boop. Shuffle Game Review

• Designer: Scott Brady
• Artist: Curt Covert
• Publisher: Smirk & Dagger
• Players: 2 Players
• Playtime: 20 minutes
• Ages: 10+

After having played Boop, we tried Boop Shuffle. I thought for sure I would understand gameplay right away. After all, I had just learned Boop. But, once again, I was wrong! Boop Shuffle is a game in its own right with a different set of rules. You still want three cats in a row, but this was a very different experience. 

What’s In the Box?

In the box we have:

• 2 Board Edge Rulers
• 41 Playing Cards including:
  • 14 kittens (7 of each color)
  • 2 wild kittens
  • 2 scaredy kittens (1 of each color)
  • 2 super kittens (1 of each color)
  • 16 Cats (8 of each color)
  • 2 super cats (1 of each color) 
  • 2 wild cats
  • 1 blanket card

Setup

To set up Boop Shuffle you will place the board edges in an L shape making an imaginary 6×6 square. Create the main deck with all of the kitten and blanket cards and a side deck of all of the cat cards. Shuffle both piles well. The youngest player chooses what kitties they would like to play with and the eldest player gets the other color and becomes the first player. 

Related: boop

Objective

The objective of Boop Shuffle is the same as Boop: get three Cats in a row or have 8 of your Cats on the bed at the end of the turn. But how you get there is oh so very different.

Note: Make sure you only check for win conditions after all kittens and cats are booped.

Gameplay

Boop shuffle is a two player game and players take turns drafting a card and placing it on an open space within the 6×6 grid created by the board edge rulers. Cards may not be placed outside of this area. When a player drafts a card they may be placing one of their own cards or one of their opponent’s. The first card may be place anywhere on the grid, but after this, all cards must be placed in a space that is adjacent to another card. 

Kittens can “boop” Kittens and Cats can boop Cats or Kittens. Kittens may not boop Cats. When a card is added to the gird, it boops the cards adjacent to it but following the rules. If a card happens to be booped off the edge of the grid, it is placed in the discard pile. 

Every time 3 Kittens of a matching color are in a line, they can graduate all 3 into Cats by removing the Kitten cards and placing them in the box and placing a matching number of Cat cards into the discard pile. You may also do this if there is a line of Kittens and Cats, although only the Kittens will graduate into Cats. 

Once the deck runs out of cards, shuffle the discard pile, including any newly graduated Cats, and this will become the new main deck. A player will win when they have three of their Cats in a row of all 8 Cats in the grid. 

Special cards include Wild Kittens, Wild Cats, Super Kitties, Super Cats, Scardy Kittens and the Blankie. Wild cards can be used to be a Cat or Kitten of either color. Super Cats and Kittens boop the adjacent cards away 2 spaces. Scardy Kittens are booped one space away if another Cat or Kitten is booped next to them. They will be booped in the same direction as the incoming feline. And, finally, the blank can be used to cover a Cat or Kitten. If this card becomes booped, it only boops the blanket, not the feline underneath. 

“Boop shuffle is a lot of fun!”

Final Thoughts

Boop shuffle is a lot of fun! A great game for a 2 person rivalry, easy to travel and you can set it up on basically any flat surface. I don’t think this one is a contender for playing outside though, just because the amount of cards you’ll be playing with might not be a great combination with any wind. This one kept us laughing and thinking hard, trying to stay a few moves ahead to other to outwit them.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Some products may have also been gifted for review purposes. We only recommend products we love and believe will add value to your experience. Read more on our Business Conduct Page. Thank you for supporting our blog!