Jabuka – A Fun New Word Game for Family Game Night

Looking for a new game to play for family game night? Are you a fan of word games like Scrabble? If so, you’re going to love the new Jabuka word game! It’s a rotating letter word game for ages 8+ and for 2-4 players. You will never play the same game twice!

* Complimentary product received for review.

The idea for JABUKA started in a coffee shop, when Russocki was fiddling with a coffee bean on the table. He looked around at the digitally detached people typing phonetic abbreviated texts. Pondering the deterioration of language skills, he scribbled his initial “M” on the coffee bean and spun it around. The “M” magically morphed into a “W” and then into an “E”. Russocki immediately began to invent a multipurpose new alphabet. Because the coffee bean was a good fit to spin the letters, the theme stuck. No more boring square tiles, no turn-taking, and no board needed. JABUKA arrives in a sack as a fast, portable game with simple scoring. Players spill the beans and start a battle of words (official rules at www.jabukagames.com).

The clever word scrambles and added letters are endless when:

“c” is “u” and/or “n”
“r” can be “j”
“t” is also “x”
“m” is “w” and/or “E”
and more.

The letter tiles are made with 100% recycled wood and comes nicely packaged in a reusable burlap sack. The game is light-weight and compact…so you can take it with you when you travel. Jabuka is a brain workout that promotes neuroplasticity & targets many parts of the brain: memory, problem solving, speed, attention and creativity. Plus…it’s just plain fun to play!

Jabuka is a simultaneous play game – that means no turn taking. Anyone can make and take words at ANY time (while observing the rules).  You can choose to play 1-on-1 or in teams.

How to Play: Spill the beans! Some beans will land face down, some face up, leave as is. Make sure no beans are on top of each other. Each player pulls 2 light colored, blank beans from the pile. Blanks can represent ANY letter. Toss all extra blank beans in the bag.

Making Words – The Brew: All players race to first shout out, then grab any word they can make, by looking only at letters on face up beans. Players may also think of a word, shout it out, then try to make it. You can shout out and make words at any time.

Taking Words – The Grind: At any time, players may first shout out a change to an opposing player’s word and then take it in any of three ways: Twisting, Adding or Rearranging. (you’ll understand that when you read the instructions that come with the game).

Flipping Beans Over: The first flip can happen any time after the beans are spilled.

Ending the Game – Final Flip: The first player that makes or takes any word after the final flip must shout “Jabuka” No other words may be made or taken after this and game ends with players counting their beans.  Players count all of the beans used in their words. The player that used the most beans wins!

The instruction booklet that comes with the game is very easy to understand. I wanted to give you an example of how to play above so that you would understand the concept, so they’re abbreviated. The booklet includes all instructions and rules for game play.

We played with 4 players making up 2 teams. We had 2 adults on one team and 1 adult and an 11 year old on the second team. What’s really nice about this game is that it does require you to think and spell…plus do it quickly! Another bonus is that it doesn’t take hours upon hours to play like some of the other games out in the retail marketplace. You can play at least 2-3 games in an hour. Everyone who played really enjoyed it!

As a family who travels a lot and often times we travel with other people…this is the perfect game to bring along with us. It’s compact, light-weight and will provide a lot of entertainment since it’s never EVER the same game twice! It’s the perfect new fame for your next family game night!

Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win Jabuka – The New Word Game from Jabuka Games. Good Luck to everyone who enters!

Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on May 26th, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

Disclaimer: Shelly received a complimentary product as featured in this blog post. No monetary compensation was received. Shelly’s thoughts and words are 100% her own unbiased opinion on the company & products being featured today. The Two Classy Chics are not responsible for prize shipment or fulfillment. This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item through an affiliate link, we may receive a small commission which helps to support this site.