Matthew BaileyI’m always on the lookout for brand-new dexterity games that offer something unique and interesting. Recently, I’ve really enjoyed playing games such as “High-Rise Penguins”, “Beasts of Balance”, and an old classic, “Catch the Moon”. “Nekojima” arrived on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago alongside a few other games, but with the back-to-school rush, it didn’t quite make it to the table before the end of summer.
A few days ago, it finally came out to be played, and needless to say, it’s been the only game we’ve played for the last week in the Bailey household. It’s really rather good!
In “Nekojima”, you’re building electricity pylons on Cat Island (which I’ve decided in my headcanon is the same island as the one in “Isle of Cats”). Your goal is to create a sprawling network of pylons and cables.
The gameplay itself is fairly simple. You roll two dice that give you two colour choices, and your opponent chooses one of those colours. You then draw a cube from the bag and assuming it’s a white, blue, or pink cube, that denotes which colour pylon you have to lay. Based on the dice rolls, you’ll place your pylons in two different sections of the island.
You’re allowed to place pylons wherever you like, even on top of other pylons, which is a necessity as the wires and pylons cannot touch each other. It starts off easy, but as the game progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult, though never in a frustrating way. I’ve played this game with a wide range of people, from my kids to my students, to my wife, and it always manages to draw people in with its unique style and easy-to-understand gameplay.
As well as drawing coloured cubes to pick your pylon, you may also draw a black cube. This means the next player has to place a cat on one of the coloured pylons that match the pylon they lay on their next turn. This is surprisingly tricky! The cat tokens, despite being made of cardboard, are dense and weigh more than you’d expect. There are moments in the game where placing a cat feels like an absolute death sentence, especially in the first few turns. That’s probably the only negative I can think of, which, in itself, is a testament to how good the game is.
The game can be played both competitively and cooperatively. I particularly enjoy the cooperative version, where players work together to see how far they can progress. For every four cubes, you reach a new level, which is a great alternative mode, especially for kids who struggle with the competitive side of games.
Like many dexterity games, “Nekojima” uses a “one person loses” rather than a “one person wins” scenario, but the cooperative version mitigates this.
There are also a number of special modes, such as Skyscrapers, which forces you to use only two different types of pylons per section, and another mode where you can only build your pylons two sections high.
The component quality is absolutely outstanding. The pylons are made from high-quality birch wood, the ropes connecting them are sturdy, and even the cardboard tokens are made of premium cardstock. Everything comes together in a lovely box with gorgeous artwork, making it an extremely premium package.
One odd thing is that the game’s artwork features roller coasters on the island, which is a bit strange considering that has nothing to do with the gameplay, but hey, it’s still nice artwork!
I know I’ve praised quite a few dexterity games recently, but the genre seems to be having a bit of a renaissance. “Nekojima” is definitely one of my new favourite dexterity games and has had a tremendous amount of play this week alone. Everyone who’s played it has absolutely loved it.
I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Disclaimer: “Nekojima” was kindly provided by “Hachette Games” for the purpose of review. Flavien Loisier is the General Manager of Hachette and is in our community. Our thoughts and opinions are, however, our own.
