Rhino Hero Board Game Review: How Does it Stack Up?

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… Super Rhino?

Gather your family and start stacking up a tall teetering skyscraper to help the superhero accomplish his wobbly construction. Take turns adding to the building and moving the Rhino hero up higher and higher, until, eventually, it all comes down in a crash.

The wobbly construction mission adds to the excitement of the game, making it a thrilling challenge for everyone involved.

Rhino Hero Board game works for players 5 and up (and younger as well, with a couple tweaks we’ll discuss below), but all ages will get a kick out of this classic dexterity game from HABA games.

No matter how you slice it, stacking up a tall tower always makes for great drama. As a result, this is one that can stay in your collection long after your kids’ first game and will remain exciting and engaging for far longer than you might think, especially for a kids’ game.

Let’s take a deeper dive and explore the whimsical world of Rhino Hero Board Game.

What is Rhino Hero Stacking Game?

Rhino Hero is a dexterity game designed for kids, where players will take turns adding cards in various configurations to create a new story on the growing tower. They play cards from their hands as the new roof. These cards have various effects and also, set the challenge the next player will need to complete. In the animal world, Rhino Hero fearlessly scales the tallest buildings to confront villains, showcasing his strength and agility.

I can’t say it’s all together clear why the tower is growing thematically, but the titular rhino hero does fly around and does present an extra challenge on certain cards that require him to be placed in different places around the tower. Can you help Rhino Hero accomplish his daring construction mission by stacking cards to create a sturdy skyscraper?

Players will need to cleverly play the cards in their hands as well as carefully place items on the tower, to keep the pressure on their opponents and to avoid toppling the whole thing. The roof cards force players to take specific actions, adding a strategic element to the game.

Set up Rhino Hero Board Game 

Place the wall cards in a stack near the board. If this is your first time playing, you may want to go ahead and crease them as they will always be placed onto the tower bent at a 90 degree angle.

Shuffle up the roof cards and deal five to each player. Each roof card bears markings that dictate where subsequent walls must be placed.

Place the starting card in the center of the table, where it is easy for all players to access. There are two sides to the starter card, one more stable and the other a more precarious start.

Place the rhino figure near the starting card and you are ready to play.

How to Play Rhino Hero Board Game 

The first player begins the game by placing the wall cards in the configuration depicted on the starter card. Then the player will select a card from their hand to place as the roof.

The newly placed roof tile might have an immediate effect, like allowing a player to play a second roof card or making your opponent draw a card, otherwise it will depict the configuration that the next player will use to place the wall cards on their turn.

Players will continue taking turns until, either, a player has successfully played all the cards from their hand, in which case they win, or a player knocks over the tower, in which case, whoever has the fewest roof cards wins.

Review: Wobbly Construction Mission

It has to be said, Rhino hero is very fun and kids absolutely love this game. From the theming to building a tall tower, and then watching it crash to the ground. The challenge of constructing a robust tower that can still wobble under the weight of the Rhino Hero adds to the game’s excitement. It’s packed with drama and energy and will have them engaged from start to finish.

On top of that it builds important skills including fine motor skills and strategic planning, and wouldn’t be out of place in a kids classroom or any list of quality educational toys.

It’s a fairly straightforward stacking game, but I really like the addition of the Rhino Hero, who must be placed in different locations based on the previous cards. This can offset the weight of the tower in interesting ways and can create some challenging moments, pushing kids to practice and improve their fine motor skills.

The one thing I don’t love about the game is the card play. First, kids are given a hand of cards. In my opinion, kids will be able to engage with the stacking part of this game, long before they are able to hold five cards in their hands and make good decisions about which ones to play when.

I wouldn’t say that the card play is complicated, but it can feel a bit like extra weight when teaching it to a really young audience.

That said, I’m trying to push this game on three and four year olds, and it really best for five and above. At each of those ages, having a parent around is handy to help with the card play. Once they hit six and seven they’ll be playing this game together or with friends and the card play will be no problem as they start to get excited about specific cards they can use to advance their game or thwart their opponents.

So perhaps it isn’t an issue with the card play and instead, an issue with me trying to teach it to my kids a little too soon, because I love this game and, frankly, couldn’t wait to start playing.

We REALLY like this as a game for five year olds. They should have enough skill to play the card part of the game as well as the stacking part of the game, but will still find it challenging and enjoy the theming.

Once you’ve taught them the game, it will quickly become a family night staple and, like I mention above, become one that they want to teach to their friends or give as gifts. It’s a classic for a reason.

Components

The components are quality and they’ve managed to do a great job with the card quality. The roof cards force players to take specific actions, such as placing more roofs or altering the gameplay direction, enhancing the strategic dynamics of the game. I was concerned because the walls are made of cards that, over time, they might become damaged due to the repeated folding and creasing, but they have held up to years of use. Stacking, tumbling, and being dragged on vacations, to grandparents’ houses, and beyond.

No surprise that HABA has delivered since they are famous for the quality of their game components, and even though this doesn’t include their typical array of fine wooden components (though the titular Rhino Hero is a high quality screen printed meeple) the cards hold up to all kinds of abuse, which is essential for a kids’ game.

Theme and Art: Enter the Animal World

The theming is a little loose. The Rhino is flying around to different areas of the building as it gets higher and higher, I guess to save the day… Can’t say I understand it 100%, but it doesn’t really matter. Kids get a kick out of moving the super hero around and it feels unique to other stacking games as a result.

The artwork is whimsical and very appealing to kids. There are great details on the wall pieces even, which you may not even notice, but can spark kid’s imagination and get them telling stories about the people that might live there – filling out the world as the incredibly heroic Rhino scales the highest houses looking for burglars. The playful and challenging nature of rhino climbing, where players help Rhino Hero scale heights while ensuring the stability of the tower, adds an engaging and educational aspect to the game.

Other versions to consider

There are two other versions of the game that you might consider: The original game, known for its nostalgic appeal and classic gameplay, remains a popular choice among customers.

Rhino Hero Junior

As I noted up above, it can be challenging for really young kids to navigate the card play of this game. This version can be played with kids as young as two years old. It makes the stacking simpler for little hands and adds a matching element in place of the the card play – as well as an additional character.

Great option as an introductory version for younger kids. Other HABA games are also suitable for young children.

Rhino Hero Super Battle

Ready to take it to the next level. In super battle the towers are bigger and the stacking is more challenging as you build up a whole city block. This version is perfect for the six and seven year old crowd that have outgrown junior, but are ready for a bigger challenge or just want more Rhino Hero to love. Players will also face the exciting challenge of constructing other tall buildings, making the game even more engaging and strategic.

Conclusion

Rhino hero was an instant hit with our family and has become a staple game for travel or for kids to play independently with their friends. Rhino Hero can be a great addition to ‘Fun Friday’ events, providing engaging activities that enhance students’ enjoyment. Also, I love having them play this with their grandparents. Gets everyone engaged and laughing – especially when the tower comes crashing down.

For fans of stacking games, dexterity challenges, or HABA games in general – this one deserves a spot on your shelf. It’s easy to learn and fun to play and belongs in any collection.

We recommend this as one of our best board games for Five year olds. Check out that article for more picks.

We also recommend this as one of the best dexterity games for kids. Check out that article for more picks.

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