Premise
Do you have what it takes to be the top cat of the Kyoto neighbourhood? Starting as feisty and fearless little kittens to experienced and skilful adult cats, explore the streets and rooftops of Kyoto, encountering great adventures of fearsome enemies, friendly bugs, and majestic agility feats in Kyoto No Neko.
Also on offer is a wide selection of advanced scenario situations that will allow the kitty to befriend humans or even hide in a box!
The Game
Stepping out from the safety of their home, kittens can embark on their adventure. From their home, perilously crossing the road to explore the alleys of Kyoto, the game board is covered with small paw tokens. Each of these has an individual challenge for the kitten. Whether it be escaping a boisterous dog, climbing a tree, hunting a critter, or befriending an animal, these challenges allow kittens to develop their skills. Based primarily on luck through the roll of a dice, it is rewarding to succeed at a challenge. However, the game is very forgiving if a kitten fails a challenge, for how would the cat learn if not through their mistakes?
Premise
Do you have what it takes to be the top cat of the Kyoto neighbourhood? Starting as feisty and fearless little kittens to experienced and skilful adult cats, explore the streets and rooftops of Kyoto, encountering great adventures of fearsome enemies, friendly bugs, and majestic agility feats in Kyoto No Neko.
Also on offer is a wide selection of advanced scenario situations that will allow the kitty to befriend humans or even hide in a box!
The Game
Stepping out from the safety of their home, kittens can embark on their adventure. From their home, perilously crossing the road to explore the alleys of Kyoto, the game board is covered with small paw tokens. Each of these has an individual challenge for the kitten. Whether it be escaping a boisterous dog, climbing a tree, hunting a critter, or befriending an animal, these challenges allow kittens to develop their skills. Based primarily on luck through the roll of a dice, it is rewarding to succeed at a challenge. However, the game is very forgiving if a kitten fails a challenge, for how would the cat learn if not through their mistakes?
Challenges are mostly optional unless the background of the paw token is red. In this case, the challenge must be resolved immediately, regardless of what was planned during the turn. If the challenge is completed successfully, however, then the kitten may continue with their turn, provided they still have enough movement and action turns left.
The aim of Kyoto No Neko is not just to resolve the paw tokens. To win the game, kittens must collect bell tokens. These bell tokens are placed against landmark challenges such as climbing a tree, fighting an enemy, hunting a bug, or befriending a critter, among others. By collecting these bells, kittens can trigger key events such as ageing, skill boosting, and eventually winning the game if they have the most bells.
Kyoto No Neko is a cat-lover’s dream. With the choice of four adorable kittens to play with, each with their traits and skills, plus matching super-cute meeples, it is a feast for the senses! Designed to be enthralling, this game is captivating and beautiful; however, be aware of the many components. The very first set-up did feel like it took a long time, constructing standees, boxes, and popping out lots of tokens that were not very clear as to their function in the rules book. While the components are wonderfully designed and evoke the lovely cosiness of Japanese suburbia, many standees did not fit well together, some of the slots being too wide for the stand. The box does provide spare stands to help with this issue, however.
The rulebook is not clear at all points, perhaps being a little basic in its instruction, and some players may find it easier (as I did) to play and learn as you go.
Kyoto No Neko is a replayability dream! Given an abundance of scenarios, kittens will face challenges to befriend a dog, mark their territory, or even return home with presents for their human parents (and we know how much that will be appreciated!). These scenarios add a new level to the gameplay, providing exciting mechanics to the game with new rewards.
Beginner and family-friendly, Kyoto No Neko is a delightful game that will charm and captivate many with its simple gameplay (once you get going) and beautiful design. With immersive and engaging challenges that truly place players in the mind of a kitten, this is a staple in the market for cosy, cat-related games.
