If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last decade, you know the art style of Matthew Inman. It’s frantic, weird, and usually involves animals doing things they shouldn’t. This NSFW Edition is that humor turned up to eleven. While the base game is safe for a family night, this version exists specifically for the jokes that were too feral for the original box.
The Oatmeal factor
The 4.7 rating on Amazon tells you that people love the vibe, but the 6.2 on BoardGameGeek tells you the truth about the mechanics. This is a "Take That" game. You are actively trying to screw over your friends by forcing them to draw cards until they hit a kitten and explode. It’s basically Russian Roulette with a deck of cards.
The humor is the main event here. If you find the idea of "Schrödinger’s Cat" or "Magical Enema Cat" funny, you’ll have a blast. If you prefer your games with a bit more dignity, this will feel like a long 15 minutes. It’s the kind of game you play while waiting for a pizza to arrive or as a way to kick off a night where nobody wants to read a thirty-page rulebook.
Mechanical friction
With a complexity rating of 1.08 out of 5, you can teach this to a room full of people in about ninety seconds. The strategy is wafer-thin. You’re mostly just trying to hold onto your "Defuse" and "Nope" cards until the very last second.
The "Nope" card is the most famous part of the game for a reason. It allows you to stop any action, and you can "Nope" a "Nope," leading to shouting matches that are usually the highlight of the session. If your group hates player elimination, stay away. There is nothing worse than exploding in the first two minutes and sitting there watching your friends play for another ten.
Not for the kids
If you're coming here because your kid is obsessed with the brand through the mobile app or the Netflix series, you need to be careful. The branding is identical to the safe version, but the content is strictly for adults. For a breakdown of the franchise and how to navigate the various versions, check out our guide Defusing the Fun: An Exploding Kittens Guide for Parents.
This NSFW deck was originally an expansion for the most successful Kickstarter project ever, and it keeps that "edgy 2015 internet" energy alive. It’s a time capsule of a specific era of webcomics. If you want a game that requires deep thought, buy something else. If you want to see your friends get robbed of a win by a poorly timed kitten, this is your game.
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