The Grape Escape Retro Board Game Review
Doug Larson
OCC Editor in Chief
This is The Grape Escape!
The Grape Escape was released by Parker Brothers in 1992, and it’s one crazy fun game! Players take control of one of four grapes trying to escape a jam factory. This is not your average jam factory, this factory is filled with wild and crazy machines all designed to provide our poor little grapes with a grisly end!
Gameplay
To escape, players must roll the die to move through the factory. They have to be careful because some of the spaces along their route to freedom are terrible traps! Along the way, players have the opportunity to leap ahead of each other, and even send other players into the traps. If a player’s grape gets smooshed, split, or smashed, they have to return to the start with a fresh new grape. The first player to escape the factory wins!
The Grape Escape is a fun and easy game to play. It features a unique board with a cool mechanical factory that reminds me of other games like Mousetrap or Forbidden Bridge, where the gimmick of the game is in the playboard. The mechanical factory is delightful to watch in action featuring all of the cartoonish qualities of a Rube Goldberg machine.
Smashed Potatoes
Hasbro acquired Parker Brothers in the early 90’s and integrated the brand into Hasbro Games in 1998. In 2010 Hasbro used its combined licenses for Play-Doh, Mr. Potato Head, and The Grape Escape to produce the board game Smashed Potatoes. The game board was very similar to The Grape Escape, only now players were potatoes trying to flee a kitchen before being smashed. Smashed Potatoes was later discontinued as the game failed to gain the same popularity as The Grape Escape.
Return of the Grapes
Hasbro has since released a new, albeit simpler version of The Grape Escape that launched in 2022. The premise of the game remains unchanged, though the mechanism for the factory has been reduced to simpler hand operated traps without the need for cranks and rubber bands. Other changes include the introduction of a traditional six sided die which no longer features faces that included player actions such as “grape leap” or “crank.” Player actions in the 2022 edition are now bound to spaces on the game board. These changes do not significantly detract from the enjoyment of the game play, though the hand operated traps are somewhat less exciting to use than the mechanical traps in previous versions of the game.
The Verdict
The Grape Escape is a perfect family friendly game that’s always a treat. The outcome is random due to the dice based game play so no players ever feel outmatched. I just love the clockwork factory and the bright cartoony style as well. Thankfully both vintage and new versions of this game aren’t hard to find, and the most common thing that needs replacing is the Play-Doh. If you’re in the mood for some silly fun, check out The Grape Escape!
Check out my Grape Escape Retro Board Game Review on YouTube.
Get your very own copy of the 2022 edition of The Grape Escape!