It's time for a kitty cat-themed review! And I love kitty cats, so I'm here for it! MEOW! Today's game up for review is Boop, by Smirk & Dagger! I'll be completely honest. I didn't think I would care for this game much. I've seen it around lately online and in game stores. It looked super cute. And I love cats, so I was always drawn to the cute kitty on the cover. And, of course, the name is adorable. But maybe because of the cuteness of the theme and design, I thought it would be too simple to be enjoyable. Boy was I wrong!
So let's take a look at Boop!
Boop is a 2-player strategy game that plays in 20 to 30 minutes. In Boop, you're each playing kittens and cats lying on a cute little bed. Every time a new kitten or cat jumps on the bed, it boops all the others that are around it. You start the game with 9 kittens. When you line up 3 kittens in a row, you can exchange them for cats. The kittens are removed from the bed (and the game) and the cats are placed in your stash. Then you can start placing cats on the bed as well. Once you have 3 cats in a row, you immediately win the game. Sounds pretty simple, but it’s not! Your kittens and cats not only boop the other kittens and cats out of the way, but they boop your own kittens and cats as well! So, lining up those little felines is like, well, herding cats!
What I love about the game:
1.) The simple instructions! - As I mentioned earlier, the instructions are really simple. You can learn to play this game in 5 minutes or less. It's not difficult to play, but it's really hard to win!
2.) The design! - Although the design made me think it was more of a child's game, now that I've played, I really enjoy the design. The "booping" is so fun and cat-like. And the fact that you turn the bottom of the box upside down and lay the "quilt" on top of it so that the gameboard is the bed is just perfect!
3.) The play time! - I love that this game plays in 20-30 minutes. Its the perfect time allotment for a quick game during studies or as a lunch game or right before dinner or before bed. And if you have more time, you can play several games - even turn it into a Boop tournament.
4.) The strategy! - This game is deceptively strategic. It's a lot harder than you'd think to line up those sneaky, booping cats.
5.) Lastly, but certainly not least, I really love the value that strategy games like Boop add to the practice and development of executive functioning skills! Executive functioning practice is something that traditional schoolwork often lacks. Games like Boop are a great way to help your child (and yourself) develop your executive functioning skills. These skills include paying attention, planning head, organization, time management, cognitive flexibility (adapting to changing circumstances, switching strategies), and inhibitory control (exhibiting self-control, particularly when things don't go your way). These are skills help adults achieve success in their careers and life in general, so they are very important.
Final thought: I totally misjudged Boop! Just like the pretty person that people often misjudge and thing they can't be pretty AND smart. Yes, Boop is both pretty AND smart. I've gotten a personal lesson in "not judging a board game by its cover." Lesson learned!
I received Boop, free of charge from Smirk & Dagger, in exchange for my honest review.
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