In an effort to be the top cat, three big felines entered an epic spice eating contest! But when cheating became too prominent, a hot and spicy bluffing game came about instead! Can you bluff your way to a win? Let’s find out!

What Is It?

Bluffing – As players play cards from their hands, they may have to lie about what spice and/or number it is. If no one calls their bluff by challenging the card, they’re in the clear! But if their lie is uncovered, they’ll be giving points to their opponents instead.

Hand Management – Since players will have to bluff at times, they have to pay attention to what’s in their hand and try to play as strategically as they can to shed their hand (for bonus points). They can also choose to pass and draw a card instead of playing, when it suits them, in order to try and avoid a lie.

Memory – In a sense. Players take a penalty if they ever look at facedown cards, so while they may not know every card actually played (because of the bluffs) they may want to try and remember what players are claiming to play, and what cards they have seen, in order to have a better chance of catching an opponent in a lie.

Who Is It For?

  • 2 to 6 Players – Personally, I think 4 to 6 is best. With less players there’s usually just less challenging, and it just doesn’t work as well
  • Ages 10 & Up / Light Gamers – Small ruleset and quick play, so it’s a good choice for a wide range of players. The idea of bluffing might be a little confusing for younger players, though
  • Fans of few rules and light card games
  • Players who don’t mind bluffing, and can keep a straight face, as well as those who will actually challenge others

Variants

Spice It Up – You can add a random “Spice It Up” card to the game which changes the basic rules for that game. They’re pretty small/simple rule changes (i.e. allowed to declare 1, 2, or 3 after 8, 9, or 10 instead of only 10). Some are okay, but I think some add unnecessary confusion to an otherwise simple game. They’re an okay variant if you just want a little change, if you play the game often, but I don’t feel you need them for most plays if you only play occasionally.

PROS

  • Aesthetics – The art is super cool, and I love the shiny gold on the card backs
  • Quality – Nice cards
  • Rules – Easy to learn from
  • Very quick turns, good game flow
  • Little set-up/clean-up
  • Small and portable; doesn’t need a large table space for play
  • I like the multiple end-game conditions (1 player gets 2 trophies, 3 different players each get a trophy, or hitting a certain card in the deck) to keep players on their toes

CONS

  • Hard to earn points if players happen to not challenge you, because then you have to rely on challenging others yourself, and being correct
  • Trophies are a little deceptive. +10 points for shedding your hand, but then you immediately draw back to 6, which would all be negative points if you can’t shed them again
  • Challenging can feel a bit disappointing, because it’s not just about being correct that someone lied at all, but you also have to correctly call out if they lied about the color or the number of the card
  • Low replay value; games feel very same-y

Final Thoughts

This game gave me similar vibes to the classic card game “BS,” but with a bit more game attached to it. You can’t look at played or scored cards, so you’re never gaining more knowledge (i.e. knowing all the 4-chilis have been played, unless you happen to see them all yourself). Since you can’t be totally sure when players are lying, or what about, you do have to be cautious with challenges, while still being aggressive enough to actually earn points. It can definitely be tricky, especially because sometimes you can get away with a half truth (i.e. playing a 5-chili but saying 5-pepper, and a challenger says that the card isn’t a 5).

It’s a quick play, though, and pretty approachable, so definitely worth a shot if you’re a group who enjoys bluffing!

Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 5/10

Designer- Győri Zoltán Gábor
Artist- Jimin Kim
Publishers – HeidelBÄR Games; CGE
MSRP – $17.99
Website

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

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