Fish & Katz: Cat Paw Finger Puppets Included!

Collect all the yummy fish, but choose wisely — if someone else goes for the same fish, then no one gets it.

Published by HeidelBÄR Games, Fish & Katz is a 20-minute game for 2-6 players.

Gameplay

Each player puts a cat paw finger puppet on one finger. Fish cards equal to the number of players plus one are drawn and placed in the display. People decide on which fish card they want and then simultaneously count to three aloud, and on three everyone uses the finger wearing their cat paw puppet to touch the fish card they want.

If a player is the only one with his finger on a fish card, he takes it and adds it to his score pile. If more than one player has his finger on the same card, that card gets discarded, and those players do not get a card. Any cards that no one touched remain in the display, except for the one closest to the discard pile, which is also discarded. The display is filled back up with cards and play continues.

The round ends once someone has two sets of different fish with at least three fish in both sets. Players then score points for their sets, earning the number of paw tokens shown on that set's fish type. Everyone then discards all their fish cards, and a new round is set up. The game ends once someone has at least six paw points, and the player with the most points wins.

There is also an optional expansion in which four squids are shuffled into the deck. When a player successfully claims one of these, he discards it and gets to steal any one card from another player’s score pile.

Review

Fish & Katz is adorable and cute. This is a family-friendly game, and families are the main audience for it, as there is not a whole lot of depth. It’s quite straightforward, but what is there is enjoyable, and if you're looking for a lighter game to play at family gatherings, this one’s presentation is excellent.

The scoring system is good, too, as fish sets can be worth 1-3 points, which does lead to some fun moments of trying to guess what other players are going to go for. Players have to keep an eye on each other’s fish collections, since someone can pull ahead with low-scoring fish if everyone else is trying to nab the big ones. It’s not that complicated, there are other games with similar ideas, but the theme here really sells it. We did enjoy the addition of the squid card, as well. It only adds four more cards to the deck, but the opportunity to steal a fish adds another layer to the gameplay.

Fish & Katz is so much fun to look at. The cat paw finger puppets don't technically add anything mechanically to the game, but they are really cute and fun to play with and add a great table presence. They are also quite nicely made; we were pretty impressed by them. The artwork throughout the game is also quite well done. Cat lovers and kids are going to quite enjoy this one. The only component drawback is that players have to place stickers on the point tokens during the initial setup, which always feels a bit cheap.

We did find one issue with the mechanics. Players are all supposed to decide which card they want, and then on the count of three go for that card. Gameplay is supposed to be completely simultaneous. Players are not supposed to switch fish, based on which ones they see others going for — but it's actually not that easy to ensure. A fraction slower and someone can easily go somewhere else, without it being obvious. Yes. you should always play in the spirit of the game, but this feels like a game that is intended to be played with kids, and that mechanic is just an open invitation for arguments.

Despite this flaw, Fish & Katz is still a very nicely put together game. The mechanics aren’t going to wow anyone who’s played a lot of games (although the cat paw puppets might), but it’s light and fun, and what it does it does well.

Pros: Cat paw finger puppets, art style, squid expansion

Cons: Hard to ensure simultaneous card selection, players have to sticker point tokens themselves

Disclosure: we received a complimentary review copy of this game.