Are you interested in playing a new game with friends and family? Want to add a bit of chaos to game night? Read along to learn about the game Doomlings and how the end of the world can be pretty fun.
A few months ago, I met the co-creators of the card game Doomlings at SDCC. I recognized their logo from the game sections of various Target stores, and my curiosity was piqued. I have never been good at card games, but I loved the vibrant colors and quirky characters depicted on each card and wanted to learn more about what the game had to offer. We chatted and eventually arranged an interview with Team Doomlings. Please enjoy and tell us in the comments if you plan on purchasing the game, and if you’re already familiar with the game, tell us how you’ve enjoyed it thus far.
What inspired this particular game?
Team Doomlings: Doomlings wasn’t supposed to be a real game. It was just an idea that Justus and his brother Andrew had while on vacation with their family. They were joking about coming up with the ideal game that both their mom and their friends could play: a game that would bring everyone together, novices and pros. That idea remained in their mind shortly after.
Eric and Justus, two of the co-founders of the game, who were commercial directors before their foray into board games, could not work during the pandemic because all productions shut down. So they channeled their energy towards making this game.
Justus threw himself into crafting the game as an escape. We can only be grateful that he didn’t fall into TikTok dancing instead because the rest is history.
Would you describe Doomlings as a game for everyone?
Team Doomlings: Yes! It’s designed to be great for everyone from 8 years old to 88 years old. Like a good Pixar movie, you have stuff in the game for kids and adults. We’ve heard stories from people using it to teach their kids colors and math, and we’ve listened to stories from others using it to bring generations together for game nights.
Is it easy to learn?
Team Doomlings: You can learn Doomlings in around 5 minutes! We want it to be easy to pick up, easy to understand, and challenging to put down. It’s a palate cleanser in your day, something you can play anywhere, anytime, and fast.
How would you describe Doomlings’ gameplay to someone entirely new to the game?
Team Doomlings: Cozy and chaotic. It’s got a great mix of strategy and luck that makes the game feel like there’s some skill involved without being too predictable. We like to call it party-plus. It feels like a party game, but there’s a surprising amount of depth to it. You can play it with someone who only played Monopoly, or you can play it with someone who is a veteran DnD player. It feels familiar right out of the gate, but you never know what will happen next.
What is the great appeal of this game?
Team Doomlings: Its replayability. Every card in the base game is unique, and there are no duplicate cards like you’ll find in other party games. It makes it so every single game feels special and that you’re always finding new combos. Also, it’s humor. The flavor text on the cards never fails to brighten a mood.
What can existing fans anticipate for the future of Doomlings?
Team Doomlings: We’re hard at work with future expansions. There are current expansions, such as Techlings, which introduces attachment cards, or the Meaning of Life Expansion, which introduces hidden player objectives that add a fun new dynamic to the game. We have some expansions in development that we feel add a similar kind of new ‘spin’ on the game.
We recently conducted an extensive survey from our community where we asked fans of the game what they’d like to see next, and we are planning to use that feedback to help us steer the direction of the Doomlings toward what the community wants!
Also, we just launched a Doomlings Plushie line, and you can expect more Doomlings plushies down the line.
There are a couple of other secret projects, but I can’t talk about those. If we discussed it, that might be the end of the word.
Where can new fans find the game (i.e., stores, online shops?)
Team Doomlings: You can find our upgrade packs, overlush, and base game in Target! You can find our base game in Walmart. You can also get all our items on Doomlings.com. It’s the easiest and best place to go for everything!
What is the best part of being on Team Doomlings? How does the game embrace a sense of community?
Team Doomlings: One of the fun things about Doomlings is our community; we love having contests that show off their creative talents. They’re all so amazing. We have a Jack-o-lantern contest until October 29th at 11:59 p.m. PST. You can submit painted and carved pumpkins. We wanted to make sure as many people could participate as possible! Some of the entries so far have been amazing.
We also have the Doomlings 2nd Annual Yum Yum contest coming up! Here’s our winner from last year!
Be on the lookout for more Doomlings Contests in the future; we have some fun things on the horizon.
Tell us in the comments if you plan to play Doomlings for the first time, and if you’re an end-of-world veteran, tell us what you love most about the game!
