Crash Octopus is a smart mix of skill, strategy, cut-throat fighting and beautiful components!

I’ve always been a fan of dexterity games. I enjoy having to consider the strength of my flicks or the precision of my moves in order to get closer to winning. The first game of this kind that I’ve ever tried was Mikado. It’s a simple stick-picking game with a twist – your turn ends if the stick that you’re picking touches and moves a different stick. I fell in love with it and for one year I kept looking for it in shops and online until I bought it and now it’s part of my collection.

After Mikado, I discovered Tokyo Highway, by itten. This game has players compete to place all of their cars on roadways that they have to build themselves carefully. I didn’t get the chance to try it yet, but it’s on my Want-To-Play list. However, after seeing how clever the design is, I started following the publisher’s Instagram page, and now I’m very happy that I did so, because they are now releasing a new dexterity game!

Crash Octopus tells the story of a group of sailors that are competing on collecting treasures while dodging attacks from a giant Octopus rising from the ocean! It has very beautiful components and the rules are easy to grasp, but don’t get fooled by that, as there’s more behind it!

The  game involves flicking, dice rolling, balancing and positioning, being a great combination of dexterity skills. The setup is simple: the Octopus is placed in the middle of the ocean area along with it’s tentacles and the players’ ships, and then all the treasures are dropped on its head and scatted around the ocean.

Players have to carefully observe how the pieces are located around their ships and decide which would be the best move they can do on their turn in order to collect treasures. They can flick their flags to hit treasures towards their ships, or they can navigate their ship to get in a better position for collecting future treasures.  From time to time, the Octopus attacks and players may lose some of their treasures. The game goes on until one of the players has collected 5 different treasures or until the Octo-Counter reaches the end (no more turns left).

I am fascinated by how much player interaction there is in Crash Octopus compared to other such games. During the Octopus Attack, players drop dice on the Octopus head to attack each other. This gives the game a constant cut-throat feeling that I love when playing games with my friends. Some people may dislike that, because if someone manages to successfully attack you, there’s a chance that you will lose all your treasures and you will have to start from the beginning once again.

I also enjoy the idea that treasures have to hit your ship in order to be collected. Combine this with the fact that after collecting a treasure you have to keep it on your ship and you find yourself having to balance your treasures perfectly on your ship if you want to win! That requires a lot of skill!

Crash Octopus is a smart mix of skill, strategy, cut-throat fighting and beautiful components! As always, itten designed a game that will give you a unique experience when playing it!

The game is currently going through a very successful Kickstarter campaign. If you are a fan o dexterity games, go check it out! You won’t be disappointed!