SNAP Review – Super Kawaii Pets

We have a floof in our house. We don’t have a goodest boi, but we know some of you do. We love our pets because they’re part of the family, and let’s face it, who doesn’t like cute pet videos?

This week we’re going to give you a video that includes a game about cute pets. And if you want to call it a cute pet video, we’re not going to stop you.

Game

This is a SNAP review for Super Kawaii Pets, a card game for up to 4 players. Super Kawaii Pets was designed by William Cavaglieri and published by Arcane Wonders.

It’s best for ages 8 and up, I guess, and takes about 20 minutes to play.

Art

Let’s start with the art in this game. “Kawaii” is a Japanese term for childlike cuteness, and you can be sure there’s a lot of that here.

There are three kinds of cards:

Locations are homes for the animals – from doghouses to comfy couches.

Help cards picture people providing food, love, or medical care.

And the Animals – oh, they’re very cute! Each one has a happy side and an unhappy side. Just look at this angry bunny!

I do really appreciate the graphic design here, in the colors of the cards and the distinct designs on the back of the different decks.

Mechanics – How to Play

So what do we do with these cards? I assume we’re trying to make the animals happy, right?

Right!

We start by setting out three Animals, three Help cards, and three Locations. The person who last petted an animal starts the game.

Start your turn by drawing two cards – from the Animals, the face-up Help cards, or the Help deck.

Then, you can play Animal cards from your hand. Some Animals have a specific effect in the top left corner that triggers when they’re played. This one means you draw a blue card from the Animals or from the face-up Help cards. This one means you may draw a dog, if one is available.

On your turn, you can also spend Help cards to flip an Animal to its happy side. Each Animal has a set of requirements, pictured here along the top edge. Discard cards matching these symbols, then flip them over! You’ll see the victory points the happy Animals award, down here.

If you have the right combination of happy Animals, you can assign them to a Location card and add it to your scoring area. These award more points. But once an Animal is assigned to a Location, they can’t be moved.

At the end of your turn, make sure you have five or fewer cards left in your hand, then refill any empty spots among the face-up Animal, Help, and Location cards.

When a player has collected at least 10 horizontal cards – that’s happy Animals and Locations – the game is about to end! Finish the current round, then tally up points. Your happy Animals and your Locations are worth the points shown on each one. You lose a point for each sad Animal you have – whether on the table or still in your hand.

Expectations

So Anitra, what did we expect from Super Kawaii Pets?

I expected cute dogs and cats. I mean, that’s what’s on the box!

Definitely! This is a game for younger ages, the box says 8+, I think you can go a little younger. So I did expect cute, not too hard, and given that it’s a card game, I figured there’d be set collection. Because that’s what you do.

Surprises

And what surprised us?

The quality of the illustrations surprised me a little. The animals are super cute, but the people and locations kind of lack some depth.

There also just aren’t a ton of cards. In a three player game, we saw almost all of them. We didn’t actually play a four player game, but I’d be kind of worried about running out of Animals or Locations.

The gameplay itself is just fine. For me, it feels pretty thematic, like taking in these animals and then trying to get them all settled in happy homes.

But our kids weren’t fans. I think it felt a little too simplistic for them; they just couldn’t stay interested in the game.

We played this game on one of our date breakfasts, and it was an alright filler-style game for a day where we wanted to have more conversation about other stuff than the game that we were playing and the strategy in the game itself.

Recommended?

Do we recommend Super Kawaii Pets?

We’ve looked at a lot of these kinds of games in this lightweight range for younger kids – It’s a pretty crowded market. But if you like the art on the box, or in the cards you’ve seen in this video, you’ll know if it has the visual appeal you’re looking for in a game of this weight.

It’s a fun simple game for pet lovers who like this really adorable style, but it’s definitely not a game for your hobby group. I’d stick with playing this with kids, probably around ages 6-10, or young teens or preteens that really lean into the cuteness factor.

I’d even go so far as to say I’m not sure this is a great filler for a game group – just how simple it is limits its longevity for a more seasoned group like that.

We rate Super Kawaii Pets 3 food bowls out of 5.

That’s Super Kawaii Pets – in a SNAP!

Find it at Arcane Wonders, or at your friendly local game store.

---

The Family Gamers received a copy of Super Kawaii Pets from Arcane Wonders for this review.

SNAP review music is Avalanche, provided courtesy of You Bred Raptors?