Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
Doors Opening
Up or Down? had a lot of buzz at Essen 2024. Pair that with a game from the iconic duo Wolfgang Kramer (of Downforce, El Grande, and Pueblo fame) and Michael Kiseling (of smash hit Azul and Tikal fame), and you’re sure to cause ripples of chatter amongst hobbyists. Together, the pair has published huge titles such as Wandering Towers, Paris, Coal Baron, and The Palaces of Carrara, among many others.
This new game version, with a handsome coat of paint (and seasoned with lovely gold foil), is brought over to the U.S. by Capstone Games. At the Capstone booth at Origins, people would come up and simply say, “Up or down?” The first (and admittedly the second) time, I was caught off guard, thinking they were surveying me or putting me on the spot for a jest. I quickly realized many folks were specifically looking for this hot little family game debuting at GenCon 2025. This quick, abstract, family-weight filler involves set collection via colors and numerical sequencing. Does it get a Kev Thumbs Up(™) or Down? Let’s find out!
Bring Your Own Elevator Music
The game consists of a deck of cards numbered 1–126, with the range varying based on player count. It also includes short and long versions, by simply adding or subtracting cards depending on how much you enjoy riding elevators. A shuffled deck is split into one face-up and one facedown pile, with six random cards placed in ascending order to form the market.
You begin the game with a hand of three cards. Each round, you select a card and place it between two market cards as long as the ascending order is maintained. You then draft either the adjacent card. After selecting the card, you place it into one of the three columns—either starting a new column or adding to an existing one. Once a second card is placed in a column, the player must decide whether they’re building “up or down” numerically. If a player can’t or chooses not to play the drafted card, they wipe a column clean and start fresh, with wiped cards still counting as one point each.
You then refill your hand to three cards from either deck, and play continues until both decks run out. At the end, players must play any remaining cards in their hands. Scoring is based on the highest number of same-colored cards multiplied by the number of cards in each column, plus the wiped cards. Highest score wins.
I’ll Get the Next One
Just because there’s a lot of chatter about a game doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be good. I was pretty excited to play this based on how often someone asked “Up or down?”—to which I’d replied, “No, sorry.” That excitement quickly dropped as though someone had cut the elevator cable. I’m reminded of the old Tower of Terror ride at Disney World from when I was a kid, just minus the thrills. While the game’s production is absolutely fantastic (including some hidden storytelling in the card artwork), its mechanics are severely underwhelming. In my various plays, not a single word was uttered as cards were picked up and placed down. Whether or not that’s a bad thing is group-dependent. The game’s simplicity is also its fatal flaw—it creates an uninteresting experience. You’re building your columns to match colors and numbers, but more often, you’re just trying not to bust and start over. While there is some decision-making between the six colors and the numeric sequences, it’s largely luck-driven, especially when drawing from the facedown pile.
The lack of interaction is so prevalent that the higher the player count, the slower this filler drags. Playing at the maximum six-player count feels like taking the elevator from the penthouse to the lobby with someone pushing every floor button along the way. You’re sitting, waiting, and boy, do you just want it to be over. Surprisingly, for a family-weight filler, the best player count is actually two. It becomes a head-to-head efficiency battle, and choices matter more with less competition. However, the worst part is the ending sequence, where players must play whatever cards remain in hand after the decks run out. Yes, you can plan ahead, but you’re inevitably left watching your carefully constructed columns crumble from the unplayable cards you’ve been forced to hold. Most of the game leaves you with one, maybe two juicy columns, while the rest amounts to chump change.
Ultimately, it’s just counting numbers with cards along the lines of The Mind, The Game, Take 5, and No Thanks! While this may resonate with some groups, it’s safe to say this one is a miss. I’ve read the German version includes variants that add some spice and variety, and I’m left scratching my head as to why they didn’t make it into the English edition. Either way, I’ll just take the stairs—it’s healthier anyway.
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