Nekojima is a 1-5 participant dexterity sport based mostly on the cat islands of Japan from Hachette Board Video games which can be performed competitively, cooperatively, or solo. Whereas the nekos (cats) are certainly within the sport, the central component is fastidiously balancing electrical poles with brightly-colored string between them with out letting the entire infrastructure come tumbling down. Whereas Nekojima certainly appears to be like extremely colourful and cute, is the sport itself one thing of a home of playing cards?
Gameplay Overview:
The “sport” consists of rolling a pair of cube, which is able to dictate which of the sport board’s 4 quadrants the participant should place every electrical pole hooked up to both facet of the string. This combo of two picket poles related by a bit of string known as a Denchuu. Then the participant blindly pulls a dice out of a bag which is able to dictate the colour of the string between the 2 poles. The strings fluctuate in size based mostly on their coloration, with pink/crimson being the shortest, white being medium, and blue being the longest.
When inserting Denchuus, the string might not contact the sport board or every other string, and will not be wrapped across the poles. Denchuu poles could also be positioned on prime of current poles and constructed atop them. If, whereas drawing cubes, a participant occurred to have pulled a black dice, this implies a cat should be performed. In cooperative video games, the participant who pulled the cat should grasp it by its tail or paw on one of many Denchuu strings, whereas in a aggressive sport, the participant who pulled the dice should select one other participant and so they should fastidiously place the cat with out having the entire thing collapse.
There are another minor variants included within the sport (birds nests that restrict the peak of the Denchuu stacks to two-high, and so forth.), however that’s principally the gist of it. In aggressive mode, the participant who made the Denchuus collapse is the loser, everybody else the winner; in cooperative mode, there’s a cube-tracker that provides gamers a measure of how properly they’ve achieved.
Recreation Expertise:
Nekojima was a type of video games that grabbed my consideration at Gen Con. The desk presence is spectacular and colourful, the manufacturing high quality seems to be glorious, and the theme is pleasant.
The issue is that there’s not likely a sport right here. There’s not a ton of stress as a result of the sensation when the system of Denchuus collapses, whether or not enjoying cooperatively or competitively, is extra of an “aw man…” feeling than the riotous explosion you hope for from a dexterity sport. The sport at all times ends earlier than it will get fascinating.
Earlier than you inform me that that’s as a result of I suck at dexterity video games, I’ll cease you. Dexterity video games (outdoors of deeply aggressive video games like Crokinole) usually are not about proficiency, they’re about effervescent enjoyable. I didn’t have that enjoying this sport. Over our 15 or so performs of the sport, we by no means actually acquired to the purpose the place the strain was on and we really felt we had a development that was worthy of these white-knuckle moments that you just search for from a dexterity balancing sport.
Which is a disgrace, as a result of, once more, it’s very fairly to take a look at. I’d at all times want to play Tokyo Freeway or Paku Paku, two different pretty-looking dexterity video games which have far more drama than Nekojimo. Hell, I’d relatively play Jenga.
Remaining Ideas:
Nekojima simply introduced no drama that usually comes with dexterity video games. Video games ended earlier than they actually started, and relatively than having that “oh sh*t” second when the development got here crashing down, it felt extra just like the air was being sucked out of the room.
Remaining Rating: 2 stars – A visually beautiful however finally lackluster balancing dexterity sport that shortly wore out its welcome.
Hits:
• Good manufacturing high quality
• Fairly to take a look at
Misses:
• Video games lack drama
• Recreation ends earlier than it will get fascinating
• Variants don’t really present a lot selection
