Let’s paint a little picture: the power’s gone out, a couple of flickering candles dimly light the room, and your phone battery is hanging on by a thread. With nothing but time and company, you wander over to the coffee table and dust off the old board game drawer.

But then you remember you just took full advantage of the EOFY sales and picked up some new board games for you and the family to enjoy around that dimly lit table, which will turn into arguments, laughs, and the much-loved family rivalries.

MKAU Gaming was given a couple of games to check out, which even pulled me away from the technology for a few hours, which was quite refreshing. We got our hands on Flip 7, Catan, That Sound Game, and Wavelength, and, as I mentioned before, it created some laughs, banter, and a little bit of salt. Here’s what we thought. 

Flip 7 is a fast-paced, chaotic card game where the aim of the game is simple: be the first to get rid of your hand of cards. Each player begins the game with seven cards, and on their turn, they must play a card that matches the colour of the last one on the discard pile, but you need to be careful as when a 7 card is played, the direction of the play is reversed.

There are special action cards in the mix as well, with Skips, Reverses, Draw Twos, and Wild Cards that keep the game feeling unpredictable, and if you are like me, you try your hardest to sabotage everyone around you.

If you are winning and manage to get onto your last card, you need to yell “Flip” or you will face a small penalty: drawing two cards, but someone needs to call you out. Flip 7 was super easy to learn and wildly competitive, and brought some great laughs, and it was one of those games where you kept saying one more round because it was fast and fun. 

If you are chasing something a little more time-consuming or more of a strategic feel, then Catan is the perfect board game for you and your family. Catan is a strategy-based board game where you need to compete to build settlements, cities, and roads on an ever-changing island made up of hexagonal resource tiles. The aim of the game is to reach 10 victory points, which is earned through building, trading, and strategic expansion.

Each turn, you roll a dice to determine what resources brick, wood, wheat, sheep, or basic ore are produced, and then the player with their settlements bordering those tiles collects them. You’ll need to stay alert and trade strategically with other players or the bank to ensure you’re getting what you need.

The bitter rivals start when you need to start blocking resource-producing production and stealing from other players, which adds the perfect element of sabotage to the game. Catan is perfect for fine-tuning your strategy, managing resources, and outbuilding your competition to rule the island. 

This next game is hilarious, and you can see how weird people are at making sounds super quickly, and that game is That Sound Game. It’s a fast-paced game all about making and guessing ridiculous noises. You need to play it in teams, and your teammates need to guess as many words or phrases before the timer runs out, but as the name would suggest, you can only use sounds, no words, gestures, or clues.

You could be doing anything from mimicking a car engine to crying like a baby, or even making sounds in a zombie apocalypse, and whilst making these noises, you need to avoid making your teammates laugh so they can answer, which is harder than you would expect. The game itself comes with a deck of sound prompt cards divided into categories, each with sounds that are easy to make, sounds that are harder, and sounds you wouldn’t even know how to make, so you just start doing something random.

The game is easy to pick up, wildly entertaining and perfect for breaking the ice or turning a gathering into a fun, unforgettable experience. If you’ve ever wanted to hear a friend sound like a T-Rex or a microwave, then grab it. If you’re playing with some adult friends, it could be even more fun with a couple of drinks added to express those sounds.

Last but not least is Wavelength, which is a clever social party game where players need to work together to reach others’ minds, well, kind of. One player is designated the “psychic”, who provides a clue to help their team guess the exact positioning of a hidden target on a spectrum between two opposing concepts, for example, “Hot” and “Cold” or “Rough” and “Smooth”. The team discusses and debates where the clue fits on the dial, aiming to land as close as possible to the target spot.

Communication is a big factor, and understanding how your friends think makes it much easier. There are times for good laughs and also times of frustration. Still, you need to bridge the gap between vague clues and precise guesses. It’s perfect if you’re in a small group of people who love teamwork, strategy, and light-hearted brain teasers. 

Whether you’re flipping cards in chaotic silence, settling new lands, making wild noises or trying to read your friends’ minds, these games offer something for everyone. Flip 7 brings fast-paced fun and sabotage, Catan challenges your strategy and negotiation skills, That Sound Game guarantees laughs with every bizarre noise, and Wavelength taps into your team’s brainwaves in the best way.

Each one delivers a unique experience, whether you’re into competing, connecting, or simply killing time; these games will deliver. So, next time the power goes out, and you’re just flat-out tired of the screens, crack open the game cabinet and rediscover some fun.