Can you ever have too many cats? In the newest game from Weird Giraffe Games, currently on Kickstarter, we may well find out. Way Too Many Cats finds you and up to 5 other players taking on the roles of adoption agency managers doing their best to keep the felines in their care happy and the kittens under control. The game plays in about 45-60 minutes with the drafting and puzzle mechanics combining nicely into a fun yet challenging game that will entertain and delight enthusiasts aged 10 or older as the cat cuteness cacophony builds from turn to turn. We were playing with a prototype copy of the game, so suffice to say that components, rules, and art are all subject to change.

This light, puzzle-y game was created by Carla Kopp with special thanks to Klaus, Fluffins, and Frozen Custard as inspiration. In addition to Way Too Many Cats, she has designed Super Hack Override and Stellar Leap, but many may recognize her for her work on the solo mode for many Weird Giraffe Games and Galactic Raptor Games creations. Credited to Ilyse Hines, María Gabriela Patiño, Jay Bell, and Jon Merchant, the adorable artwork, graphic design, and bright colors certainly draw one’s eye to the game whether on the shelf or on the table! In the game, there are quite a few different cats and each one is unique and brimming with character. As long-time fans of Weird Giraffe Games and Galactic Raptor Games, it is great to see so many returning artists for this game!

When getting ready to open your agencies, players will each take an adoption center board and place a randomly selected starter cat anywhere they would like on that board. The cat tiles are then shuffled and dealt into a draft row, called the Cat Alley, of four tiles. Next, three piles of tokens representing kittens and cat toys are created containing one, two, and three tokens respectively, and placed alongside the Alley. The first player marker should be given to whoever was the most recent to pet a cat.

Managers will take turns drafting tokens and cats from those available. If a player takes the smallest token pile, they may choose any two cats from the Alley to add to their board. The next size up pile comes with the choice of any one cat. Taking the largest pile means that the player will need to welcome the cat the furthest to the right into their sanctuary. Cat cards will indicate their scoring mechanics such as particular positions they prefer on the board as well as what they are adjacent to for optimal points when the game concludes. The game also awards points for set collection. After placing the cats, those remaining in the adoption row are moved to the right before adding one token to each of the piles (thus the empty pile would now have a single token) and any empty adoption spaces. Players may also give their cats any toys they happen to have collected as well as place kittens, if they choose to. Placed kittens will not score points on their own but still contribute to players’ earned points from the fully-grown felines in their care. The game’s end will be triggered once any player has filled all the spaces on their board, and as soon as everyone has had an equal number of turns, scores will be totaled.

Scores are totaled from a point salad consisting of points earned via their starting cat, each cat type, kittens, and the specific conditions of cats played over the course of the game. Starter cats will earn points from adjacent cats of a type specified on their card, and each cat is different, causing players to generate different strategies during the game. Speaking of cat types, each of those will earn points in different ways, making the cats you choose to adopt work with each other to help prove you have the cutest collection. Kittens will earn or cost you points, as outlined in the rules, and it’s easy to have them get out of hand if you aren’t careful. Lastly, your cats will add to your final total based on their own personalities and preferences. All of this sums together as final scores and will determine who has been the most successful in their feline endeavors.

When playing Way Too Many Cats with our group we really enjoyed the press your luck mechanic behind collecting kittens and the fact that the most optimal play was, in truth, not always the best decision after a turn or two was taken and you looked back on your choices. There were plenty of examples when a player would choose token piles as much for what was in them as what was NOT. At the end of the game, being caught with too many kittens could be the difference between Top Cat or a lower placing. So yes, dear friends, it would appear that you can have Way Too Many Cats. Any enthusiast could tell you that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. All in all we really enjoyed this game and will be grabbing a few copies for gifts to friends who didn’t have the chance to play before we got ready to send the prototype along to the next reviewer. You should head over to Kickstarter and join us in having Way Too Many Cats for yourself!

All photos of Weird Giraffe Games product were taken and edited by Krista.