Cat Spotting
Do you have a good memory?
Do you have cat-like reflexes?
Do you have a keen eye for detail, like Sherlock?
If it’s a yes to all, you are in for a treat.
If not, tag along anyway!
Cat Spotting, designed by Jason Tam, is the first game that grabbed my attention in this year’s Micro May campaign on Kickstarter, and for good reason. Its predecessor, Peep Spotting, stirred up quite a bit of buzz on last year’s Micro May campaign. And it’s going to be purr-fect this year, with over a hundred cattos taking over your gaming table.
For context, both Cat Spotting and Peep Spotting are “Where’s Waldo”-inspired search games, known for their fast-paced, competitive, and easy-to-learn gameplay. These card games consist of two key components: sets of crowd cards and a wide range of spotting cards.
Your goal? Spot the subject from the spotting card hidden among the crowd cards as quickly as possible.
Days before the highly anticipated Micro May campaign, I got my hands on the review copy of Cat Spotting, and after playing it with my gaming circle for over 2 weeks, I’m delighted to share my findings with you!
Questions that lingered in my mind before playing the game:
– Is it replayable?
– How challenging is it to spot the cats?
– Is it ideal for game nights or quiet evenings?
– Will it excite those who have never played games before?
A bit on how I built it
I got a PnP copy, and so could you by pledging just for the files. So I’m walking through how I crafted it.
The game consists of 4 sets of Crowd Cards (3 cards on each set) along with 108 hand-drawn Cat Cards. It’s best to print and sleeve them out to ensure durability.
Like always, I like my cards matte and premium to touch, so I opted for printing them out on 180 gsm art cards. It took me a while to glue both sides of 100+ cards, but what can I say; I’m somewhat of a connoisseur!
For some of the modes of the game, you will need a timer. Keep your smartphone nearby, or finally use your fancy sand clock that you’ve been dying to use!
If a DIY project is not your thing, then don’t lose hope- you can purchase the boxed version of the game once the campaign goes live.
My findings
Many modes
I loved how the game introduced five different modes of play. These variants offer an array of experiences – including a classic clean your hand mode, a co-op option, and even a mode where you bet on the number of cats you’ve spotted. We particularly enjoyed the ‘Hand of Cats’ and ‘Cats on the table’ mode.
We tried the game in 1v1, 3-player, and 4-player formats. While the 3- and 4-player rounds were highly entertaining, they did get a bit chaotic as players kept pointing out cats simultaneously. We even considered recording the rounds just to see who pointed first, which was fun! As for gameplay, I found 1v1 to be particularly stimulating, so I leaned more towards that.
But hey, that’s just me and my circle; your experience might be totally different!
With non-gamers
After playing the game on and off for one good week, I tried something interesting. I invited my friends over to play the game; to be precise, friends who aren’t fans of games.
And they had a blast! It took me less than a minute to explain the rules, and they were up and running. Out of respect for their privacy (and their reluctance to admit they’ve finally caved in to a game), I can’t share the playing moments. But trust me, they were worth capturing!
They ended up playing for a full hour and even asked if I had more games like this. Big win!
Spot or Dare?
I’m a big fan of customizing bits and pieces of games, and it was no different for Cat Spotting. To add more spice to the game, we introduced dares!
Number of players: 3
Rules: Place the 3 Crowd Cards in front of you, facing up. In each round, reveal 2 Cat Cards. All players will try to spot a maximum of one card, meaning one player will inevitably miss out. The player who fails to spot in that round receives a penalty: a dare!
Dares can either be made up on the spot or drawn from a small hand-drawn deck of 10 premade Dare Cards.
Don’t miss out on this. It’s hilarious!
Verdict!
Replayable?
With 4 sets of Crowd Cards, over 100 cats to spot, and 5 unique modes to explore- you already know my answer! And if my little experiment of playing the game with non-gamers says anything, it’s that many would be quite open to it. Which only means one thing: more people to enjoy the game with!
Challenging to spot cats?
It’s rather subjective, but for me, it was quite spontaneous. There were times I spotted a cat almost instantly, while on other times it took me an eternity to locate one.
There were many ‘how could I not see this one?!’ moments, along with a few ‘I have the eyes of elves!’ moments.
Game nights or quiet evenings?
You’ve already made the verdict that such a fast-paced game is designed for game nights. Haven’t you?
Wait till you play it on a date!
I lent the game to a friend who tried it out on a date, and they had a fantastic time. Now you know why I’m such a fan of the 1v1 mode! *wink, wink*
Suggestions: Nudges, take it or leave it!
Do you have eidetic memory? A keen sense of sight? Is your best friend’s name Watson?
Then do yourself a favor and don’t repeat the same Cat Cards too much. There are over 100 Cat Cards to choose from- so make sure to split the deck accordingly to avoid repeating the cards. You’re welcome!
A nudge to Jason Tam- dog lovers are waiting for Doggo Spotting! Big please.
Spot the campaign!
The highly anticipated Cat Spotting campaign is set to launch on Kickstarter, so be sure to follow it and back the game if it’s your type!
The launch date? 20th of May!
A big thanks to Jason for allowing me the opportunity to try the game. It’s the 3rd game I’ve played from this year’s Micro May campaign, and it certainly is among the best in terms of entertainment!
A special shout-out to the artist behind Card Spotting, Liezl Ronquillo, for the amazing artwork in the game. You’re paw-some!
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Game Overview
Designer: Jason Tam
Artist: Liezl Ronquillo
Number of players: 2 to 4
Difficulty level: Super Easy!
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1
Game duration: 15-20 minutes
Available on: Kickstarter
Theme: Search Game
Number of pages and color: Max 31 pages (black and white)
Assembling difficulty level: Relatively easy. Print, cut the cards, and sleeve them up!
Lamination: Not recommended
Additional elements required: Card sleeves and a timer.
Time to learn: A couple of minutes
Travel-friendly: 9/10
Shelving friendly: 9/10
Rating from PnP Time: 8.5/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
