Kabuto Sumo: From a Solo Variant to a Surprise Fly Visitor
Push pieces around a wrestling ring with a group of endearing insects to enjoy the thrill of knocking discs off in Kabuto Sumo.
Allow me to digress for a moment with a game that isn’t at all designed for solo, yet I had the desire to get it to my table! Kabuto Sumo is all about moving pieces around a raised ring. It’s very much focused on physics and seeing what happens as discs are pushed around. So simple… Yet also a challenge! Once I found an unofficial solo variant, I was ready to rumble!
Game Overview
Game Name: Kabuto Sumo
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Tony Miller
Artist: Kwanchai Moriya
Publisher: Allplay
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
A starting setup fills the ring with discs and a central beetle, with the goal being to knock it out before running out of pieces! Delightful insect characters can enter play by spending discs rather than pushing them into the ring. Getting the physics just right is quite a fun challenge!
First Play
July 17, 2025
Complexity
1
Latest Play
July 18, 2025
Expansions
7
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
18" x 16"
Low Score
N/A
Excellent Artwork
Maybe my recent plays of Jewel Box got me really excited about other games with bugs and insects! The ones included here are simply fantastic with lots of personality.
This unofficial solo variant is really about randomizing the order of these signature pieces, rather than using any special abilities or skills. A bit limited, but not terrible!
I immediately started to have a great time seeing what could be done with these non-standard pieces in unusual shapes.
Better than that, though, was having a little laugh over the portraits. They were just perfect for each insect wrestler!
Pushing… And Pushing…
Defeated! The target beetle ended up near the edge, but I ran out of pieces before I could knock it off entirely. It was excellent to see how these pieces behaved and moved.
A little platform is all that’s needed to push a new piece in a straight line. This can be comical and random, but pretty soon, the expected movement can be generally plotted.
It gets really interesting when trying to push all the way across the ring, though! Things don’t always work out.
Neither does the actual ring… More on that later on, as I tried out the cardboard vs. upgraded wooden varieties.
An Unwelcome Guest
In a really annoying and hilarious twist of events, we ended up with a fly in our house. This is quite rare, but it’s usually easy enough to coax them outside or ignore the buzzing.
Oh, but not today! This fly would not leave me alone and landed every few minutes. First, on the rules. Then, on the ring itself. And then, onto the stacks of discs. And me. Ugh!
I blame some of my early losses to this distraction! Only the beetle in my ring could have hired this villain. Ha ha!
As much as I tried to guide this one back outside, I was not successful. Sorry, fly! I did my best, despite your rudeness.
The Thrill of Victory!
Plays felt like they moved quickly enough, and I memorized the setup layout without any trouble. Figuring out how all of the pieces interacted, though… That was quite tricky!
I enjoyed being able to spend discs I knocked out on the characters. This meant that the order of the pieces was always randomized, and some were better than others.
Not having the abilities in play was a slight letdown at first, yet it eventually didn’t bother me. Just a single strategy!
And with some careful planning and a little luck in the physics department, I notched my first victory. Yeah!
When 2+ Players Means to Try a Solo Variant…
In no world is this designed as a solo experience. It would need lots of puzzles and restrictions to work in that way and even then, I don’t think this shines without opponents. Yet it’s been on my shelf for a long time, rarely played, and I’ve always enjoyed the thrill of pushing discs off the platform! Just a little bit of fun, and I’m not one for dexterity games.
But this is why I love doing random searches now and then in regards to multiplayer-only games I own. Sometimes, a little gem of a discovery is out there! My level of enjoyment is probably unique to me with how uneventful this unofficial solo variant can feel, yet that’s a strength for me. This doesn’t require a lot of thinking, while still offering a fun time!
Comparing Ring Types
The base game includes a cardboard ring and platform, which require a little construction to connect their bases. Excellent quality, though, and no issues there!
I recently received a whole bunch of other expansions and a standalone expansion for it, along with a wooden ring.
Although it’s an upgraded component, the surface is rather rough and the edges are slightly warped. Sliding pieces from the platform almost always results in a caught edge.
The rotating feature is nice, yet I found out that I could accomplish the same with the cardboard version. Switch!
Insect All-Stars
I enjoyed the base game on its own, but had a bunch of other insects to consider. So I mixed in lots more from an expansion and various promos I’ve picked up over time.
So cool! The cardboard ring was immediately better. Smooth sliding, fully operational, and without any stress.
New insects kept the signature pieces fresh, too. I liked the challenge of knocking off the beetle, yet I started to shift over to trying not to knock off any of the special pieces.
That was much more challenging! And although this is not designed for solo, I was thoroughly enjoying my play time.
Failure for a Trio
Victory was not so easy, though. I had to adjust my thinking here and there to make sure I was knocking off discs, and not just meandering around the ring. Many failures ensued!
A new team that utilized a few neat signature pieces wasn’t able to dethrone the central beetle. I loved how I didn’t know what was coming up next, though. Lots of suspense!
For instance, a very tiny piece might seem useless, yet I figured out how to position it just right a few times.
Gameplay continued to fly by with a few laughs as I made horrible decisions. Physics! In actual reality, of course.
Help from Kimarite
During another play, I had a single signature piece left to push in the ring before defeat. I drew Kimarite… And that was a pretty tiny pincer that might not work out.
Ah, but the beetle was teetering on the edge and I only needed a bit of slight movement to claim the win!
There might not be a lot here and I hesitate to recommend this one for solo play, yet the fun kept me coming back again and again. Victories were also pretty hard to achieve!
This has inspired me to look at the rest of the content to see if there might be another way to play solo in a square ring…
Session Overview
Play Number: 1-10
Main Expansion: Kabuto Sumo: Insect All-Stars
Accessory: Kabuto Sumo: Deluxe Arena
Solo Mode: Unofficial Solo Variant
Outcome: 3 Wins & 7 Losses
How cool! With more insects came more pieces and wild ways to move everything around the ring. Mother Sauces scattered a whole bunch of pieces, which was awesome! I really enjoyed my time exploring the different ways to move the pieces around. It might not turn out to be something I’ll play forever, yet this is one memorable insect lineup!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
6
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
5
+ Pros (Positives)
- Character artwork brightens up the play area and brings a lot of personality into what might just be an abstract title.
- There is a great deal of satisfaction that comes from pushing pieces and knocking discs out of the ring.
- Although elements fall down, there is very little stress or tension present in gameplay, which can be rather relaxing.
- Using different signature pieces opens up a lot more variety and interesting interactions between the shapes.
- Setup moves pretty quickly, especially after playing a few times and memorizing what the layout should look like.
- Even with more experience, mastering the physics behind every piece shape takes many plays and wins are difficult.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A single setup means that gameplay can feel very repetitive after a short time, although more insects add variety.
- The upgraded wooden ring and platform are disappointing, but the standard cardboard versions seem much better.
- Character abilities aren’t used, so the idea of using them is only to randomize the order of the signature pieces.
- Interestingly, the quality of the circular discs is all over the place, often with some misshapen ovals in the mix.
Victory Conditions
Knock the Beetle Out of the Ring
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game.
Win at least 1 game without letting any signature pieces fall.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Kabuto Sumo? Are there any other dexterity or physics-based solo games you enjoy? I know this one isn’t designed as a solo experience, yet try telling me that. Ha ha! This was a great time and I can see myself playing every now and then to try out the challenge to push the central beetle off the edge. Very cool unofficial solo variant!
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