Dixit Review (facts & opinion about this party board game)

Dixit is a pretty popular party game, that has won over 20 awards since its release in 200, and started a trend of similar games.

But does that mean that YOU will like it?

Well, that’s the goal of this Dixit game review, to give you all the elements you need to decide whether it’s the perfect next game for you & your gaming group.

Let’s jump straight in this Dixit review!

 

Dixit

Player count

3-8

Age

8+

Play time

30mn

Looking for a fast, easy, fun game that will spark your creativity? Look no further than Dixit.

Play an illustrated card face down and give a clue so that some players guess which card it was – but if everyone guesses, you lose!

Buy on Amazon

$39

What we like

• Gorgeous artwork
• Very innovative gameplay
• Tons of fun & great for creating discussion

What we don't

• Falls flat with non-creative players
• Feels repetitive if always played with the same group

 

Table of contents

• Essential Information on Dixit Card Game
• What’s in the Box of the Dixit Base Game
• How to Play Dixit?
• Type of Game
• Who Will Like Dixit?
• Who Will Not Like Dixit?
• Game Experience – Dixit Game Review
• Best Dixit Expansions
• Dixit Board Game Review – My Rating
• Is Dixit a Good Party Game?
• Is Dixit a Good Game for Kids?
• Conclusion

Essential Information on Dixit Card Game

What’s in the Box of the Dixit Base Game

Time for the unboxing!

While nothing beats the physical experience of unboxing a game for the first time, and discovering all the components, it’s helpful to have an overview of what you can expect in the box before you commit.

Here’s everything that’s included in the Dixit base game:

• 84 Dixit cards
• 8 voting dials
• 8 wooden rabbit pawns
• 1 game board with scoring track, 8 card slots and players’ aid
• 1 rulebook

Note: these are the components of the Dixit 2012 edition, that is the one currently available in stores.

The original version of the game, released in 2008, was a bit different. It only allowed up to 6 players (so only 6 rabbit meeples), the scoreboard was integrated in the box, and instead of the awesome voting dials you had 6 numbered tokens. The cards are still the same.

I personally own the original version.

How to Play Dixit?

Let’s quickly review Dixit game rules, so that you can understand how it’s played, and what to expect during a turn.

Game Overview

In Dixit, all players take turns being the storyteller.

The storyteller plays a card, and gives clues to make other guess their cards. The clue must be subtle enough so that only some of the players find the card. But beware, as other players will also play a card, to confuse other players and attract their vote!

How to Win

The goal is to gain points.

The game ends once one player reaches 30 points. Whoever has the most points wins the game!

Turn Order

Here’s the regular turn order:

1. The storyteller plays 1 card face down, among the 6 they have in hand, and gives a clue to make others guess that card (a word, a sentence, a song, a pose, …)
2. Every other player also plays a card face down, that would match the storyteller’s clue
3. Cards are shuffled, then revealed
4. Everyone except the storyteller vote for the card they believe was played by the storyteller
5. We count points, everyone draws a card, and the player to the left of the storyteller becomes the new storyteller for next round

How to gain points

• If everyone or no one voted for the storyteller card:
  • storyteller gains 0 point
  • everyone else gains 2 points
• If only some players voted for the storyteller card
  • storyteller gains 3 points
  • each player who voted for the storyteller card gains 3 points
• You gain 1 point for every vote on your own card (except for the storyteller)

This is not a rating, there is no good or bad. Simply an evaluation of 4 objective criteria.

🎭 Theme: 5/10

There is no real theme in Dixit, as in you don’t feel like you’re part of the game.

However the game itself has a lot of theme coming from all of the illustrated cards, and each illustration brings a lot of immersion when coupled with the clues given by the players.

⚙️ Complexity: 4/10 

The complexity comes from the targeted clues element: it requires a bit of mental effort to come up with clues that are not too easy to guess, nor too hard.

Players prone to analysis paralysis can get stuck on trying to find the perfect clue that only 1 player will get.

⚔️ Player interaction: 8/10

You’re literally giving clues to others, and playing cards to impact others’ judgement.

There’s constant player interaction, at the core of the game, even though it’s not aggressive, competitive, head-on clashes.

