-
Eric Bryan Seuthe IIUnited States
Woodland Hills
California
-
Second Mouse is a card game specifically for two players.
Players start with three mouses, in front of three piles. The mouse in front of the pile takes from their closest pile. Players take one action per turn.
They can take the top card, whether revealed or not, but must take the effects of the card.
They can move any amount of cheese from a mouse to their nest, or items from their nest or mouses to another mouse.
Or they can move their mouse.
There are things hidden in the deck, besides cheese. There are traps, that instantly kill your mice if they try to take them, and there are cats who chomp them down.
When you spring a trap it can't hurt you anymore. Once you remove your mouse, all his items go on top of the trap, and the cheese on the trap can be harvested. However the Stick item in the deck disables the trap before it can kill you. Allowing you to take the cheese from it.
Cats are more dastardly. If a cat kills you, your stuff goes underneath it. No one can get it until the cat is dead... or moved. Like the stick card, the catnip completely disables the cat, allowing you to take any item under it, or to just continue on. Unlike the stick and the catnip though, is the ball of yarn. The ball of yarn can be used specifically to move the cat, perhaps to another pile to make it hard for your opponent to collect items.
There is four levels to complete to win. To complete a level you must have the appropriate cheese in your nest. Levels are 12, 15, 18 and 20. Once a player completes a level, all cards are removed from the nests, and play begins again, with the other player stuck on it's prior level, while the successful player moves on to the next level.
WHAT DID I LIKE ABOUT THE GAME:
I liked the art style, there is something very cute and childlike about the art, designed to look like construction paper constructs. This was made very popular by South Park, a show not very kid friendly.
Also the dynamics are simple, and easy for a child to get a hold of. It's not difficult for a kid to win, or understand how the game works. They can quickly pick up and play the game with minimal instructions.
WHAT DID I DISLIKE ABOUT THE GAME:
Once you are out of the game you are out. I think that can be difficult for the children that will play the game. This could possibly be solved by forcing a player to give the "new mouse" to the other side if they have "0" mice.
Also simply stating that you gain a mouse after a "lost turn" would probably also solve this issue.
However don't let this dissuade any buyers from the game, you can always home brew that rule for your children if you see this becoming an issue.
WHO IS THIS GAME DESIGNED FOR?
Families, young siblings, parent children bounding time. This game is really fun for me, but it's not the type of game to play if you want something complex, or want multiple different play experiences.
It's a random, chance based press your luck mouse and cheese game. That's not a bad thing, it's what it needs to be to entertain a very important demographic.
Children will need slight adult supervision though, to help with the counting if they are really young.
PRICE POINT?
$17 Dollars for a Physical Copy of the Game
WORTHY OF PICKING UP?
I can tell you, if you are an adult with the spirit of a kid, this game is fun. If you are less likely to have that same spirit, then you probably wouldn't fall head over heals for this game.
That's where my Fiance and me differ on this experience. However, looking at my Fiance's son, his experience was very enjoyable for him. Kids are going to love this game.
The fun a child can have with this is well worth the asking price. That's how they get you in the feels, what we do for our children.
WORDS TO THE DESIGNER:
I know you want to make the game, and you should this game is awesome, but I recommend you draft a simple print and play of the game, and add the pledge level of that for $8. Remember that is money in your pocket for an already created file.
Additionally it opens your market up to a bunch of people who don't have the assets to put $17 dollars down on a game.
Then those funds can help you make more physical copies of the game, which you can sell to retailers after this project closes.
THE HUNTER OF GAMES: A Six Year Old's Prospective
While the little one almost didn't get to play this game before the review was posted, he was very happy when he got to play it. His opinion of the game was very favorable, he kept getting really excited when he got the new mouse card. He preferred the new mouse to his mice, because it looks more "fancy" and had this to say when asked what his favorite part of the game was, "I like getting the stick, and sending the cat to eat your mice!"
All in all, he understood the game, and rules, quickly and wanted to play again and again!
Check out their Kickstarter here! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1897871030/second-mouse-...
Sleuth of a Seuthe: An Investigative Review on Games
As a long time avid game player, and lover, I come before you to tell you my complete honest and forward opinion on games.
I will bring out the things I like in the game.
Point out the things I dislike.
And consider who this game would be best targeted at.
All of this while also assigning a completely random biased number on a scale of 1-8.
Why 8? Because I can!
Independent Game Review of "Second Mouse"
16
Sep
2013
- [+] Dice rolls
