Let’s take a peek at the quick number game Lucky Numbers in this review!
One of my favorite things to discover when playing a new game is learning the hidden strategies that emerge from repeat plays. I recently had this experience while playing Lucky Numbers. On the surface, Lucky Numbers looks to be mostly luck driven as you draw numbers as you race to fill the 16 spaces on your board first.
But after multiple plays, we discovered that Lucky Number is a surprisingly strategic spatial number puzzle.
How Do You Play?
Watch a short visual overview on our TikTok!
In Lucky Numbers you’ll draw and play number tiles onto your board. The first player to fill all 16 slots on their board is the winner.
Each player begins with four tiles on their board.
On their turn, players can draw either a face-down or face-up number tile to add to their board as long as they can follow the placement rules. Each row and column must be filled with numbers that ascend in order from left to right/top to bottom with no repeats.
If you draw a tile you can’t place or decide to swap out a previously placed number, you return the number tile face up to the general supply. That number can then be picked up on another players’ turn.
The game continues until a player has filled in all 16 spaces on their board and wins.
What Do We Think of Lucky Numbers?
Lucky Numbers has a very underwhelming appearance at first glance. While that may seem like a negative, it’s actually a plus. Lucky Numbers doesn’t need an overelaborate production with a pasted-on-theme to inflate the cost and distract from what it is: a fun puzzle game with elements of luck.
So, just how much luck is in Lucky Numbers? There is a lot of luck, but it is a game where you also make your own luck by wisely placing tiles on your board to increase your chances for success or by seeing what numbers you know other players can’t place and leaving spaces available for you to scoop up their unplaced tiles.
For being a puzzle game, it is still easy to introduce to kids or casual games since it is easy to learn and play. Turns move quickly, and while thinking is required, it is easy to hold a conversation while playing.
We’ve successfully introduced this game to people who love sudoku since they share those spatial number puzzle elements but are generally not interested in board games.
Solo Players are in Luck!
The game comes with a special booklet with 40 puzzles for solo play as a bonus. Each challenge puzzle players must move pieces to assemble a valid end game board state. The game provides a goal number of moves you can complete the puzzle to know if you did it in the most efficient way possible.
Playing the puzzle doesn’t feel like you are playing the game, but it is a welcome addition and adds extra value to the game.
Summary
Lucky Numbers is an enjoyable puzzle game that is fun to play and a pleasant addition to your collection if you enjoy light puzzles. If you want to try it out online, there is a wonderful implementation on Board Game Arena, which I highly recommend you try out.
For now, we are keeping Lucky Numbers in our collection since it is a fun way for our kids to learn about numbers and probability.
Bring home a copy of Lucky Numbers for your family.
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Game Info:
Title: Lucky Numbers
Players: 1-4 Players | Ages 8+
Designer: Michael Schacht
Artist: Christine Alcounffe, Walter Pepperle
Publisher: Luma Import
Special thanks to our friends at Luma Imports for sending a copy of Lucky Numbers for review.
As always our thoughts and opinions are our own.
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