Melted - A Messy Ice Cream Game
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FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Someone's laughing. Someone's complaining. Someone was almost out of cards, then comes the hand swap. The cone collapses, you start over, nobody remembers who was winning.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
An ice cream cone that grows, deforms, and collapses
Designed by Ami Baio and illustrated by Kathryn Balistreri, Melted is a card-based party game where you all build a single, enormous, unstable ice cream cone together. The cone develops in three sections (base, middle, top) and the flavors constantly change. The theme is simple: melting ice cream, light sabotage, guaranteed laughs.
Each player starts with seven cards. On your turn, you play a flavor card that matches the active flavor in the correct section of the cone, or you play an action card that completely changes the situation: it changes the active flavor, swaps everyone's hands, or discards the entire cone. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins. Or you lose, stuck with the biggest deck when someone else finishes.
What others say
A perfect game for those who love controlled chaos and hate taking party games too seriously.
— FroGames
The beauty of Melted is that you never know if you're winning or losing until someone shouts victory.
— FroGames
Melted: A Messy Ice Cream Game
FrogScore · editorial rating FroGames · based on rules, international reviews and game sessionsFlavors and dirty tricks
What you play on your turn
Flavor Cards
Each flavor (strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, mint, etc.) corresponds to a section of the cone: base, middle, or top. You must match the active flavor in that section. If you have it, you play it. Otherwise, you pass or play an action card.
Change Flavor
Action card that changes the active flavor of a cone section. Perfect when you only have strawberry and the cone wants mint. You play this, change everything, discard the strawberry.
Clear the Cone
Devastating action card: you discard all cards from the cone. You start over. You play it when you're in a bad spot, or to make someone cry who was about to win.
Swap Hands
Nuclear action card: everyone passes their hand to the player on their left (or right, depending on the variant). Someone who had 1 card ends up with 6. Pure chaos.
In half an hour, someone will have cursed mint ice cream. And you'll want to play again immediately.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
It all starts calmly
Deal 7 cards each, place the deck in the center. Someone plays the first flavor card and the cone starts. The first turns are simple: if you have the right flavor, you play it, otherwise you draw. Everyone thinks they've understood the game.
The first action arrives
Someone plays Change Flavor or, even worse, Empty the Cone. The cone you've been building for 3 turns disappears. The person who just played a card screams betrayal. You realize this isn't a pattern building game: it's a game of revenge.
Someone is close to victory
A player has only 2 cards in hand. They laugh. The others look at each other. Action cards are played rapidly: hand swap, flavor change, empty cone. The one with 2 cards now has 6. They're not laughing anymore.
The legendary moment
Someone plays Swap Hands. Everyone passes their cards to their neighbor. The one who was about to win ends up with the last player's deck. The one who was last now has a perfect hand and wins in 2 turns. The table explodes. Someone demands an immediate rematch.
End of game (maybe)
Someone plays their last card and wins. The others count how many cards they still have: the one with the most officially loses. But no one remembers who won, only who played the Swap Hands at the worst moment. Games are 5-15 minutes, you immediately play another.
How to play
The flow of each turn
Each turn lasts 10 seconds. You either play a card, or you draw and pass. No complex phases.
The cone has three sections (base, middle, top). Each section has an active flavor. See which flavors are currently required.
If you have a card that matches one of the active flavors, play it in the correct section of the cone. Or play an action card and follow the instructions (change flavor, empty cone, swap hands).
Don't have any usable flavors or actions? Draw a card from the deck and pass your turn. Your hand grows. You suffer.
If you play your last card, you win immediately. The others count their remaining cards: the one with the most is last. Game over.
Why it's different from others
Six reasons why Melted works
The shared cone grows together
You don't build your own ice cream. There's a single cone in the middle of the table, made of three overlapping sections. Everyone adds cards to it. It becomes enormous, unstable, ridiculous. When someone empties it with an action, the pain is collective.
Action cards turn everything upside down
It's not a pure pattern game. Actions (change flavor, empty cone, swap hands) are light sabotage weapons. You never know when they'll strike. Someone who was winning can find themselves last in 10 seconds.
Scales from 2 to 7 players
It works with two (fast, tactical), with four (balanced), with seven (total chaos). The duration increases very little: even with 7 players, you rarely exceed 15 minutes. Perfect for mixed groups.
Rules in 2 minutes
Open the box, deal the cards, explain: 'Play a matching flavor, or an action. Can't? Draw.' That's it. The first game is already smooth. Zero learning curve.
The Hand Swap is legendary
Every game has at least one moment where someone plays Swap Hands and the table explodes. The one who had 1 card ends up with 6. The one who was last now wins. That's the moment people remember, not who actually wins.
Colorful art and immediate theme
Kathryn Balistreri's illustrations are vibrant, delicious, immediate. The ice cream theme works with everyone: children, families, adults. You don't need to know mechanics, just to have eaten ice cream.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
The first person to get rid of all their cards wins. But the real loser is the one with the most cards when it ends.
Victory
- You play your last card (flavor or action) and declare immediate victory
- The others count their remaining cards: the one with the fewest is second, the one with the most is last
- Game over. A rematch is almost mandatory.
How to finish last
- Someone else runs out of cards and you still have many in hand
- You drew too many because you couldn't play anything
- You suffered a Hand Swap at the wrong moment and ended up with the loser's deck
Melted is not a deep game. It's a game that makes you laugh, is short, and can be replayed immediately. Perfect for warming up an evening or ending it lightly.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Melted: A Messy Ice Cream Game
How long does a game really last?
It depends on the number of players and the 'nastiness' at the table. With 2-3 players, you can finish in 5 minutes. With 6-7 players, especially if you play many sabotage actions, you'll reach 15 minutes. Rarely more. It's designed to be fast and replayable.
Is it suitable for children?
Yes, it works great from 8 years old and up. The rules are very simple, the ice cream theme is universal, and the sabotage is light (no elimination, no heavy direct attacks). Kids love the action cards, especially the Hand Swap.
How mean is it? Is there a lot of take-that?
There is sabotage, but it's light and fun, not punitive. Action cards affect everyone or change the game state, they don't target a single player to destroy them. If you hate any form of negative interaction, Melted is not for you. But it's not a vengeful party game like Munchkin.
Does it play well with two players?
It works, but loses a bit of chaos. With two, it becomes more tactical: you know exactly what your opponent has in hand after a Hand Swap, and actions become more predictable. It's fun with 3 or more players, ideal with 4-5.
Is it available in Italian?
The edition sold on FroGames is in English, published by Pink Tiger Games. The cards have minimal text (flavor and action names), so it's easily playable even if you don't speak English fluently. You just need to translate the few action cards once.
Melted: A Messy Ice Cream Game is a card party game designed by Ami Baio for 2-7 players, ages 8+, lasting 5-15 minutes. Together, build an unstable ice cream cone by playing flavor cards that match the three sections (base, middle, top), or sabotage with action cards that change flavors, empty the cone, or swap everyone's hands. The first to run out of cards wins. Mechanics: Hand Management, Pattern Building, Layering. Published by Pink Tiger Games, illustrations by Kathryn Balistreri. Perfect for families, a quick filler, or warming up an evening. Available on FroGames.it.
Melted - A Messy Ice Cream Game
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