The Cat Game is an entertaining Monday painting game for children and adults aged eight and over, made by Spin Master.
Admittedly, we don't just love cats, we ourselves are the can openers of two balls of fur and because that's not enough felinism for us, we keep an eye on every cat merchandise we come across. The game The Cat Game hit our gamer and cat hearts right away. As the title almost suggests, cats play the main role here.
With simple, almost self-explanatory rules and a fun design, it's an entertaining game for cat lovers and Pictionary fans.
Game box with fur trim
Red and black fur peeks out of the playing box.
It almost seems like a little fluffy kitten was hiding in there. At the edge of the box sits an Abraham Lincoln cat, which has been redesigned with a skillful pen. This arouses curiosity about the game and suggests that, despite the childlike appearance, it is not just a children's game.
The German version of the cat game is recommended for children and adults aged eight and over. If you look across the ocean to our American playmates, prudishness comes to life. There, the game is only recommended for young and adult players aged sixteen and over. The 150 playing cards cover topics ranging from French kisses to Fifty Shades of Gray to topics with the influence of violence - but the unspectacular and funny are not neglected either.
Each player has to decide for himself whether children need to be spared from this or whether it is prudery "at it's worst". Anyway, we're amused.
Monday painter in feline? The Cat Game!
The game is reminiscent of the Monday Painters and, as the title suggests, cats play the main role here. The subject areas were divided into three felinized areas. This means that the player can choose between the themes of whimsical stripes, CAT innocences & KITTY masters and CAT activities which is best suited to them in terms of painting. The artist is provided with artistic assistance by 18 different punching cats. Our favorite is definitely the Sphinx cat, its appearance almost screams Yoda. How fitting that Star Wars Topics are located under the task cards. You paint with erasable markers on drawing boards, two of which are included in the game.
Let's assume that a player decides on the category of whimsical stripes and has to use it to describe the film Star Wars to his opponent in a painterly way. He chooses one or more cats, of course our favorite the "Yodakatze" would be ideal here, and places them under the plastic foil of the drawing board. Finally, he draws the typical Yoda form around his cat and maybe even looks for a cat, which he picturesquely presses a lightsaber into its paws. While he is drawing, his fellow player guesses what it could be until he ends the guessing with the exclamation "Star Wars". He wins the card and becomes the next Picasso.
The first player to collect five playing cards wins the round. There are two other game variants that increase the level of difficulty.
Another method of multiplayer play is available: team play. Two teams are formed, each choosing a draftsman. Now the artists draw at the same time
a task card and start drawing. Your own team has to guess the term, the faster team gets the victory point. The team which is the first to receive 20 points wins the game.
When the artwork counts and the case torments
If the packaging design still causes air jumps, the first disappointment follows the first time you look into the box. Cat's eyes shine out from punched sheets, but after the first purring sighs it is noticeable that one punch hole in the shape of a cat has been punched out too much. Not only does it look ugly, it also makes you feel like the game might be incomplete. It's a shame, because the cats themselves have been designed in an appealing way. Care was taken to ensure that they differ greatly. So the player can choose from different races and poses.
The task cards feel valuable and have funny artwork, comparable to a game box. The tasks themselves appeal to children and adults alike. The latter will understand the joke and the tasks better and thus have more fun with the hidden allusions. Unfortunately, little attention was paid to the painting boards. The bare, slightly frayed cardboard is clearly visible along the edges. If the game is played several times, this leads to the paint being sucked up and thus makes the game appear inferior.
Images of The Cat Game
Infobox
Number of players: 3 to 6 players
Age: from 8 years
Playing time: 25 to 40 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Long-term motivation: low
Publisher: Spin Master
Year of publication: 2018
Language: German
Cost: 20 Euro
Conclusion
The Cat Game is easy to learn and an entertaining game for in between or the next party. The game material leaves something to be desired in some places. This should be different for a game that currently costs around 20 euros. The game itself skilfully takes up the classic Monday painter. The tasks make the players smile and the artwork makes cat lovers cheer. A cat game for big and small Monday painters and for casual gamers, which ensures entertaining fun, but from which one should not expect any depth or increased difficulty.
Despite my enthusiasm for the game itself, purrfection looks different.
