This was a review I wrote in 2022 that is still relevant and accurate to Cat in the Box. Enjoy!

Cats, with their cute and furry allure, are often used as a ploy to attract an audience and mask boring and unoriginal gameplay. Luckily, Cat in the Box published by Bezier Games and designed by Muneyuki Yokouchi doesn’t need furry felines as a crutch. Though it might take a turn or two to get to its “a-ha” moment, this fast, fun, and elegant game is worthy of anyone’s game shelf or coffee table.

The game is fairly simple to play. Cat in the Box is a trick-taking game with a splash of area-control mechanics. The combination of highest color and number “beats” the other played cards, which scores you a trick. The final score is calculated based on how many rounds, or tricks, you have won combined with orthogonally connected spots on the board you have claimed from the card you played. Just don’t be the one to trigger the paradox (no more legal card plays due to the board state), because that is very bad. There are a few other interesting nuances to the gameplay, such as predicting how many tricks you will win in the round or not being able to claim red numbers unless someone “burns” the ability to use other colors, which can be slightly confusing to first time players.

Once players have run through a few turns, it’s easy to fall in love with the elegance of the game loop. Strategizing what color to play, what number to play based on the board state, and when to claim the trump color Red is simple enough to grasp within 5 minutes, but mentally exciting enough to keep me invested for the full game. Once you understand the game, however, the variance is now at the whim of your numbered card draw or in the number of players you bring to the table. It very much feels like an upgraded Euchre after a couple playthroughs, to which there is nothing wrong with. However, if you are looking for deep, intricate gameplay with evergreen replayability, you might be disappointed.

Look, I’m a cat person. I see a cat, I’m going to want to touch it, even if it’s on a box. The cat in the box theme, while definitely tacked onto a well-designed trick-taking game, oddly does the game justice. After all, it was Osamu Inoue’s art that enticed me to the box, and the game that made me buy it. The experiment is the game, the observed color of the cat is denoted on the color you play, and the paradox is when you open the box and the game is over because the cat is dead or not. It’s cute and it works. The components are nothing to be in awe about, but they have a table presence about them that would make anyone stop and look at what’s going on. My only wish is for the tokens to stay in its row when moving, but hey, you can’t have everything. The folding board with interchangeable cards is phenomenal. That, and, all the components come in an attractive and compact box—*chef’s kiss.*

There is a special place in my heart for coffee-table games, and this one might be one of my favorites. The addition of area control makes this a great introduction to the wide-world of board games or a fun game to have drinks over before you break out Wingspan, as well as a great gift for the lovable, cat-loving, geek in your life. This low barrier-to-entry game combined with its simple and elegant game loop makes this a must play for light-weight game lovers out there who don’t want to do mental gymnastics every time it’s your turn.

Play if you like:
Euchre
Easy, but unique games
Cats

Just don’t expect:
High strategy
Hours and hours of fresh-feeling gameplay
A real cat in the box

Rating: 7.3/10