Ever since it appeared on the third season of TableTop, I have wanted to try out Sushi Go! Even before TableTop I heard a lot of good thing about Sushi Go! and the TableTop episode just confirmed what I had heard. The main reason I held off from buying the game for a long time was that the game has always been really cheap so I was looking for a really good deal on the game. After having finally played the game I have to say that Sushi Go! lived up to the hype and is a fantastic example of a simple pick up and play card game that hides quite a bit of strategy beneath the surface.
If you would like to see the complete rules and instructions for the game, check out our Sushi Go! how to play guide.
While I like strategic games, I appreciate a good light to moderate strategy game since they can be engaging while also being accessible to new players. This is the perfect description of Sushi Go. While the game is a light to moderate strategy game it does a great job blending accessibility with options. The game is very easy to play since it only takes a couple minutes to explain and maybe a couple rounds for a player to fully understand. The game is also really quick to play since you can generally finish a game in fifteen minutes. Sushi Go! is a perfect filler game especially for people who don’t regularly play board and card games.
When you first start playing the game you might not think there is a lot of strategy to Sushi Go! While the game is accessible it has plenty of choices to make. The more you play the game the more you see the strategic elements in the game. While playing the game you need to consider what cards you want in addition to what cards other players are looking for. Considering other player’s hands might be more important than your own at times since you might have to take a card that will earn you few points just to prevent another player from getting the card and earning a bunch of points.
Sushi Go! seems so well balanced. Most of the cards in Sushi Go actually play differently while remaining easy to understand. Each card has its’ strengths and weaknesses. Nigiri cards by themselves score less points than the other cards but they are also the safest since you will automatically score points with them. Dumplings are also safe but don’t score a lot of points unless you acquire quite a few of them. A lot of the other cards are more risky but result in bigger payoffs. The wasabi, sashimi, and the tempura require you to get other cards or they are worth zero points. If you get the other cards you need though you will score quite a few more points than if you went with a safer option. Finally the chopsticks are an interesting card since they essentially let you pass on one hand and take two cards from another hand. One player will get stuck with them at the end of the round though and will end up getting zero points for them.
In addition to some great gameplay, the card quality in Sushi Go! is quite good. The card stock is pretty typical of a card game but the artwork is fantastic. I have really no interest in sushi having never ate sushi before and yet the artwork is so charming and really well done. The cards are really well designed with a quick explanation at the bottom of every card that tells you what it does. This helps immensely when you are first learning the game since you can quickly go through the rules and then use the bottom of the cards to refresh your memory of what every card does as you play through your first game.
Although Sushi Go is a really good game it is not perfect and it won’t be for everyone.
While the game has quite a bit more strategy to it than you would first expect, people who like really strategic games will probably find the game to be a little on the light side. Your decisions in the game actually have an impact on what ultimately ends up happening in the game. Good strategic decisions give you an advantage in the game. Except for the first couple of cards each round though, it is usually pretty obvious what card you should take at any given time.
Unfortunately luck has more impact on the game than I would have preferred. If all of the players are of an equal skill level, the winner will probably be whichever player was luckiest. Luck comes into play into two ways. First whoever gets the better starting hands gets an advantage since they are able to take the better cards from those hands. Also getting the first look at the best hand of the round gives you an advantage in deciding which strategy you are going to be implementing for the round.
Luck also comes into play in guessing which strategy you think the other players will implement. While keeping track of how many of each type of card there is in any particular round is helpful, you still need to guess what you think the other players are going to do. Since several of the cards require collecting multiple cards of the same type, you are taking a risk that the other players won’t pursue the same type of cards as you are in any particular round. If you get lucky and the other players don’t pursue the cards you are going after you will score a lot of points but if two players go after the same cards they will end up sabotaging one another.
Sushi Go is a great game. The game is easy to learn, quick to play, and still has quite a bit of strategy to it. While I wish the game relied a little less on luck, unless you hate light to moderate strategy games I think you will really enjoy Sushi Go! On top of all of its’ positives the game is also quite cheap since you can usually find a copy of the game online for less than $10. Unless you don’t like light to moderate strategy games I would highly recommend picking up Sushi Go!
If you want to purchase Sushi Go you can pick it up from Amazon, eBay
Sushi Go! Card Game: Rules and Instructions for How to Play - Geeky Hobbies
Thursday 22nd of June 2023
[…] For my thoughts on the game, check out my Sushi Go! review. […]