Funko Games puts a spell on you with the new Disney Hocus Pocus Tricks & Wits Card Game, now available wherever games are sold. The latest in Funko’s line of conveniently-sized holiday card games, players work individually or in teams, pitting the witches against the kids. No matter who wins, it’s more fun than running amuck.
The small box houses everything you need to play. It’s not only easy to store the game when playtime is over, but also easy to take with you on your Halloween travel excursions, particularly a spooky weekend getaway.
Primarily a card game, Hocus Pocus Tricks & Wits has several decks in two different sizes, four marker tokens (used when an action calls for them), and a unique themed die that is translucent and glittery. The player or teams divide between The Witches and The Kids, taking the purple and green decks respectively. Black Flame Candle cards get spread out in numerical order, which helps keep track of the game’s six rounds. The black Hocus Pocus cards are what you’re after and hidden amongst them are the Sanderson Sisters' spellbook and special items. Obtaining these by the time the black flame candle runs out is key to victory.
Each player starts with two Hocus Pocus cards, distributed at random. You can have no more than three at a time, but actions on cards played or symbols from dice rolls allow you to swap them out, either from the center or with another player. There are also actions that allow you to peek, so you’ll know where certain cards are. However, some actions also shuffle them all up, making this trickier than it sounds. Winifred, Mary, and Sarah’s brooms (or mops or vacuums) all have a matching pair in the cards. If a player matches them, they get a bonus roll of the die and then get to remove those two cards from the game. Trick cards add more mischief to the gameplay.
Each turn starts with the witches and kids drawing three cards from their colored decks and playing one face down. Similar to War, you flip them over to see who has the higher number. That player takes the rest of their turn first, followed by the opposite side.
After both players or teams complete their turn, the Black Flame Candle cards slide down until it’s just a flame, indicating the last turn. Through all the shuffling and swapping of Hocus Pocus cards, the goal is to have the book in your possession. However, if the other player has both special items, they are the winner. Swapping and peeking at cards can be done toward the opposing player, so knowing where these cards are and trying to get them in the last turn is a good strategy to prevent any take-backs. When an action calls for it, you can place a Binx marker on a card that you’ve peeked at for ease of swapping it later. The other players don’t know if it’s a card you want or don’t want, which adds to the mystery.
We had a lot of fun demoing Disney Hocus Pocus Tricks & Wits Card Game. Recommended for ages 8 and up and for 2-4 players, the game is easier to play when you think of it as War mixed with a mystery match game. The die adds some random chance actions and a handy reference card makes it easy to decipher each roll result. If you love the 1993 Halloween classic Hocus Pocus, you won’t want to miss this conveniently sized well-themed card game. C’mon, baby, up and (roll the) die!
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