All you can eat Sushi... Go!

Jake
Sep 7, 2017
3 min read

Every other Thursday we here at the G.T.A. Board Game Collective like to revisit older games that we really love. Some of these we have played for years, and some we just found and were surprised we never played before. As always, if you want us to review a game that you enjoy, please leave a comment below.

Number of Players: 2-5

Play Time: 15 Min.

Age: 8+

Complexity Rating (Lower = Easier): 1.5/5

Website: http://www.gamewright.com

Type: Family

Publish Year: 2013

Designer: Phil Walker-Harding

Artist: Nan Rangsima, Tobias Schweiger, Phil Walker-Harding

Publisher: Adventureland Games, Cocktail Games, Gamewright, Zoch Verlag, 6+

Description

In the super-fast sushi card game Sushi Go!, you are eating at a sushi restaurant and trying to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by. Score points for collecting the most sushi rolls or making a full set of sashimi. Dip your favorite nigiri in wasabi to triple its value! And once you've eaten it all, finish your meal with all the pudding you've got! But be careful which sushi you allow your friends to take; it might be just what they need to beat you!

Sushi Go! takes the card-drafting mechanism of Fairy Tale and 7 Wonders and distills it into a fifteen-minute game that anyone can play. The dynamics of "draft and pass" are brought to the fore, while keeping the rules to a minimum. As you see the first few hands of cards, you must quickly assess the make-up of the round and decide which type of sushi you'll go for. Then, each turn you'll need to weigh which cards to keep and which to pass on. The different scoring combinations allow for some clever plays and nasty blocks. Round to round, you must also keep your eye on the goal of having the most pudding cards at the end of the game!

The Review

This quick and easy game of Sushi Go! is one of my favourite card games when we need to kill time before a larger game waiting for people to show up or to wind down after one. It is quick to learn, only after about a round to understand the rules for new players, so making explaining the rules really simple. The tin case it came in makes it really portable, allowing me to bring it to parties and on the off occasion, even to work.

The mechanic of Card Drafting is a great mechanic, making the game really enjoyable and the fact that by learning this with such a simple game makes learning other games that use it such as 7 Wonders and Tides of Time easier to learn.

It is however a filler game and while I enjoy it, it does need a little more depth to rank higher in my book but when it comes to a quick pick up, it rates high. Because of this, there is little variability in the game, so after about 5-6 games, you know what is coming and it is pretty much the same. There is a Party Version that is on my to pick up list so hopefully that helps with the fact that it allows for 8 players and has new cards. (Something about a spoon?) As well, the counting up points at the end kinda bugs me. I am one of those gamers that if you expect me to do something in a game, provide me at least at first with the required material to do it and searching for a pen and paper to write down points after each round can be a little tiresome.

Overall, this is a great game with a low learning curve that will be the appetizer to your gaming night before the main course.

Pros and Cons