone: looking at Karen, I’d say she pays with credit cards, has three cats and is super into astrology.
- Two ways to play: there’s a normal mode and a hard mode.
Little things I liked
- The illustrations are bright, and no two faces look alike
- Things you’d never say out loud anywhere else, which is half the fun
Before you bring it out
- It’s 18 and up. Some of the question cards get blunt, so keep it for grown-ups.
- One role name is a swear word. Fine for most grown-up crowds, not for a family dinner.
- The humor runs on stereotypes. If that won’t land with your people, pick a different game.
Superficial FAQs
What happens if you flip over the mystery person?
That game is lost for the whole table. Deal out a fresh lineup and try again.
How many characters go on the table each game?
Thirty of the 90 go out face up, so the lineup changes from one game to the next.
Is Superficial like Guess Who?
It uses the same idea of narrowing down a board of faces. The difference is that you all play as one team, and you’re guessing at habits and lifestyles, not glasses or hats.
How long does a game of Superficial take?
About 10 to 20 minutes a game, so you can get a few rounds in on one night.
Other party games to compare
- Cards Against Humanity: the same kind of adult humor, with 500 white cards and 100 black cards for 4 to 20 or more players, ages 17 and up.
- The Mind Card Game: also cooperative, but you play cards in order without talking. It’s for 2 to 4 players, ages 8 and up, so it can work for a family.
- Codenames 2nd Edition: two teams race to find their agents on a 5×5 grid from one-word clues. It’s team against team instead of the whole table together.
My take so far
I haven’t played it yet, so ask me again after game night. It’s a unique idea, it’s well made, and I can see it getting a lot of laughs with the right crowd.
Where To Buy
A book I made
The 4:55 Email
A bold and easy office humor coloring book for adults. Fifty pages of the things that get said at work, drawn big enough to actually color in and printed on one side only.
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