Curators, we need you to set up the museum’s new water-themed exhibit, got it? Wait… you’re arguing about horizontal versus vertical alignment? Look, do it however you like, and we’ll judge both orientations at the end. Just make sure it looks perfect!

What Is It?

Tile Placement – Each turn players will place a new card into the display, adjacent to another. It goes face up if next to a face down card, and face down if placed next to a face up card

Set Collection – One player will score rows, and the other will score columns. When playing their cards, they want to try to put sets of icons and numbers in their rows/columns to score those sets. They can also score for sets of turtles next to waves, and having lily pads in adjacent rows/columns

Hand Management – Players play a card, then draw a cad; they play through the whole deck of 18 cards. They want to be strategic about what they play where in order to build those sets

Memory – Since some cards are played face down, players have to remember what they played to plan for scoring

Restrictive Scoring – Players only score rows/columns if the value of cards is between 10 and 20, which just reinforces the need to play their cards strategically

Who Is It For?

  • 2 Players – It is a strictly head to head card game
  • Ages 10 & Up – Simple gameplay, but understanding scoring the 1st time might be a bit tricky for some
  • Fans of set collection, tile laying, and a bit of memory
  • Fans of art themes
  • Players who don’t mind a bit of luck of the draw

PROS

  • Aesthetics – Really nice art; looks great when you build out the whole grid
  • Components – Just a few cards and cubes, but no complaints on quality
  • Rules – Well written and clear; I like that a separate detailed scoring example is included too because I did think scoring was a little tricky at first
  • Smooth and quick turns
  • Small / Portable – You need a bit of space for playing the cards, but not a ton, so it’s a decent travel game

CONS

  • Luck – You can feel the luck pretty heavily sometimes. I’ve had games where one player sees all the lilypads or ships, which can make a huge difference in scoring
  • It doesn’t seem like there are many strategies to try, so it can feel a little repetitive after a few plays

Final Thoughts

I thought this game was super cute and looked great on the table! I also thought the scoring was kind of unique, which is nice in a simple card game.

I don’t see it as a game I’d play all the time, as I did think that the luck factor could be felt a bit too much, if you played too often, but it’s a good choice for a quick filler, or something to bring where you’re limited on space.

I thought it had a very chill vibe, which I liked, and was overall a nice little game for 2 that was quick and had streamlined gameplay.

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 6/10

Designer – Ta-Te Wu
Artist – Ta-Te Wu
Publisher – Sunrise Tornado Game Studio
MSRP – $12.00
Website

*I was provided a copy of this game to do this review*

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