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Yokai Sketch is a fast and quick game for 2 players, with gorgeous illustrations and a simple and, somehow, effective game loop.
First I must say that I was overhyped about this game – I like to sketch, Vincent Dutrait has amazing work, and I missed a grab-and-go 2-player in my collection, that I could store in my car’s glove compartment for a gaming emergency.
The Good
The Kemushi Saga looks great and is something that can make this game, Silk, Bitoku, and Bamboo, a nice thematic collection. The Illustration really shines on this game: the game box is cute, and the animal cards look amazing, – would be a nice addition to frame them and hang on the wall.
Rules are simple and straightforward, you can teach the game in 1 minute, make this the perfect game for 2-3 games at a short break, anywhere, anytime.
Would be a nice introduction to modern board games, and 2-player card games.
The Ok
The game loop is a bit rudimentary – which is nice to keep the complexity low. The cards and box are good, and the rulebook is well written, but struggle to clarify some blindspots like, what to do when you tie with a card from a color on a different stack, or what happens when you want to flip the last card played from the opponent, but last card removed to the discard pile – maybe that is written there somewhere, but when you play it feels more slippery on this edge cases, much more than the complexity you get from reading the rulebook. Anyway, the game is simple enough to be glorified with some house rules to make it more spicy. I think that game scenarios are missing, or a missing opportunity to diversify the long-term strategies, like, for example, making a collection of 4 different/same Yokais (adding more points to the total score count).
The graphic design and small visual elements are not amazing – The illustrations are top notch but the game card design and special actions elements are below the elevation the illustrations bring to the game.
The Bad
You’ll pass… and pass, and not do what you want/need, and you’ll find yourself playing as much with your card as with the opponent’s game. 50% of the time I feel that I’m playing the next card on the deck because it’s the only thing I can do. I might be playing the game wrong, but a short and fast-paced game with a significant amount of “just playing whatever” or “best play is to pass”… might get you a little bit frustrated.
In the end, I enjoyed the games I’ve played. It’s a simple unpretentious game, with the right amount of player interactions. As my son said, it’s great to take with you for your next queueing adventure on a dull and tedious day – It will make you grab some Yokais and have fun for a while.
My rating: 3/5
Why would I play it again?: grab-and-go game, love the illustrations
Why should I skip it?: Gameloop feels rudimentary, rules with some slippery logic, and numeric progressions are not my “thing”
Will I sell it?: Not for now, might keep it to add up to the Kemushi Saga Collection