Designer: Muneyuki Yokouchi (横内宗幸)

Artist: Osamu Inoue (井上磨)

Publisher: Bezier Games

If you are a fan of trick-taking games and want a new challenge, then this is one to try. However, if you are a newbie who is just starting to appreciate trick-takers, consider shelving this one for now. Cat in the Box is a brain-burning experience and is highly atypical as far as trick-taking games go. I don’t think the game represents the genre very well, and there are many other beginner-friendly trick-takers that should be sampled first if you are new to the genre. This game requires several levels of meta-thinking that may only become obvious after multiple plays. At the start of the experience, most players will feel lost, even bewildered. Even with a group of experienced players, we found ourselves scratching our heads during the first few rounds, unsure of what constituted an optimal move. Well, you definitely need to think outside the box for this one.

The game play feels atypical for a trick-taker since suits for the numbered cards are not defined ahead of time.

I have no prior experience playing any games from Mr. Yokouchi; he is new to me. However, the buzz surrounding Cat in the Box is undeniable. Presumably, the game was so well received that Bezier Games picked it up for wider publication, and thus far, it appears to be a hit among those in the know. But here’s the rub: this is not a game I would pull out for just anyone. In fact, after a few plays, I think I would only play this with more experienced gamers. This trick-taker is counterintuitive and much tougher to grasp. The core mechanisms follow a familiar premise—play a card, win the trick, and score points—but the way tricks are won and how suits are defined during the game is unconventional.

Most trick-taking games feature numbers and suits. In this game, the numbers exist, but the suits must be determined during play and are subject to several restrictions. Like other trick-taking games, each trick is won by the highest played card of the lead suit, but the suits themselves are chosen by each player and must take spatial constraints into account. There are four suits in the game, represented by red, green, blue, and yellow. When the lead player plays a card, they declare the suit and place a player token on a shared board with multiple recessed slots corresponding to the number played and the selected color. Each suit has numbers from 1-9, and once a player token is placed on a recessed slot, that number and color are no longer available for other players to use for the rest of the game. To follow suit, a player must play a valid card that corresponds to an empty slot. If all players follow suit, the highest card value wins. However, players can break from the lead suit—but at a price. The color they break away from will no longer be available to them for the rest of the hand. Most of the time, players have to break from the lead suit because all slots of that particular color are filled, forcing them to choose a different suit. Deciding when to break away is one of the most critical decisions in the game.

Scoring is simple and based on tricks won, but there is a strong spatial element to bonus scoring.

Scoring is simple. At the start of the game, players predict how many tricks they will win, and each trick is worth one point, regardless of whether the prediction is fulfilled. If the prediction is accurate, players gain an additional bonus based on the largest cluster of similarly colored tokens they have placed on the shared board. This bonus can be substantial if things align favorably. However, there are consequences for ending a hand prematurely. The game can end in the cruelest of ways: if a player cannot play a card without violating placement rules, a “paradox” occurs. Instead of earning positive points, the offending player will score negative points for each trick won. While failing to score bonus points is unfortunate, it is far worse to be the player that triggers the paradox.

Timing card plays based on present and future slot availability and how to force the paradox on other players is key to skillful play.

When playing trick-taking games, I enjoy them most when played casually—without card counting or paying excessive attention to what others are doing. While this may not be the optimal way to win, I find card counting tedious and not enjoyable. Additionally, the inherent chaos and uncertainty of trick-taking games make probability calculations too cumbersome for me. Of course, in trick-takers that incorporate set collection during scoring, I will pay some attention to individual tableaus, but only in passing. In other words, I tend to play more intuitively, and this approach has served me well. I remain competitive in most trick-taking games I play. However, with Cat in the Box, you simply cannot avoid pay attention to others if you want to have any hope of winning.

I have only played Cat in the Box a handful of times, so I am not an expert, but I have found that the game hinges on when to break away from the lead suit and play a different color. This decision is monumental because once you choose a different color than the lead suit, that color is now out of bounds for the remainder of the hand. This is painful and will come back and bite the player if done early. This choice must be made carefully and delayed as long as possible to keep options open. This is particularly true for the red suit, as it is also the trump suit. If you are the only player to use the red suit or play the highest value in that suit, you will automatically win the trick. The timing of when to play the red suit is crucial—not just for winning tricks but also for fulfilling your prediction and ending the game by forcing others to trigger the paradox. This is often the case since the red suit usually emerges late in the game, leading to a paradox soon after.

Spatial considerations are also critical—not so much for the bonus scoring, which only applies if the trick prediction is accurate, but for ensuring there is an outlet to play cards following the lead suit without resorting to an off-suit color. In our plays, those who managed to stay with the lead suit longer tended to score better, as they avoided triggering the paradox. Since all players except the one who triggers the paradox score positive points for each trick won, it is often better to survive and collect a few points rather than always aiming for the cluster bonus. Perhaps other strategies will emerge as we play more, but these are our initial observations. The game is both intriguing and frustrating in equal measure and I look forward to playing it again soon.

Final thoughts

Ultimately, Cat in the Box is not for everyone. Even among fans of trick-taking games, it is not universally embraced. Some people absolutely hate it because it does not conform to the traditional trick-taking formula. Sure, all trick-takers have some twist in their design, but most can be figured out within a couple of rounds. With Cat in the Box, I think more plays are needed to fully grasp its mechanics. For now, I remain intrigued and want to play more to solve the puzzle. I want to improve my play, but that may take time since I am hesitant to introduce this game to casual gamers. Whether this means the game has lasting appeal remains to be seen. However, for trick-taking enthusiasts, I highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already. Chances are, you already know about it and have already played it.

As far as production values go, Bezier Games has done a wonderful job with the standard edition. I own the deluxe edition after trading with someone who really disliked the game. I am not sure the game requires anything more than the standard edition, but the multi-color cat tokens really do look nice. Plus, I really do appreciate the theme of Schrodinger’s Cat and thought it quite apt for such an abstract game.

Impressions: Good. This is not a beginner-level trick-taking game. I would introduce it to friends who are enthusiastic about the genre and enjoy exploring its nuances together. The mechanism of selecting a suit and deciding when to go off-suit is very different from a standard trick-taking game, making Cat in the Box unique and novel. It deserves repeated plays—ideally with the same group—to fully grasp its subtleties. I have not yet reached that stage and eagerly anticipate my next session. As for kids, this game is clearly not suitable for my 10 year old. I She is not exactly a newbie to the gaming scene and has played at least two dozen trick-taking games, and even she did not enjoy this one. I will reintroduce it to her in a few years.