Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Short strategic card game where romance is the goal.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Love Letter
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's It About?
In LOVE LETTER, players vie for the heart of a princess in this card game, by picking the right cards to use against opponents, bluffing at the right times and, often, by the luck of the draw. You'll hold just two cards in your hand at a time, Each can be advantageous, but if played wrong or at the wrong time, it could cost you the game. A priest card, for instance, lets you look at your opponent's hand, while a handmaiden protects you against any sort of offensive move, and guards can help you discredit another's suitor's letter. The deck is made up of just 16 cards, so rounds go fast.
Is It Any Good?
Romance is complicated in the best of scenarios, but when you throw an entire kingdom into the mix, it can be maddening. Love Letter is a strategic card game (in app form) that can be too clever for its own good sometimes. The premise is a good one -- each card can be useful to defeat your opponent and accomplish your goals, and a misstep or wrong card played at the wrong time can be fatal -- but the execution isn't seemless. The game's tutorial isn't as clear as it could be on the rules. It takes actually playing a few rounds before you really start to grasp the strategic elements. And, despite the name, there aren't any real romantic elements to the game, which is surprising.
Love Letter does offer an array of gameplay modes, though, letting you compete against AI, a friend in the room or a stranger online. (There's no chat function, so kids won't be exposed to inappropriate content.) The game rounds are fairly quick, too, so you won't sink an hour into a game before realizing you've been doing it wrong. It's not a game with which you'll fall in love, but it's certainly one you won't regret spending time with.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about deductive reasoning. What clues are there to the cards your opponent holds? Can you use these skills outside of the game to solve problems in real life?
Would a love letter make you fall for someone -- or would you want to know them better as a person first?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : October 27, 2018
- Genre : Card Games
- Publisher : Asmodee Digital
- Version : 1.2
- Minimum software requirements : Requires iOS 8.0 or later; Requires Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated : May 20, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate