First Impressions of The Isle of Cats, Cats, and More Cats
Set sail for a mysterious island filled with unique felines and a challenging puzzle in The Isle of Cats.
So my plan to get an unplayed board game to the table worked! The only trouble? The Isle of Cats only arrived in the mail the other day. Whoops! But it was getting absolutely impossible to ignore these colorful kitties and the rather intriguing sort of gameplay. So after a little time working out the organization, I was ready for my rescue operation!
Game Overview
Game Name: The Isle of Cats
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Frank West
Artists: Dragolisco and Frank West
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
In the fading light, I didn’t manage to capture the box artwork in all its glory. But what an adventure! With plenty of unique cards in multiple decks, I was ready to go!
The puzzle of fitting cats aboard is further expanded with the challenge of beating the worst enemy… Your sister!
All Aboard!
I was a little disappointed in the way the ships worked. The rooms were clearly defined, but cat tiles could extend beyond those walls to fill up more space. Hmm.
Aside from a few issues making sense of the rulebook, I was ready to set sail with my empty ship!
There is plenty of coverage about the game mechanics, so I won’t go into much detail. I liked the idea behind the fish and traps. But pure curiosity might have lured them in!
Sometimes, I find myself a little perplexed by the merging of a theme and mechanics. It happened here during setup.
Dealing with Sister
Forget the evilest and most sinister monsters. Who makes the worst enemy? Your sister! This definition of the solo opponent is absolutely perfect and hilarious. Nice choice!
As usual, I went with the easiest difficulty level. She had multiple scoring opportunities, though, so I would have to plan accordingly to have a chance at winning.
I really liked this system! It was simple enough to set up and required a minimal amount of upkeep during play.
Some solo modes leave gameplay wide open with many choices. Here, I had some guidance on what to avoid.
The Last Setup Step
One funny quirk about me: I play almost every board game with the box top propped up in front of me. It dates back to when I completed 25-piece puzzles as a young child!
So I was confused when I couldn’t locate my box top. Oh! This clever “cat setup” step was most definitely done.
My Calico Critters are never far away. So it was no surprise that this joyful lady took up her proper place! It took a lot to coax her out so I could set up my box top. I needed it.
The only real disappointment was the rulebook. I had to flip around so much, and felt utterly confused at times.
A Note About Splitting Out Solo Rules
Perhaps one of my least favorite elements of a rulebook involves a separate solo mode. Sometimes, this is laid out with everything necessary in one place. Unfortunately, the mainstream assumption seems to be that a new player will learn the multiplayer rules, play with a group, and then experiment with the solo rules.
This explains why a lot of solo rules often only include exceptions to the multiplayer game. But for brand new solo players, it can be frustrating to flip all over the place to figure things out.
I ended up missing the rule about paying for cats during my first turn. I think I corrected it all, but I was already getting exhausted from flipping all over the place to figure out every phase. Even a simple rules summary in the solo mode section would be most appreciated! Because if there’s one thing that’s hard, it’s getting through the rules the first time.
One Busy Ship
So many colors! By the end of the final day, my ship was utterly teeming with plenty of rescued cats.
It took me a few turns to really get into the mechanics, yet they worked really well. I had constant decisions to make in terms of the cat tiles and cards I chose.
There were, of course, some rather poor choices. I paid for some cards that I never ended up using. There went some very valuable fish I could have used to lure in more cats.
All in all, though, I was pretty proud of this final board! Not too shabby for my very first attempt.
Public Lesson Points
All of the public lessons may be used with the solo mode, except they count for half of their regular points.
I didn’t see too many cards that would be useful in this regard, although I ended up with a few that netted me a small number of points! I can’t complain about that.
The strategy of choosing cards is an interesting one. I took ages shuffling, though it will likely take another few plays before my discovery deck is properly randomized!
Wooden cat meeples are my new favorite thing, but they’re not used enough. I might toss them in next time…
Analyzing Sister
Note that I refuse to acknowledge this solo opponent as “my” sister. Don’t get on my bad side, imaginary sister.
I thought I pulled off a pretty good strategy that limited her points. I prioritized treasure, particularly near the end when I picked up plenty of common treasures.
There aren’t too many moving parts, yet there was a real sense of a challenge. I loved it! Plus the decision space didn’t feel like an overly complex experience.
As I calculated the points, I felt pretty confident in what I accomplished. But would I pull ahead of my nemesis?
Session Overview
Play Number: 1
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Easy Difficulty Level
Required Play Space: 32″ x 24″
Setup Time: 10 Minutes
Play Time: 50 Minutes
Outcome: 40-54 (Loss)
Well, not that great after all! All things considered, I still didn’t do too poorly. And I had so many cats! So there was a minor victory mixed in there. I’ll just have to plan a little better next time and defeat this awful sister!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
5
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
Continue the Conversation
What do you think of The Isle of Cats? Do you have a favorite cat type or cat tile? It’s not unheard of for me to have a bit of a battle with a rulebook during my initial play, so I wouldn’t put too much weight on that part of the experience. I loved the mechanics and gameplay, which are the most important parts! Wait… That would actually be the cats. Ha ha!
It’s a fun one, in my opinion! Hope you enjoy it and it finds a way into your regular rotation! 🙂
Thanks, Derek! I managed to work in a few more plays after I wrote this up. I’ll have another post soon enough, and you can see firsthand how my opinions may or may not be changing. If you know me… That typically means something very positive!