Players: 3-6
Age: 8+
Duration: +- 20-30 minutes
Distributor: Pegasus Spiele
Hook! – Board Game Review
Ahoy landlubbers and board this mighty pirate ship to go out and commandeer some new vessels. If it’s treasure you want, you will not find any gold on these trips, but only majestic parrots and loads of cannonballs to the face. Nonetheless, if you’re able to outsmart the other pirates or marines, you might find yourself with loads of parrots, to last you many lifetimes. Hoist the sails and raise the anchor, we’re in for a stormy ride.
Contents
- Rules
- 54 cannonball tokens
- 6 hit cards
- 18 sight tiles
- 5 overview cards
- 1 compass card
- 96 target cards
The design of Hook! can be described with two words, namely ‘cute pirates’. You’ll notice that, even though pirates are often gritty looking specimens of the human race, these are still not that charming but at the same time they are quite ‘cute’. The different types of cards and tiles have the same colorful pirate/marine illustrations on them and even though they are quite simple, they are appealing and set the right mood.
Mechanics
If you’re all aboard your own majestic vessel, you will be ready to dive into the water to attack your many foes. The goal of Hook! is to be the last man standing or to collect the most parrots at the end of the game, when everyone runs out of cards. To accomplish one of both goals, it will be a simple matter of luck, speed, reflexes and good vision. First, all of the pirates will start off with nine life points, three sight tiles and the hit card that accompanies your sight tiles. You’ll immediately notice that all cards correspond with a 3 x 3 grid and this will become the main idea of the game.
All of the target cards will get divided equally among all players. These cards will immediately indicate the maximum amount of turns that the game can last. After deciding who will become the captain, each player will have to draw a card and place it in the middle of the playing field, at the captain’s signal. He will not be allowed to look beforehand and thus each card will come as a surprise. When the cards are placed in the middle, each player will have to choose one of their sight tiles to place on one of the target cards in the middle. Of course, choosing and placing your sight card is a matter of being quicker than your fellow treasure hunters.
The sight cards all have three holes in them, which can reveal a picture when placed on the target cards. Depending on what it reveals, there will be different actions that can be performed. If you reveal a fellow player, he will receive damage. If you reveal the black pirate, you can choose who you deal one damage to. Of course, parrots, bombs, healing items and protection are all available as well. Keep in mind, you can only keep cards with a parrot, if you actually revealed one with your sight tile, and only if you don’t reveal a bomb either. These cards will go in your collection and at the end of the game, you will count all the parrots on the cards, granting the surviving player with the most birds in his collection to win.
Of course, it proves to be a lot more fun to try and kill your opponents, as they can only take nine hits, if they don’t heal at least. If you happen to be the last man sailing you will immediately win the game.
Luck or Strategy?
Hook! isn’t only about luck or strategy, but also about reflexes. As speed and a keen vision are the key aspects of the game, you will find yourself often acting before you can truly process what is going on. Of course, when you have chosen yourself a target card to cover up with a sight tile, it’s a matter of choosing the proper angle and hoping for the best outcome possible. That being said, a proper amount of strategy can still be found, as you will aim for cards that will benefit you the most (healing items when needed, or parrots if you are still very much alive, …).
Conclusion
Hook! is a great party game for young and old, where lots of laughs are certain to surface. You’ll be playing in a matter of minutes and right from the start things will be intense until the last cannonball has hit its target. Simple, fast and funny are the keywords and truth be told, it’s all you’ll need to survive the rough seas.
Hook! - Board Game Review,
No Comments