Board Game Review: One Night Ultimate Werewolf

Based on the party games “Werewolf” and “Mafia”, “One Night Ultimate Werewolf” is a social deduction game in which three to 10 players attempt to figure out which players are secretly werewolves. Players aim to kill a werewolf at the end of the game—or avoid being killed if they themselves are a werewolf. Produced by Bézier Games, this card game is simple, fast-paced and fun, making it an ideal game for parties.

In this game, players are assigned hidden roles, which will align them with either the villagers or the werewolves. On the village team, many of these roles include special abilities. The Seer, for instance, is able to peek at another player’s card, an ability which can prove useful in deciding which player to kill. However, other roles complicate the game, such as the Troublemaker, who can secretly swap two players’ cards, making players uncertain that they are still on the same team they started on.

The beauty of “One Night Ultimate Werewolf” lies in its simplicity and speed. The game has few rules, making it easy to learn and to teach to new players. Unlike the card games it was based on, a game of “One Night Ultimate Werewolf” is over in minutes, allowing players to play several rounds in a row.

In my experience, this game is almost always a hit. The game is easy enough to understand and play that even non-board gamers can enjoy it, but the social component of the game provides a level of complexity that will keep board game enthusiasts entertained. The speed of rounds keeps the game from ever becoming too serious, even when players are accusing their friends of lying.

The true fun of “One Night Ultimate Werewolf” lies in the deception. Several roles, like the Troublemaker, are designed to confuse players, rounds often devolve into dishonest shouting matches, in which players attempt to misdirect their friends’ suspicions and frame each other. While this may sound intense, it is often quite silly, as the short rounds and utter lack of concrete information keep players from becoming too competitive.

The one issue I have with this game is that, although the box says three to 10 players, I have not been able to get it to perform well with less than five players. Despite this, I recommend “One Night Ultimate Werewolf” to anyone looking for a fun, lighthearted board game to play with friends and family.