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Every so often, you stumble on a game that doesn’t look like much on the surface but manages to surprise you in the best way. Jungo, by Toshiki Arao with illustrations by Laura Michaud, is exactly that sort of game. It’s light, fast, and has one rule that completely changes how you play: once your cards are in your hand, you’re not allowed to rearrange them. Simple, but oddly brilliant.
The goal is straightforward. Be the first to get rid of all your cards. But with that one restriction in place, suddenly every turn becomes a small puzzle, and things get more tactical than you’d expect from a game with cartoon monkeys on the cards.
We’ve had it on the table quite a few times now, and it turns out there’s more to it than meets the eye. Here’s how it works, and what we thought after a few rounds.
👥 3-5 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 15 minutes
📝 Designer: Toshiki Arao
🎨 Artwork: Laura Michaud
🏢 Publisher: Cocktail Games (review copy provided by Asmodee Belgium).
Gameplay Overview
The game has 72 cards in total. Most are standard number cards, with eight copies of each number from 1 to 8. Then there are eight double-value cards that show two numbers, like 3 and 4, or 5 and 6, and you decide which value to use when you play them.
To start, you shuffle the deck and deal cards to each player. If there are three players, everyone gets 10. If there are four or five, you each get 8. Once you pick up your hand, you keep the order as it was dealt. That part is key. You’re not allowed to move your cards around, which makes planning a bit more complicated but also more interesting. The rest of the cards go in a face-down draw pile.
On your turn, you can either play a combination of cards or draw one. To play a combo, the cards must be next to each other in your hand and have the same number. To beat the current combo on the table, yours needs to be stronger. That means either more cards, or the same number of cards with a higher value.
If you manage that, you choose what to do with the beaten combo. You can discard it, or take it into your hand and place those cards anywhere. This is the only time you’re allowed to break the hand order rule. After that, your own combo becomes the new one to beat.
If you can’t or don’t want to play anything, you draw a card. Without showing it, you then choose to add it to your hand, discard it, or declare “Jungo” if it lets you play a stronger combo straight away. If you do, you reveal the card and can add matching cards from your hand that are sitting next to each other to complete the combo.
The round ends as soon as one player has no cards left. You can play just one round or keep going and play a few games in a row, with the first player to win two becoming the overall winner.
Visuals and Design
The game comes in a small, colourful box and the cards are filled with monkeys doing very monkey-like things. Climbing, swinging, holding bananas, and just generally being a bit chaotic. The artwork by Laura Michaud is playful and cheerful without feeling overly busy or distracting.
Each number is linked to a specific colour, which helps a lot during play. The double-value cards are easy to recognise, with two colours representing the two values and a diagonal design that sets them apart from the regular cards. It all adds up to a clear and readable deck, which makes the gameplay feel smooth.
The numbers are big and placed in the corners, mirrored so they’re visible from any angle. The design is tidy and functional, and the card backs keep the theme going with red monkeys and jungle leaves. It’s nothing flashy, but it works well and helps the game flow without players needing to double-check things.
Our Experience
We played Jungo with three and four players. It worked at three, but with four it felt more dynamic. There were more combinations on the table, more decisions to make, and more pressure to act at the right time.
The rules were easy to teach. The hand order rule caught people off guard at first, but once it clicked, you could see players start thinking in a different way. They weren’t just looking at what cards they had, but at what they could actually play based on how their hand was arranged.
Turns moved quickly, with enough going on to keep everyone engaged. Drawing a card always felt like a small gamble. You might get the perfect card or something that does nothing at all, but at least you’re not forced to keep it. Deciding whether to take a defeated combo or discard it turned out to be trickier than we expected. Sometimes you’d grab one thinking it would help, and two turns later realise you’d trapped yourself.
That kind of small tension gave the game a nice rhythm. We had a few satisfying moments where someone managed to line up a strong combo and play it just at the right time. It’s not the kind of game where everything builds up to one big move, but when it happens, it feels good.
The “Jungo” rule added a bit of drama too. It became a small event when someone shouted it and dropped a surprise combo. Silly, but fun. And honestly, that describes the whole game quite well.
Our Thoughts
Jungo isn’t trying to be more than it is, and that’s what makes it work. It’s quick, simple, and just clever enough to keep things interesting. The fixed hand rule gives it a bit of depth without slowing things down. For us, that was the part that kept us coming back.
It plays best as a filler. It’s great before or after a longer game, or just when you don’t have a lot of time. It works well with mixed groups, too. We played it with casual players and regular gamers, and everyone picked it up quickly.
That said, it’s not a game with much long-term planning. Sometimes you’re stuck and there’s nothing to do but draw and hope. Some rounds feel like they’re over before you’ve had a chance to do much. And if you’re looking for strategic depth or something you can really sink your teeth into, this probably won’t be it.
If you’ve played Scout, the fixed hand concept will feel familiar, but the rest of the gameplay is quite different. Jungo is more about short turns, timing your plays, and reacting to what’s happening on the table. There’s less structure, a bit more chaos, and a slightly looser feel overall.
We’d recommend Jungo if you enjoy quick, interactive card games with a light touch and a clever core idea. It’s not a must-have for everyone, but it’s one we’re happy to keep in the bag for game nights. Sometimes, a few monkeys and a bit of card-based chaos is exactly what you need.
📝 We received a copy of Jungo from Asmodee Belgium for review.