🍀 Luck factor: 2/10

If you’re good at giving targeted clues, you can definitely often be in a great position in the game.

Still, sometimes the luck of the draw gives you pretty bad options to play to match the clue, or everyone else will have perfect cards to match your clue, making it impossible for others to guess yours.

Who Will Like Dixit?

The Chill Gamer

Dixit is an accessible game, not too intense, you can chill & enjoy the fun

The Role Player

Role players will definitely love Dixit, as it will spark their imagination

The Social Gamer

Super high player interaction and constant chatting, perfect for the social gamers!

Who Will Not Like Dixit?

The Brawler

While you can target a specific player by always giving clues that they will not get, there's no real fighting here

The Builder

There's nothing to build on your side, every turn is the same as the turn before, with different cards

The Solo Gamer

You can't really play this game solo

Discover all the board game player profiles

Game Experience – Dixit Game Review

The game is so simple, really colorful, with beautiful artwork, and I initially feared that it would be too simple.

Play a card, give a clue, make players guess your card and you gain points. Then guess the card of the others and gain more points.

Very simple, anyone can understand the rules in 2 minutes and start playing.

The beauty of the game starts when you need to give subtle clues. If your clue is too obvious, and everyone guesses, then you get 0 point. If your clue is too hard, and no one guesses, you also get 0 point.

It becomes a very interesting mind game to start associating part of your card, to something only 1 or 2 players might pick up, or a specific reference that you think some might miss. But wait, what if they also have that reference? Uhhhhh, let’s try it and see what happens!

I like the small amount of luck that gets thrown in the game, based on the cards you pick, and the cards the others have in hand. Think you’re very smart, and found the perfect obscure clue that only 1 player will get, such as “liar” to make people guess your card that has a whale on it (by association of Pinocchio getting eaten by the whale).

Well too bad, because someone literally has a card with a wooden puppet on it. Now everyone will vote for that one, and you get a big fat 0.

When playing a few games in a row with friends, there’s sometimes a nice meta game that starts to develop around the voting, when some vocal players start to bluff to get people to vote for the wrong card. Which is usually followed by defensive “no I swear this is not my card”, that you can never quite trust.

Regardless of scores, I always have tons of fun with Dixit. To me, fun comes mostly from finding the storyteller card by picking up on their clue, or bluffing others to vote for my card because I point out some silly details that end up convincing them… wrongly!

I like bringing Dixit as a light game to a crowd of non-gamers, that have a creative mind, it’s always a guaranteed hit.

However I would not play it over and over with the same people, as it gets quite repetitive, quite fast. The same ideas tend to stick to each card, and while it could be seen as an extra challenge for some, for me it feels more like trapping players in a box where they always end up using the same kind of clues.

Best Dixit Expansions

The heart of the game resides in the 84 Dixit original cards included in the base game.

One of the best ways to keep the replayability high is by playing with a different set of cards. There are now 10 expansions, that will each add 84 new illustrated cards.

Dixit Anniversary

This is the best expansion to start with, as it combines artwork from all artists of the previous 8 expansions. It’s a good mix of all of the styles, that will surely work for all.

Buy on Amazon

$29

If you want to see all the expansions in more details, check out this guide where I rank & review all of the Dixit expansions.

Dixit Board Game Review – My Rating

Ok so now you have the full rundown of what to expect for this game, and you should have a pretty clear idea if Dixit will be a hit for you & your peers, or fall flat.

But what do I think? Well, here’s my personal impression of Dixit.

Is Dixit a Good Party Game?

Dixit is definitely a good party game, for up to 8 players. It’s easy to understand, fun and fast to play. And it’s guaranteed to start discussions among players!

Is Dixit a Good Game for Kids?

The game is suited for players from age 8 and above. The beautiful artwork on the cards is appropriate for players of all ages, and it’s a good game for kids to start stimulating their creative mind.

Conclusion

So there you have it, the full Dixit board game review!

You now have the full overview of the game, what’s inside, how it’s played, the experience you can expect, the type of game it is, and my personal opinion on the game.

I hope this review was helpful, and that you can take the decision on whether to buy Dixit or not.