Cryptid Cafe (Clearance)

A simple family game, best with 4 players. Art is great. Simplicity at two players will not make it a regular for us, but a cute game we can share with nieces and nephews.

Getting started and understanding how the game works can be a bit tricky, especially with only two players, because there is a fake third player you have to add in and play for. The instructions are a bit vague in some areas, so after we played we had to look a couple things up on Board Game Geeks. That said, we're confident now that we'll have a smooth run the next time we play, and that our child will be able to join in as well. The theme and design of this game is really fun and adorable. There are cryptids I'm familiar with and some I'd never heard of, with a nice basic introduction of each in the back of the rule book. Getting to serve them all in my restaurant is quite the honor! The cards and game pieces are of nice quality, but the decks need to stay separate because accidentally combining them could mean a little work. Different backs for each player would have been ideal. Also, we feel strongly that Hot Apple Spider should have been named Spidey Cidey, so that's what we call it ourselves. Every cryptid has a food order and a set of point values for how much you score based on how long they have to wait for their order. These creatures burn a lot of energy staying hidden from the general population, so they have large orders to fill! The Kraken chef may have many arms, but they can still only make so much food at once, so you can't fill every cryptid's order in a timely fashion. You have to evaluate who wants what, how much of it you can get from the chef, and who you'd most benefit from feeding vs. letting them walk out angry. This game is really fun, and I can't wait to play again. You do not need to know how to read to play, other than the instructions. You do need a basic understanding of strategy, planning, and basic numbers. Now that we know how to play, we're confident our strategically-minded pre-reader will be able to jump in next time and give us some competition.