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I played this with my 7yo, 4yo, and 2yo. 7yo played through 45 minutes of character creation and world building and was ready to keep going. 4yo loved the 45 minutes we devoted to all of that, but wanted to wait to move forward until the next day. 2yo enjoyed drawing and coloring and that was enough! It's really impressive that this game meets kids at such different development stages, and if you consider 30+ minutes of active drawing and coloring a victory (as I think most parents do) then this is a great way to spend time with a broad range of children. With No Mice, No Meowsters, the basic rules fit on one page and they probably have a smaller word count than this review. They are accompanied by worksheets that make it easy for parents to jump into the game. I also appreciate the young child-friendly safety tools, the non-violent aim of the game, and the stated expectations that everyone have fun and nobody is supposed to lose. I definitely recommend this game.

I've been curious about solo journaling games for a while, but really hesitant to dive in. Punchcard Memories was a really great gateway to the genre. Initially, I felt anxious because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to make this about my real lived experience or create some science fiction reality, but after actually getting into the journaling I really appreciated the system's flexibility. The author was super accommodating with me when I reached out a couple of times, which is great. In the independent game space I feel like you buy into a creator more than just a specific system. I especially appreciated that Punchcard Memories accommodates for what I call "dad mode": playing/journaling for five to fifteen minutes whenever you have time. As long as you have a table that doesn't get a lot of use, you could do long term journaling indefinitely. Ultimately, I was the most pleased with how the journaling prompts got me in touch with myself and the things that matter. While writing about my kids being with me during a hypothetical upload into a camping lantern, I reflected on how they would react to such a solemn moment. It was really neat to think of the ways my young kids are already so different and how much I feel I already know about them. I appreciate that Punchcard Memories provided me that opportunity. Great game. I highly recommend it.

There is no wrong way, my friend. Thank you for your interest in the game. Let me know what social media platform you post your hamster to so I can search #twohamstersenter and help give you a stat boost.