VAULT-E Wins Kickstarter Review by Jazz Paladin

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Quick Look: VAULT-E Wins 

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Designer: Petr Beles
Publisher: Self-Published
Year Published: Coming to Kickstarter! (Link at bottom of review)

 

Review:
 

I have achieved a noteworthy amount of success with educational games that I have reviewed lately. So when an opportunity for reviewing a prototype of Vault-E wins arose, I decided to delve into the mathematical arena and serve up a new type of opportunity for my children, as both my wife and I have decided that this is an area that both of our kids could use some improvement in.

Firstly, it should be noted that there are significant differences in age between our kids, which could potentially complicate things. Vault-E wins is “officially” marketed towards the age of 7+, and with my younger child being a mere 5 years old, this could easily pose too great of a challenge. However, I have been keen to push the boundaries with both of my children when it comes to learning , and it has often paid off— For example, Story Time Chess managed to teach chess to my 5 year old! So with a little patience and the right tools, it is indeed possible to impart conceptual knowledge that is a little ahead of the age and learning curves.

While the game is slightly more complicated than I will be presenting it, it can best be broken down into a game that consists of a draw deck and dice. Drawing from the draw deck will give you a series of cards with numerical values that need to be matched to score points. So you may, for example, have cards laid out in front of players depicting any numbers from 0 to 12, say for instance, 5, 7 and 11. 

 

 

Each player on their turn will roll dice, depending on the difficulty level selected. “Beginner” modes utilize just 2 dice , while more advanced players can opt to use 3 dice to add further challenge.

Once the dice have been rolled, the player must then attempt to use the numbers depicted on their dice to match one of the target numbers on the table. You MUST utilize all of the numbers you rolled to come up with an answer that matches. Moreover, a player can use any mathematical function they can think of to arrive at their answer ; Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, or even parenthesis, which will of course vary according to skill level.

If you can develop a formula using the values depicted on the dice to match a target number, you get to take that target number’s card and it becomes a point to be tallied up for winning later, and a new card (or cards) are drawn to replace the one that was just removed. The turn passes to the next player, and the game continues until all target cards are gone.

 

 

In theory this game is exceedingly simple ; In practice, it is also very much so as well. In fact, I find that the only limitation of this game is a player’s knowledge of mathematical concepts. Which brings me to the only weak point I found in my experience playing Vault-E wins ; The game does not teach mathematical concepts , but rather, depends on prerequisite knowledge. Which is not, per se, a deal breaker, but it may require a bit of parental guidance to ensure the game is played properly. 

However, I do want to note that during my review period with Vault-E wins, the game’s creator has shown enthusiasm in potentially making his product better, and has been open to a few low-cost suggestions that I have offered that can not only make Vault-E Wins a valuable competitive game for all ages, but also fully integrate it into the realm of learning by allowing it to help teach concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. I greatly appreciate the receptiveness they have shown to make improvements to the game, because I have seen firsthand through my summer visits to places such as Mathnasium just how easy it is to incorporate simple measures to enhance what can be learned from an experience. 

The other big win for Vault-E wins is portability. Even if you bring along the whole box, it is still very portable, and even more so if you use the included travel case. I spent a week with it on vacation, using it with both my own children as well as one of their friends, and they all had fun. So the game is very good for families that are on-the-go.

 

 

All in all, it is a very crafty presentation, with high quality components all around.

Production is set to ramp up for Vault-E wins soon, as well as their crowd fund. Given the educational nature of the game, as well as the team’s seeming willingness to go the extra mile to enhance their product, I would say that this game’s future is promising for any parents, educators, or family friends that want to gift a fun learning experience to someone. If at some point in time I manage to secure a full production copy, I will be more than happy to see just how good the final version is!

Jazz