Cat Hair Day

We decided to start reviewing table top games a few months ago, and posted our first review for a fast-paced, low-skill card game called Sushi Go! We really enjoyed the process of playing a game and analyzing the different aspects and pros and cons of it, so we decided it was time for another game review! Nat got a game called Takenoko (we refer to as “The Panda Game”) for Christmas last year. We love it so much, that when we discovered that the creator of Takenoko made another game called Tokaido, we just had to have it! Tokaido is newer, and not as well known as Takenoko so we decided to review it.20150625_204550_resizedTokaido is a cute, fun game for 2 – 5 players that takes around 45 minutes to complete. During the game, players are traveling the Tokaido “East Sea Road” which connects Kyoto to Edo in Japan. The object of the game is to “fully savor the experience that Tokaido has to offer.” As the game plays out, travelers take turns making stops at points along the road. Along their journey to Edo, travelers paint pictures, relax in hot springs, collect souvenirs, embark on surprise encounters, and eat delicious Japanese dishes, which all award the travelers various amounts of points. The game ends when all of the travelers arrive for their final meal at the Inn in Edo (modern day Tokyo). Travelers earn end-of-game bonus points for eating the most expensive food, collecting the most souvenirs, visiting the most hot springs, and being the most “social” or embarking on the most surprise encounters. The winner is the traveler with the most total points at the end of the game. From our experience, every time we play it is a really close game, and it’s hard to tell who is going to win until the end of the game. Strategizing wisely can lead to some major points in just one or two turns!

We enjoy this games for several reasons – it is unique, strategic, and has a super cute objective. In a two-player game, players take turns controlling a “dummy traveler” that is primarily used to block their opponent from completing objectives (such as completing a painting). One of the interesting twists in a two-player game is that no two travelers can stop at the same points of interest, so it is fairly easy to work against one’s opponent by thoughtfully moving one’s own traveler and the dummy along the road. Another interesting twist of Tokaido is that the traveler who is farthest back on the road always goes first, which can allow a traveler to take several turns in a row. But intentionally being behind the other travelers to score additional turns might not be the best strategy, because along the road are four stops at Inns where travelers have the opportunity to purchase meals that translate into points, and the Inns are first come first serve. Some of the meals are more expensive, but all of the meals have the same point value, and no traveler can enjoy the same meal twice on this journey! Additionally, the traveler farthest along on the road controls the “dummy traveler”. The only major differences in a 3 – 5 player game is that some of the points along the road allow for more than one traveler to visit at a time, and the “dummy traveler” is no longer used.

Time to Rate

Fun Factor: 5/5

-so many game play options and so much cuteness
-lighthearted but competitive

Learning Challenge: 2.5/5

-there are a lot of options on what moves to make each turn
-there is a learning challenge involved in making decisions about the best stops to make along the road and understanding how the different stops award points
-each player is given two characters at the beginning of each game that have special abilities, but can only keep one; we always have to look up the characters in the rule book to figure out what their special ability is

Artwork: 5/5

-the artwork compliments the tone of the game
-the artwork/components of the game help us feel like we can really get into the objective of the game

Originality: 5/5

-we have never seen a game quite like Tokaido
-the concept of traveling along a road and stopping to relax in hot springs and to paint pictures makes Tokaido one of a kind

Replay Value: 5/5

-the different characters assigned at the beginning of the game are highly influential on each travelers strategy, and since the characters as picked randomly, you may end up with a different character each time
-a traveler’s strategy can change greatly based on the moves of other travelers and the events that play out during the game

Luck vs Skill: 3/5

-there is luck involved in the stops that involve drawing cards that are face down (such as when you are trying to collect sets of souvenir cards) and you don’t know what cards you are going to draw
-skill involves strategizing over what stops are most beneficial to each traveler, including yourself and others
-having one focus in the game is not enough and will get a traveler easily blocked by other players (such as focusing solely on painting pictures or buying souvenirs)

Two-Player Friendly: 4/5

-a more experienced player can easily manipulate and work against the other traveler, especially using the “dummy player”
-Tokaido is more fun and competitive with more than two travelers, especially since travelers can use table talk to try to influence other travelers’ moves

Overall Feeling: 5/5

-overall, Tokaido is a blast to play
-it is a fun game even for new players who don’t really know what their doing
-while it does have a competitive spirit, it is still loads of fun even if you don’t win
-the games are so close, that is a rare for a player to get significantly ahead or behind, enhancing the fun of the game all the way to the end

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

Want to check out Tokaido?

Creator: Antoine Bauza
Illustrator: Naiade
Manufacturer’s Facebook: facebook.com/funforge
Manufacturer’s Website: http://www.funforge.fr
MRP: $39.99

CAT UP
CAT ON
CAT EVA

-Nat & Amy
#cathairday

For our first game review, we decided to review one of our newest games – Sushi Go! Sushi Go! is a fast-paced card game for 2 – 5 players that takes place over 3 rounds. It only takes around 15 minutes to complete a game. The object of the game is to create the best combination of sushi dishes, by choosing from hands of cards that are passed either back in forth in a two player game, or around the table in a 3 – 5 player game. We love this games for several reasons – it is fast-paced, portable, and has adorable artwork. It is far more fun and strategic with 3 – 5 players, however, there is a two-player variant that involves a third “dummy” that the two players alternate control of. We highly recommend using the two-player variant for two-player games; the variant makes the game more strategic and less predictable, primarily because the dummy’s cards are in a facedown pile, so neither player knows what extra card they are going to draw when they control the dummy. With that being said, we definitely feel that Sushi Go! is a worthwhile game to add to any collection, especially because of its portability and low price.

Fun Factor: 3/5 (two players w/ dummy); 4/5 (three – five players)

-fairly easy to predict opponent’s strategy and work against each other in two-player game
-much less predictable and more strategic with 3 – 5 players

Learning Challenge: 2/5

-very easy to learn
-kid friendly
-involves strategy and probability

Cost: $/$$$$$

-around $11 at a local game store or online

Artwork: 5/5

-one of the cutest games we have ever seen
-creative sushi themed artwork

Originality: 5/5 (Amy); 4/5 (Nat)

-sushi theme is super cute and original
-game mechanics are similar to other games (trading card hands among players)

Replay Value: 4/5

-players’ strategies depend on particular card hands in each round
-good game for playing as a starter game or in between longer games

Luck vs Skill: 2/5

-winning is highly dependent on what cards are dealt each round and whether or not you gain the cards needed to score points
-skill involves predicting other players’ strategies, prioritizing which cards to take first, and anticipating the probability of gaining card sets needed to score points
-not necessarily a game one could master due to the level of luck involved in which cards are dealt each round

Two-Player Friendly: 2/5 (without dummy); 3/5 (with two-player variant)

-we recommend the two-player variant; it makes a two-player game more fun, less predictable, and more challenging

Overall Feeling: 5/5

-overall, Sushi Go! is a blast to play
-it takes a very short amount of time to play a full game and is easy to explain to someone who has never played before, making it a great starter game or filler in between longer, more intense games
-however, it is not a game we would play every day due to the high level of luck involved and low level of skill needed

Overall Rating: 3.7/5

Visit our blog @ http://www.cathairday.com for more tabletop game reviews 🙂

CAT UP
CAT ON
CAT EVA
-Nat & Amy
#cathairday