Finally – a day off! Time for nothing but relaxation; just TV, games, reading … oh, but there are also chores to take care of too. Hmmm…. No problem! There’s 12 hours to spare, so I’m sure you can find the perfect balance between care and chores, as long as you drink plenty of coffee to help you through the day, of course! Well, we better get started before the day has gone to waste!

What Is It?

A puzzle card game where the player is trying to create a perfectly balanced day by having cards of the right times in the right slots, and have an equal number of care and chore cards by setting tasks into their grid most turns. The player also has the opportunity to use coffee cards which have special abilities such as drawing and playing extra cards, swapping cards in the grid, and more.

Who Is It For?

  • 1 to 2 Players – I thought the solo was a neat little puzzle, so I prefer that. The 2 player game just wasn’t as engaging to me, but more on that in a bit
  • Ages 10 & Up – Gameplay is pretty straightforward, so I think a wide age range of players could enjoy it.
  • Fans of solo puzzles, and gamers who like Cassandra Comics

Variants

2 Player – I would say, from my experience, that the game is foremost a solo puzzle, so I would call the 2-player game a variant. In 2-players, you each have your own grid where you’re still trying to balance your day in the same manner (times in the right slots, equal care and chore cards). The biggest difference is that coffee cards are shared, so you may not have as many opportunities to use them. I thought this mode was fine, but I felt the weight of the random card draws a little bit more because, and it was a little frustrating to not use the coffee as much, since that is a pretty key component in solo.

Easy Mode – Draw 3 cards instead of 2 and still choose 1 to play if setting a task. It gives you a little more variety, so it’s great if you’re looking for more casual play. Personally, I do prefer only drawing 2 cards, just to make it a little more difficult.

Hard Mode – To win, the player must alternate care and chore cards in the grid. I thought this was much more difficult because there’s a lot more to balance, depending on your starting grid. Can be a bit frustrating if you are getting poor draws, but if you’re looking to up the challenge, give it a try.

PROS

  • Aesthetics – I love the Cassandra Comics art, so I think the game looks great! The comic style translates well to the cards
  • Components – Cards are nice quality, and the coffee token is great
  • Quick and smooth gameplay
  • Rules are clear
  • Simple set up
  • Score sheet on the back of the rulebook is nice for players to record their plays and compare their scores
  • Your decisions are small each turn, but there’s definitely strategy in when to set a task versus go for a coffee power, so it has nice balance there

CONS

  • I thought the 2-player game was unnecessary. It’s really the lack of coffee use that made it a less interesting experience for me
  • The color scheme wasn’t my favorite. I understood the choice of red vs green, but thought the shades of the colors didn’t look great together. I also wondered about color-blind friendliness, but most of the time you can tell a chore from care card
  • Luck of the draw, of course, sometimes you just can’t get the cards you need to fit in your grid, but there’s not always a lot you can do about it.

Final Thoughts

If you like puzzley games for one, I’d say definitely check this one out. It’s quick and pretty light, but with only 12 turns to get 12 perfectly balanced cards, it is definitely restrictive enough to provide a good challenge. I’d pass on the 2-player mode myself, but it’s worth a shot if you are interested in the shared experience. Overall, it’s a neat little game that I’d definitely pull out for myself from time to time.

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 7/10

Designer – Jason Anarchy
Artist – Cassandra Calin
Publisher – Jason Anarchy Games
MSRP – $24.99 (Standard); $39.99 (Deluxe)
Website

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

If you like what I do, consider Supporting Me.