As a person who is a huge fan of both tabletop and video games, I was definitely interested in a collaboration between Hasbro and Harmonix for a game called DropMix. Hasbro is the purveyor of games and toys for all ages like Battleship, Candy Land, Monopoly, NERF, Play-Doh and Harmonix developed the Rock Band series.  DropMix combines a lot of tech with a card game that is heavily steeped in strategy with a whiff of frantic quick movement.

dropmix preview

DropMix involves a board with 5 spaces for cards and a button.  That board connects wirelessly to your Android/iOS device via a free downloadable app.  You then play cards on the board, which are registered via an NFC chip built into each card.  The cards themselves are songs broken down by genre, power, and instrument.  Genres include electronica, country, rock, R&B, etc.  In the base unit, you will get 4 different genres, which increases the fun exponentially.  The instruments correspond to the colors on the board, as well as the cards themselves.  There are mic/vocals, drums/beats, piano, bass, and lead guitar.

Everything matters when it comes to DropMix.  As you put the cards down, regardless of mode, you begin to see the brilliance of DropMix.  The mix starts to come through and take hold.  Depending on the cards and the order in which you place them, the mashup starts to form.  Start with Run DMC, add some Imagine Dragons, put in 80s rock Poison, a dash of “Pump Up the Jam” from Technotronic, and finish with Earth, Wind and Fire and BAM! you have an awesome mix.  Now, save that mix, remove the cards and put them down in a different order and poof, you have a completely different mashup to share with your friends.  That’s another beauty of the game – being able to create and share these amazing creations with anyone you know.Up to this point, Hasbro and Harmonix have only shown two modes: Party Mode and Clash Mode.  Party mode is a co-operative mode where everyone playing is working as a team against the clock to fulfill the requests placed by the app.  This mode is fun and frenetic as you’re trying to complete requests quickly – to get more points – without committing party fouls and costing the team points as well as chances for sweet bonus requests.  Clash Mode is a 1v1 or 2v2, where a more strategic approach would be best as teams take turns to score points against their opponents.  A level head definitely prevailed when I played this mode.  My team won 16-10 and I named our final mix “Sweet Victory Mix.”

Up to this point, Hasbro and Harmonix have only shown two modes: Party Mode and Clash Mode.  Party mode is a co-operative mode where everyone playing is working as a team against the clock to fulfill the requests placed by the app.  This mode is fun and frenetic as you’re trying to complete requests quickly – to get more points – without committing party fouls and costing the team points as well as chances for sweet bonus requests.  Clash Mode is a 1v1 or 2v2, where a more strategic approach would be best as teams take turns to score points against their opponents.  A level head definitely prevailed when I played this mode.  My team won 16-10 and I named our final mix “Sweet Victory Mix.”

If there is any downside at all, it’s that the base system will retail this fall at $99.99.  That is a little steep, even in the tabletop space.  The base system does come with 60 cards (15 cards in each of 4 genres), but you’ll definitely want more.  A genre-specific pack of 16 cards will be $14.99 and a booster pack of 6 cards will be $4.99.  It is clearly an investment if you decide to jump in.

Overall, I think DropMix is a brilliant piece of technology built into a fun and exciting game.  The intensity of the Party Mode will keep you going for hours and Clash Mode will be a fun respite from Party Mode’s frenetic pace.  I am definitely looking forward to this fall when I can get my hands on DropMix.