I’m Out Review – A Card Game That Feels Like a Backyard Bonfire

Disclaimer: I’m Out was provided for free by CMYK Games although the writing and opinions of this article are my own.

Another week, another game joins the Magenta Collection. CMYK have been pumping out these little card games and, somehow, they still haven’t missed. This time they’ve given another older design a Magenta makeover with I’m Out! by Masato Uesugi, a fresh take on his earlier game 13 Leaves.

Surely they can’t keep this streak going forever… right? Is I’m Out! finally the game to break it, or has CMYK pulled another winner out of the deck?

How to play

I’m Out! is a shedding game, and as the proud owner of a four-year-old corgi who’s covered our bed in red and white fur, let me tell you, I’m something of an expert when it comes to shedding. Fortunately, this isn’t that kind of shedding.

Instead, you’re trying to shed your hand of cards, racing to be the first player with nothing left. The moment you play your last card, you get to triumphantly shout, “I’m Out!” and claim the win.

At the start of the game, everyone is dealt a hand of cards numbered one to thirteen. The first player can begin by playing any number of matching cards into the centre of the table. That might be two twos, three fives, or even four nines if they’re lucky enough.

From there, players take turns playing cards to either end of the row. You can either create a new stack or add more matching cards to one of the existing end stacks. New stacks must always be lower than the current lowest value or higher than the current highest value.

Whenever you create a new stack of cards at either end of the row, you’ll need to match or exceed the number of cards in the end stack you’re playing against. So if someone has played three fives, you’ll need to play at least three sixes, or three of any higher number. If you can’t, you have to pass, take one card from the row into your hand, and sit out until everyone else has passed as well.

Once everyone has passed, the row in the centre gets wiped, and the play proceeds with the one person who didn’t pass. So you’re really trying to be that last player, so that you can pick what card the next round starts on and get rid of some of your harder cards to shed.

Play continues until someone empties their hand and does their best umpire impression by shouting, “I’m Out!”… wait a second, that’s not how that works.

The kind of game you can chat through

I’m Out plays like a backyard bonfire, where everyone sits around on their fold-out chairs catching up while the crackling fire gently pulls your attention. Nobody is staring into the flames for entertainment, but every now and then a log collapses with a loud crack, everyone’s attention shifts, and before long the conversation picks right back up.

In the same way, I’m Out doesn’t demand your attention at the table. It has its moments where you get drawn into what’s happening, but it’s never so demanding that you can’t enjoy the company you keep while the game quietly ticks away in the background.

While this may sound like a negative, I actually really enjoyed this aspect of the game. It reminded me a lot of Uno, or those older card games that came in a book with 101 games you could play with a standard deck of cards.

Even if it’s not demanding, though, there are a delightful number of low-stress decisions to think through as you try to tip the scales in your favour. For instance, you’re always angling to be the last player in the round, as that gives you the power to go first in the next round and the freedom to get rid of whichever cards you choose.

At the same time, you’re trying to shed as many cards as possible. So is it better to drop your two sixes or your lone thirteen? This is one of my favourite little design touches in I’m Out!, because the further you move away from seven, the fewer duplicates there are in the deck. That makes it much harder to build the larger stacks needed to get rid of those high and low cards.

Of course, the middle cards have their own problem. Because the row keeps growing outwards from the centre, those values are often left behind while everyone plays to the ends instead. It’s a clever balancing act that means no part of your hand ever feels completely safe.

Now, being a card game, there’s definitely luck involved. You can always be dealt an awful opening hand, but more often than not you’ll have a good mix of cards, leaving luck to create interesting problems rather than solve them for you.

As it stands, I’m Out! probably sits as my second favourite game in the Magenta Collection. Not because it’s the deepest or most exciting game in the series, but because it’s just so incredibly pleasant. It’s a game I could happily play for hours on end without that usual “just one more game” feeling. It’s like Uno without the skipped turns and having to draw half the deck back into your hand because you play with THAT house rule.

I’m Out! is another reminder of why the Magenta Collection has become such an easy recommendation. While not every game has been a massive hit on my table, they’ve all delivered on the promise of bringing card game night back. And I’m Out! might just be the one I’ll keep reaching for when I want something light, social, and effortlessly fun.