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Scores
- Design: 8.5/10
- Performance: 7.5/10
- Overall: 8/10
Pros
- Simplicity itself to play
- High quality letter tiles
- No board, so playable anywhere
Cons
- Banana theme is weird
Think Scrabble as a race, without a board, and you have the foundations to play Bananagrams.
Players race against each other to build a word grid – just like Scrabble – using all the tiles in the game. Whoever uses all their letters first wins.
Design
Bananagrams is simplicity itself. The banana-inspired pouch holds 144 one-sided letter tiles and the game’s instructions. That’s all you need.
The tiles themselves are really great quality, robust and clear to read.
I still don’t quite get the whole banana-theme though. Not that it holds it back in any way, but its still feels a little odd.
Gameplay
Gameplay is relatively simple, though the random banana theme means you may have to consult the rulebook from time to time.
First, place all 144 tiles facedown on the game area. Then players grab their starting tiles – the number of tiles depends on the number of players.
When the game starts (someone has to yell “Split” – again with the weird banana references), players turn over their tiles and start making a word grid.
Importantly, you can rebuild and reshape your grid at any time, so long as all the words are still real words.
When a player uses the last of their letters, they have to yell “Peel” to make all players grab another letter from the main pile.
And if you’re really stuck with the letters in your pile, you can yell out “Dump” to trade one letter from your set with three letters from the main pile.
Once all the letters from the main pile are gone, the first person to use all their letters calls out “Bananas” to end the game.
Verdict
To be honest, this is a great little word game.
The weird banana theme can be a little off-putting. If you can ignore that, at its core Bananagrams is like a fun Scrabble speedrun.
The ability to pull your grid apart to make new words is great, as is the quality of the product.
If you can pick it up on sale, this is definitely worth adding to your collection, or giving as a nice Christmas gift.
Buy Bananagrams online
Bananagrams
While the weird banana theme can be a little off-putting, at its core Bananagrams is like a Scrabble speedrun for the whole family, which makes it worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play Bananagrams?
The standard Bananagrams game is recommended for 2 to 8 players. For a larger group, you can combine two sets of the game.
What is the "PEEL" rule and when is it used?
A player calls "PEEL!" when they have used all their face-up tiles to form words. When "PEEL" is called, every player (including the one who called it) must draw one new tile from the "Bunch."
What is the difference between "PEEL" and "DUMP"?
A player calls "PEEL" when they have used all their tiles and want more. A player calls "DUMP" when they get a challenging letter (like X, Q, or Z) and want to swap it. To "DUMP" a tile, you put the single tile back into the Bunch and take three new tiles in return.
How does the game end?
The game ends when a player uses their last tile and there are fewer tiles in the "Bunch" than there are players. That player yells "BANANAS!" and the game stops.
Is Bananagrams educational for children?
Yes, it's highly educational. It helps children with vocabulary expansion, spelling, word formation, and quick thinking. It's often used in classrooms as a fun and engaging way to practice literacy skills.
