Kulkmann's G@mebox - www.boardgame.de

Yōkai

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Authors:
Julien Griffon

Publisher:
Bankiiiz Editions / Blackrock
2019

No. of Players:
2-4

EVALUATION

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G@mebox author Ralf Togler writes about the game:

Yōkai is one of those small games you might easily pass. The gamebox is a small square package with an inconspicuous cover picture showing the title and four illustrations of Japanese Spirits. These spirits are the Yōkai, the protagonists of the game. But passing by the game without a try would be a mistake, because the simple card game turns out to be an entertaining pastime.

The game starts in a great disarray. The four factions of the Yōkai, the Kitsune (foxes), the Oni (demons), the Rokurokubi (long-necked women) and the Kappa (river children) have got mixed with one another, and that doesn't please them. That's why we are asked to re-arrange the cards, so that in the end all factions are grouped by families again.

[Yokai]

Click on image to enlarge!

No sooner said than that! Quickly, the 16 Yōkai cards are shuffled and placed face down in a 4x4 grid on the table. Then, the players take turns, and in each turn a player has to do three things:

A player always begin with a peek at any two of the Yōkai cards. Of course the peek must be hidden from the other players, and the cards have got to be placed back, face down on the same position as before. Secondly, the player must move any of the Yōkai cards, either one of the two cards she or he just has peeked at or any other card. Of course it's the aim of every player to move a card adjacent to another card of the same colour. But like in any game of pairs, you must have a good memory to remember which card lies at which position.

[Yokai]

Click on image to enlarge!

A turn ends with revealing or placing one of the hint cards that were put aside at the set-up. Hint-cards show us one, two or three identities of the Yōkai, and can be used to mark a Yōkai card on the table, simply by placing the hint card on top of the Yōkai card. This gives all other players a more or less precise hint of the colour of the card below, while on the same time it locks the card (it cannot be moved anymore).

Hint cards are also the counter for the game, because as soon as the last hint card has been used to lock down a Yōkai card, the game ends (of course you can end it earlier, if you think you have re-arranged all families correctly....).

Yōkai is a cooperative game and already a little hit in France. Players are asked to focus on the game, see what their fellow players are doing and remember all cards that have been looked at. Of course you aren't allowed to talk about the cards you have seen. Talking is also no good idea at all, because you really have to concentrate. The beginner level might not be too challenging, but there are expert variants like the affinity cards that demand to group two designated families adjacent to each other, and the objective cards that indicate a shape all Yōkai cards must match at the end of the game.

[Yokai]

Click on image to enlarge!

All in all, I think that Yōkai is a very good entertainment for about 15 minutes. If you are familiar with Hanabi and like it, I am pretty sure that Yōkai is a welcome change for you. The rest of you should like cooperative card games to try the game. I personally am often asked by my youngest son the one or other day to play a game (or two) with him. The game is ideal for us to play between the dinner and his going to bed. Anyway, in our house those Japanes Spirits are often calmed down at the moment, so I hope that they won't lay my house in ashes....


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