SNAP Review – Purrfect Match

This is Romeo – He’s very soft and very furry.

And this is Felix. He’s….. big.

We love our cats.

Have you ever thought about running a cat cafe, where customers just come in and enjoy being with cats?

I’ve seen those. But no, I never really thought about running one. If we did do that, we would need a lot more cats!

And probably a lot more litter.

Yeah, probably.

Game

This is a SNAP review for Purrfect Match, a card game for 2-4 players by Twan van Lierop and Agnes Loonstra.

Players ages eight and up do get to run a cat cafe. And they’ll compete to run the best one in 30 minutes or less. Purrfect Match is published by Greater Than Games and it’s distributed by Flat River Games, who gave us this copy.

Art

[Andrew] So Anitra, what’s the art like in Purrfect Match?

[Anitra] Purrfect Match has three kinds of cards, with flat illustrations by Agnes Loonstra. The art isn’t amazing, but it does the job. But there are two great things going for the design.

[Andrew] First, the graphic design uses symbols, not just colors, in a way that makes it really easy to follow.

[Anitra] Secondly. these cat cards really capture all the crazy things cats really do – from cramming themselves in boxes to sleeping on our clothing.

[Andrew] And yes, there’s a picture of a cat licking its butt.

[Anitra] Oh, and there are also these fish-shaped cat treat tokens. They’re kind of neat, too.

Mechanics

So what are the mechanics of Purrfect Match, and how do we play?

Every player starts with three face-up cats in their play area and three cat treats. Purrfect Match is a tableau building game – your goal is to have at least two of each type of cat in your cafe, and there are six types of cat.

You start each turn by “attracting a patron” – flipping over the top card of the Patron deck. Most Patrons have positive effects – either for you, or for everyone. But some, like “dog lover” [editor: the card is titled “Dog Person”], are not so great.

When the Patron’s effect is resolved, you may spend any number of your cat treats. It costs two treats to add a Cat to your collection from the market row, and one treat to get a Mischief card to put in your hand.

You can buy as many Cats and Mischief cards as there are in the market, as long as you can afford it!

Then you’ll refill the market rows, and check to see if anyone has the cats they need to win the game. Otherwise, play passes to the next player.

[Andrew] So Anitra, we mentioned Mischief cards – what do they do?

There are three kinds:

You can play Action cards at any time. Actions range from stealing cat treats, to luring a Cat into your collection, to blocking other players from getting Cats or treats.

Reaction cards can only be played in response to specific Actions, usually to cancel them or to redirect them.

There are also Purrsistent cards – which are both positive and negative. Purrsistent cards stay on the table, with an ongoing effect until they are either removed or discarded.

Whoever can get (at least) two white cats, two black cats, two gray cats, two orange cats, two Siamese cats, and two calicos, wins the game!

Expectations

[Andrew] So Anitra, let’s talk about our expectations for Purrfect Match.

[Andrew] For me: it’s a game about cats, it’s a couple of decks of cards. I figured it was going to be simple, maybe a party game. But the box says it only goes to four players. So, either way, I expected this to be simple, not very strategic.

[Anitra] The cover art here really did not grab me at all. It looks kind of cheap. But at 8+ and 30 minutes for a card game, I figured it would be a pretty light and easy game to get into.

Surprises

[Andrew] And what surprised you about this one?

[Anitra] Since I don’t like this style of illustration, I was surprised at just how much I liked looking at the cards as we played. They really capture what cats are like. I definitely have my favorite cats that I always want to grab when I see them come up in the market.

I also liked that this game can be played with a lot of mischief or only little. It makes it better for family play than a lot of take-that games that we’ve tried in the past.

[Andrew] You know we haven’t started naming the cats in this game, but I feel like we might get there – and for me, that was the most surprising thing. This game has personality.

It’s a fun little game, really at any player count, it’s definitely better at three or four players. But I’m with Anitra – the game has a lot more spice when you’re really running through Mischief cards.

But you’re going to need to be OK with “take that”. It kind of reminds me – remember that game Berried Treasure? – it reminds me of that kind of thing. Sometimes you can feel the “gotcha” coming and you just can’t do anything about it. But that’s OK, if you’re ready for it.

[Anitra] And sometimes, luck just doesn’t go your way.

Recommended?

[Andrew] So Anitra, here’s the question: Do we recommend Purrfect Match?

[Anitra] If you don’t like cats, Purrfect Match is not worth your time. But if you do like cats, you should give it a try. This game is casual fun, with lots of luck, and only slightly strategic. It’s simple and easy to get started, and you can play it as mean or as nice as you like.

[Andrew] We’re going to rate Purrfect Match 3 out of 5 purrfect kitties.

And that’s Purrfect Match, in a SNAP!

Find it on Amazon, direct from Greater Than Games, or at your local store for toys and games.

---

The Family Gamers received a copy of Purrfect Match from Flat River Games for this review.

This post contains affiliate links, which do not change your price, but help support The Family Gamers.

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