The Color Monster

About this board game

The Color Monster is a cooperative board game for 2–5 players, with play lasting about 25 minutes. Working together, players help the Monster understand and organize five emotions: Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Calm.

On each turn, a player rolls the die and moves the Monster around the board. When the Monster reaches a space with an emotion token, the player may pick it up—but first must explain a memory or situation in which they felt that emotion.

The emotion tokens belong in matching jars, but the jars are placed on shelves with their colors hidden. Players must choose a jar and check whether its color matches the emotion they are trying to place. A correct choice puts the token into the jar; an incorrect choice returns the jar to the shelf as it was.

• Cooperative play: Players work together toward a shared goal.
• Emotional expression: Picking up a token requires sharing a relevant memory or situation.
• Deduction and memory: The hidden jar colors must be identified through play.
• Shared win condition: Place all emotions into their correct jars to win.

The group must also manage the Monster’s confusion. Players can lose if too many mixed emotion jars are flipped over, so every decision matters as they try to complete the collection before that happens.

With its simple turn structure and focus on recognizing feelings, The Color Monster combines movement, hidden information, discussion, and cooperation in a compact experience released in 2018.