Hey gamers! If you’re into short & sweet card games that are simple to learn but still hold a bit of room for strategy, then get ready for this review because Niche may be right for you! With just a deck of cards of 3 colors and 3 shapes, this little package packs a puzzling punch! Let’s check it out.


What Is It?

A simple card game where the deck contains cards of only 3 shapes/colors – red, blue, & yellow circles, triangles, & squares. Players take turns playing cards into the shared grid, scoring for each card in the row/column they place in. However, they can not play a card sharing any properties with the last card played, and each row/column can only have one of each card type in it. The game ends when one player scores their last card (everyone else gets one last chance to score as well) and the player with the most points wins! You can play one round or many as it’s very quick.


Who Is It For?

  • Kids / Adults / Families; Ages 5 and up – great for a wide range of ages. Could also be a good tool to help teach younger kids some shapes/colors and pattern recognition
  • Fans of Qwirkle who want something a bit similar though still unique as well as shorter and smaller
  • Larger groups (4+). Works well with less (2-3) as well, but a bit more interesting with more

Components / Quality

The game is just a deck of cards, very simple. Quality of the cards is pretty average. Images on the cards are a very basic design; not exciting, but gets the job done for what the game needs. The rules are short and sweet, very easy to learn from. Finally, the box is just a simple deckbox, thin and not super sturdy, but holds all the cards fine.


PROS

  • Plays quickly; can play a single round or many
  • Small and portable
  • Light, but with a touch of strategy in deciding what to play based on other cards in your hand
  • Works at any player count
  • Good for a wide range of gamers, but also easy to introduce non-gamers to

CONS

  • Don’t see much of the deck with less players, so it’s better with a higher player count
    • Likewise, you never draw more cards, so you’re stuck with whatever you’re dealt, which can be difficult if you’re newer to the game
  • A little plain looking, so it might be hard to get players interested

Final Thoughts

This game was neat! It was also a lot more than meets the eye, which I thought was very cool. It reminded me of Qwirkle a bit at first (which is a game I really enjoy) with creating lines and how you score, but the restrictions on what you can play next on a turn made it quite a bit “thinkier” than I expected. With so few kinds of cards, it seems simple in concept, but does call for some strategy in what you choose to play, or even when you choose to pass. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, you don’t get any cards beyond your starting hand, which can be frustrating if you’re missing a certain shape or color, and thus have less options. I thought it would be nice to have a rule where you could maybe get a new card when you pass, and discard one you don’t like, something like that. Overall, a very quick game, and while I wouldn’t call it difficult, it has more depth than you think, and it’s also a lot of fun!

My Final Ratings:
Overall Game – 7/10
Aesthetics – 3/10
Difficulty – 3/10
Replay Value – 6/10

Additional Information:
Designer – Andy Hopwood
Artist – Andy Hopwood
Publisher – Hopwood Games
MSRP – £6.00 (~$8.50)
BGG
Website

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

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