Facebook Messenger was at one point my main form of communication when I got tired of emojis. Mostly because I could use the fat gray cat stickers in which it was blowing out birthday candles or eating pizza. Usually, it conveyed my mood better than an angry face or wink smile. It would be a few years before I realized this communication sensation had a name and a following, Pusheen. Now board game maker Ravensburger is using this generational idol in a new card pick up game, Pusheen: Purrfect Pick.
Pusheen: Purrfect Pick
Published By: Ravensburger
Number of Players: 3-5, Recommended Ages 8 and up.
Available: February 18, 2021
In Pusheen: Purrfect Pick the object is as simple as it is adorable. Be the player who collects the most stars (Points) at the end of the game. In getting there, Ravensburger puts a good amount of thought into the licensing but not nearly as much as it does with games such as Villainous.
The art style of the game is spot on to the simple cuteness of the Pusheen digital stickers. For something that’s intended to be an entry-level priced game ($19.99 MSRP) it packs some well-made materials. A sturdy and colorful game board, easy follow instructions, and a girthy Pusheen figure. The only questionable decision is the over laminated wax “essential cards” you’ll use to play with. They aren’t the easiest things to shuffle right out of the box and it will take quite a bit of use before they settle in enough that you aren’t clumping them together or drawing multiple when you’re only trying to get one from the deck.
That’s not to say the two types of cards you’ll use “Essential” and “Snapshot” aren’t every bit as adorable as the rest of the game. Art on the cards features rainbows, ice cream, jewels. There are also cards that have cute variants of Pusheen such as unicorn pusheen and dragonsheen. Essential cards are broken into three categories: item, action, friend. The object of the game is to gather enough combinations of these cards to trade them for points cars (Snapshot cards). Once a player gets enough snapshot cards with a star count equal to ten, the player with the most stars is the winner. After you set up the board with the cards face up, the first player moves the Pusheen figure into a region in which one of the four adjacent cards can be picked. It’s a very simple game. In a way, it’s the perfect representation of a property that’s simplified how we communicate without words.
Its simplicity is also what gives it its limits. There isn’t much strategy involved or a learning curve. While the game is cute and has entertainment value it’s definitely not lasting. I don’t see this being the game we break out on the hardcore game nights, more of a party game that helps briefly entertain. While the box says ages “8 and up”, it’s definitely more for kids than adults. In a way you don’t even have to start the minimum at age 8, any kid that can match shapes will be able to play the game.
Pusheen: Purrfect Pick is another well-crafted game from Ravensburger. It’s not their most detailed or challenging but it’s one of the few that kids younger than the recommended age can play. If you’re in the lolita, hello kitty, maybe even cute anime fandom then you’ll at least like the product for its collectibility.
