Sirlin Games Week - Day 2 - Yomi

Yomi (Complete First Edition)

Designed by David Sirlin

Published by Sirlin Games

2 Players

30 Minutes

Hand Management, Player Abilities, Bluffing, Rock-Paper-Scissors

(9/10 Stars)

The first Sirlin Game I look at is Yomi. A game that captures the feel of a Street Fighter type video game - with a simple and yet deeply strategic card game (yes, I would say strategic even with the heavy bluffing/luck element of card draws). Based on a simple Rock, Paper, Scissors mechanic (that works really well in my opinion), the game goes beyond that to include combos, specials, and lots of bluffing.

The game is fantastic. The quality of the cards are nice, although missing that really deluxe feel, they are basic poker card quality and I think they hold up really well. The artwork is top notch, especially for the face card special moves. I really like the different decks available and that they are all built such that they feel like the characters they are trying to portray. Each character, 20 available in all, provides different types of strategy, and that strategy may change depending on what opponent character you are playing.

While there are some aspects of the game that may take a little bit to get the hang of (combos, charging up, knockdowns, etc.) - I love that the main mechanic of the game is so simple, and yet it makes sense for the fighting game. Blocks beat Attacks, Throws beat Blocks, and Attacks beat Throws. There are Dodges in the mix too along with special action type cards that can be played.

Yomi offers a richly thematic and well developed gameplay experience that I think most everyone could enjoy. If you are not a big fan of fighting games, it may not be your cup of tea. The game is one big bluffing game though, so if you like a good bluffing game, this may be the game your looking for.

I am not a huge fan of the female artwork on the cards. They match normal fighting game artwork styles, but I just wish I could buy more modest versions of the female decks. I enjoy playing the defensive type characters along with the more well-rounded types. Playing the Panda is always a fun time (wait for the Pandante review later this week).

The decks are so well balanced for the different play styles and having most cards have two choices of play provides the fighters with lots of options so that players rarely feel limited by "no good choices" in their hands. Even the Power Up phase where you can trade in duplicate cards for powerful Aces...everything just makes sense - the game plays like a well oiled machine! It can get frustrating at times when you always seem to pick the wrong type of card however, the odds are that you will have your winning streak as well. A great game and that is How Lou Sees It! (Check out the more detailed video review below!)

I was given a copy of Yomi (Complete First Edition) by Sirlin Games for the purpose of this review.