Cat in 8 - Kickstarter First Impression

Our First Look at Cat in 8

🐾 We pounced on the chance to try a prototype of Cat in 8, and I gotta say, we’re already clearing shelf space for the finished version. Like Sequence? Love cats? Obsessed with pretty art? This game is a delight. It’s a cozy spatial strategy game where every card you play brings you closer to completing patterns on the board or blocking someone else’s perfect setup. It’s clever without being crunchy. Fast to teach. Easy to love.

What makes it shine is the modular board. It changes every time you play but never feels overwhelming. It plays well at any count, looks gorgeous on the table, and you’re constantly doing something. Scoring. Building. Blocking. Plotting. During our first game, we played four times in a row. Sad news? I did not win, but I did come close. The fact that you are able to score throughout the game makes it a blast and anyone's game.

🎯 What’s the Game?

Cat in 8 is published by Ghetti Games and illustrated by Katerina Izobova. It plays 2–6 players, and it scales purrfectly (more cat puns incoming). It’s a beautiful spatial strategy game that blends pattern-building with just the right amount of chaos. Think of it as Sequence’s modern and mischievous feline cousin—better art, chunkier tokens, rotating tiles, and just a little extra bite

📦 What’s in the Box

Please note that this is a first impression, so some components may change at production. With that said, the components are very high-quality

• Chunky double-sided cat tokens

• Gorgeous full-color cards

• A sleek organizer that fits everything purrfectly

• One (yes, ONE) plastic bag—for scoring pegs only, which is brilliantly intentional

• A neat modular board

  
  

Cat in 8 scoring boards

Cat in 8 and components

Cat in 8 cards

The production quality already has us swooning, and I can't wait to play the finished product

🧶 Setup

The custom organizer makes setup a breeze! No digging through baggies, no fiddling with loose bits. Everything has its spot, and you’ll be playing within a few minutes. More games need to take notes from this level of thoughtful design

As for the board, it’s just as easy. Lay out all 16 tiles face-up in a 4x4 grid—any order, any orientation. That forms the full 8x8 play area. The four blank corners get Free Space Cat Tokens, which are neutral and usable by anyone. The final version will have the pieces slightly raise. This will make it easier to see scoring opportunities

🎲 How It Plays

Each turn, you play a card and place one of your chunky cat tokens on one of the matching spots on the board. Your goal? Create sequences of three or more of your tokens in a straight line. You’ll earn points for each new line you complete or extend on your turn, and if you manage to score in multiple directions at once—voilà! Even more points

Here’s the twist: if you ever complete a line of eight of your tokens, it’s game over. Instant win. Cat in 8, baby 🏆

The deck also includes a few special cards that adds just the right amount of chaos:

• Cat Fight lets you swap one of your tokens with someone else’s, what a way to strategically block your opponent(s) and possibly score big points

• Cat Nado rotates a tile to a new orientation. My wife played this in a four player game, and won with Cat in 8!

• Cat Zoomies pushes an entire row of tiles across the board. This can either mess with your opponents, help you score big, or both!

Lastly, don’t forget to draw a card at the end of your turn. If you forget, you play the next round with one fewer card. That rule is brutal. And we love it!

cat in 8 scoring

cat in 8, 4 player board

cat in 8 about to take a turn

😻 Pros

• 🎓 Simple rules, quick to learn

• 🧠 Clever spatial mechanics—every tile move counts

• 🧩 Strategic yet accessible

• 📦 Packs small, plays big!

• 👜 Zero setup fuss

• 🎨 Gorgeous art and table presence

• 🐾 Chunky tokens and tactile tile design

• 🔄 High replayability with a dash of chaos

• 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 Purrfect for families or game night groups

🤔 Considerations

• 🎲 Chaos Cards can turn the tide . . . expect surprises!

• 🧩 Strategic players may get caught in a thinky catnap

• 😸 Token placement can get c[h]atty in a competitive way—blockers beware!

🐾 Bottom Line

Cat in 8 is paws-down one of our favorite prototypes we've ever played. It’s clean, clever, and cozy. It's a strategic snuggle wrapped in chunky tokens and charming art. If you love Sequence (as much as we do) but wish it had a glow-up, this is the cat’s meow 🐈‍⬛ And if you’re into a dash of competitive chaos, don’t sleep on this one. Cat in 8 plays well at any count whether playing at 2, 3, 4, or in a 2v2 team showdown.