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Thread: longer review of Hugo Kawamata’s card game “Hierarchy”, to be Kickstarted by @buttonshy Games on October 8. tl;dr—fun interactive logic puzzle playable (1-2p) in six minutes #Hierarchyreview 1/
@buttonshy overview: 14 cards, each w/ number, name & picture. Same info on both sides; one side gold, other purple. Deal on table—open hands!—and play a card on the expanding hierarchy. Each card has abilities / restrictions when it can be played. Last card wins. #Hierarchyreview 2/
@buttonshy theme: the fantasy theme works well over the abstract game mechanism; it is not truly integral to the play (could have been corporate ladder, roles on a farm, etc) but these are archetypal. #Hierarchyreview 3/
@buttonshy components: cards are good quality. Artwork interesting & suits the theme. Colors are a touch dark; I would prefer more contrast (did not affect play). The tails on the lower-case “y” and “q” were distracting to me. The player aid card is well done. #Hierarchyreview 4/
@buttonshy rules: I didn’t see a final presentation of the rules, but they are clear enough. The card text and player aid are mostly sufficient; with a few edge-cases explained in full rules set, it is easy enough to understand. #Hierarchyreview 5/
@buttonshy mechanics: simple but compelling. The open hands invite “mathing it out” but the Surgeon and Imposter cards add enough variability to make it hard to fully predict. Plus, it’s a 6 minute game; look ahead a few cards and play. Enjoy the fun of it unfolding! #Hierarchyreview 6/
@buttonshy replayability: high. There are 3432 possible hands, and each hand has several paths up & down the hierarchy. #Hierarchyreview 7/
@buttonshy solo play: yes. @buttonshy advertises this as a two-player game, and it is great that way. It also plays well as a solo game, IMHO. Deal it out and try to find a way to win as gold, then find a winning path as purple. #Hierarchyreview 8/
@buttonshy delights: quick to play, easy to teach; it doesn’t take a lot of room to play. The colors complement each other well—I like to see the hierarchy of alternating colors form. It’s engaging & satisfying to see how the hierarchy gets created each time. #Hierarchyreview 9/
@buttonshy challenges: truly fine as delivered. If picking nits, I’d prefer more contrast in the artwork and no tails on the lower-case “y” and “q”—but these did NOT affect the play. #Hierarchyreview 10/
@buttonshy rating: enough thinking to be engaging, simple enough to be quick. Satisfying to see the hierarchy built up. Everyone should have at least one @buttonshy game in their purse/backpack/bikebag; this is a good one to start with. Worth the $12 #Hierarchyreview 11/
