Gasha, review: the first Gashapon board game
Gasha, review
Are you a lover of Japan and its culture? Then you have at least once heard of the Gasha and Gashapon. If you haven't seen it or don't remember what it is, a Gashapon is a toy that can be purchased through vending machines and the name is a sort of union of two onomatopoeias deriving from Gasha which is the noise of the machines and PON which is the sound that the ball makes when it falls into the compartment. The Gasha, therefore, are very cute little objects and still in vogue in the Rising Sun, while in Italy they have ceased to be successful for a few decades. Despite this, thanks to Studio Supernova, a board game from the filler category arrives in Italy that exactly takes up the aforementioned theme. His name is, in fact, Gasha and is designed by Jason Levine, in his first ever experience as an author, and illustrated by the French Christine Alcouffe and Miguel Coimbra. Let's see together how it looks in our review.
Gasha: unboxing and materials
Gasha appears as a small but sturdy and very colorful box just 14 centimeters by 5 centimeters deep inside which there are 75 Gasha cards, 35 Prize cards, 16 Bonus tokens and a regulation. The quality of the game components is excellent, starting from the cardboard markers up to the halftone cards that are also resistant to numerous shuffles (for convenience, Studio Supernova has already indicated the card measurements on the back of the box so as to easily help those who still want to buy the protective bags). What stands out, however, are the wonderful and brilliant illustrations that take up the main elements of Japanese culture such as Gundam, sushi or the nine-tail vault. Finally, the regulation is very short but also very simple to understand thanks to the presence of examples and suggestions and a subdivision in colors that simplifies the subdivision of the various rules.Fishing or tempting fate? The choice that could lead you to victory is yours
Gasha is a party game for 2 to 6 players over the age of 7 and with an average duration of about 20 minutes. Before starting to play, the Gasha cards are taken and distributed to each player so that they each have 4. The remaining ones must be separated into 4 bunches to be placed in the center of the table and of more or less identical height in such a way as to leave them available to the players. Then the Prize cards are shuffled (if playing with 2 to 4 players the 5+ cards must be removed) and 4 are placed face up in the center of the table. Finally, the Bonus tokens are shuffled and placed face down in a variable amount depending on the number of players (you can also choose if you prefer a less random game).From now on the game begins and each player, in his turn, can only carry out one of two actions: draw two Gasha cards or exchange Gasha cards for Prize cards. The Gasha cards, on the back, have indicated the related Gasha which can be found by turning over the card. Therefore you can choose two cards from the same deck or from different decks depending on your preference. If, on the other hand, you prefer to take a Prize card, just discard the Gasha cards required by the Prize card you want from the four available and place it in front of you. The important thing is to remember that there must always be 4 Prize cards available to the players. The latter always give victory points at the end of the game and sometimes even half a ticket. If you already have half tickets in another Prize card, you can claim a Bonus token and if the half tickets are of the same color you also win a bonus Gasha card from one of the four decks.
The Bonus tokens they allow, depending on which one is drawn, to immediately play a new turn, spend it to complete a collection worth as two Gasha of any type or keep it until the end of the game to add 3 points to the total sum of victory points. When the last Bonus token ends, the deck of Prize cards is empty or in the rare case in which 4 Gasha decks cannot be recreated, the game ends and obviously whoever has the most points is declared the winner (in case of a tie, whoever has the most points wins). number of Bonus tokens).
Quick and simple, but no tactics
As you can already understand from the game mechanics, Gasha is not a complex game nor a title that requires a who knows what convoluted tactic. It is, however, a filler that could be useful in every home to fill short dead times perhaps between one complex game and another. You play in a short time, you learn immediately and its lightness amuses even the most expert players. If you also have children, then it is the ideal game to play with them or to give as a gift to be played with friends.The most interesting aspect of Gasha is however the setting and the illustrations that literally capture the participants and represent the real core of the gameplay to acquire points and win the game. There is no direct interaction between the players, but being the first to recover a Prize card of common interest already offers some moments of tension and suspense. Despite its nature of drawing and discarding, it is still a very quiet game with no possibility of making low blows to the opponents and this aspect must be clear to you to understand whether or not it can be for you (possibly, if you were to look for a similar title , but more tactical and strategic, we could recommend Stinky Raccoons again by Studio Supernova).
