Shame they mucked around with the design and build of this! (Hasbro Downfall)

Member Name: azana

Product:	Hasbro Downfall
Date:	01/06/09 (101 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great game play

Disadvantages: Badly made in this incarnation

Downfall was one of those games that I grew up with, in the seventies a game of Connect 4, Operation, Junior Scrabble, Monopoly or Downfall was about as exciting as it got in our house. I have to admit to Downfall being my favourite game when I was growing up.

Downfall was one of those games that really made you think. Each player had 10 counters of different colours and had to make the counters progress down through 5 cogs with little gaps in to the bottom. The aim was to make your counters progress whilst turning the cog in one direction only and not inadvertently helping your opponent out. I think I played the game so much in my youth and into my university years that it is suprising I didn't wear my set out.

When I discovered that my old set was one of those things my mum had actually got rid of (she is a bit of a hoarder truth be told) I decided that one day I would buy another set, and hence bought this downfall set for about £8 from Toys r Us. I did see that it had "New Downfall" on the front, but genrally it looked like the same game with cogs and counters. It is made by Hasbro under the MB games name.

So is it the same game as classic Downfall?

Yes and no. If like me you remember the old version you may be disappointed. They have tried to jazz up the old faithful design, and there are a few differences. The old one was a plain blue wall type design with inlaid white cogs whereas, as yo can se from the picture, this new version is all funky red and yellow cogs sort of stuck together to look a bit more contemporary.

Furthermore this is now a self assembly game, you have to fit the cogs in - classic downfall was assembled, solid and that was that. This version has to be put together, which was quite a task. The cogs do fit but are not very solid, and also the stand now has to be slotted on, and just doesn't work. They have included an extra two cogs so you can swap them, I guess so if one player works out where their opponets holes for counters are, but a bit pointless really. The cogs now also have to be turned by inserting a key into the cog, where in the original each cog had a middle you turned, a bit like a safe lock.

The idea now is that you have a turn, leave the key in the cog and your opponent can't use that cog until the turn after that. This was one of the rules of the old game, but having to use the key is just plain annoying and just another bit to lose. There are still 10 counters and the aim of the game is still the same, the winner is the one to get all their counters to the bottom first.

The premise of the game is still excellent, and I still quite like a game of downfall, but the classic version was just much better and better quality. That said my 5 year old does quite like the game, and in this new incarnation it does make us think, but it is just a shame to me that they redesigned it.

I have found a similar thing with "Guess Who" which is also a Hasbro game, the redesigned game is just not the same quality, but I suppose if you are playing these games for the first time and not revisiting them as I am, then it may not bother you as much.

I would still recommend this game as having good play value and making the player think; the original concept is still there - sort of.
I just kind of wish they would make these games a little bit as they used to with more care taken on construction - they are much more affordable now, but they are just not made to last. I am a bit nostalgic for the old games - but maybe that is just a sign I am getting old? I hope not as I don't think my Downfall playing days are over yet - I just may have to scour the Car Boot sales for the original version!

Summary: Coming back to play the games of my youth