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Description
Welcome to the wonderful world of Hooky. Of the 26 children who should be in classes today, three are off playing hooky. It is morning before school starts, and in the chaos, your job as a homeroom teacher is to figure out which three are missing. There are some children off in the playground who are late getting to their homerooms, and you will learn their identities as they straggle in.
The three missing students are represented by three hooky cards. You earn points by correctly deducing the identity of the three hooky cards and thereby finding the three missing students. You can also earn points by learning which students are in the other players' classrooms (i.e., hands of cards). The player with the highest score wins.
Let the search begin!
More on the mechanics: Hooky is a deduction game with a little sprinkle of push-your-luck if you want. Each student is represented by a letter of the alphabet. All players are dealt a few cards and therefore have some knowledge of which students are definitely not missing. To solve the mystery, you will ask for and give clues using five-letter words of your choice. The person asked gives a number as an answer, communicating how many of the letters in the words they have in hand, but not which. By learning which players have which letters (students), you will begin to suspect which students are off playing Hooky and which players have what information.
Year Published
2023
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video Q76LhQbE0tQ
The Brothers Murf top_10_list at 3:36 sentiment: positive
video_pk 62705 · mention_pk 155401
Click to watch at 3:36 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging deduction
- Strong social interaction
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Deduction; wordplay
- School environment; deduction around missing students
- Social deduction / deduction with clues
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- deduction — Ask questions to deduce which students are skipping class; use clues revealed to all players
- Public clue interpretation — Clues and answers are heard by all players, enabling cross-reference
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Dimension is both a dexterity game. It's actually it's more of an abstract puzzle game than it is a dexterity game.
- Hookie is a really wonderful game where you are trying to figure out which three kids are playing hookie.
- Mystic Paths is pretty darn unique. It's a word association game. Cooperative.
- I love Village Rails. VILLAGE RAILS. GOSH, I love Village Rails.
- This is one of the biggest surprises for me, I think, ever in terms of like what I've found and loved it.
- Citizens of the Spark... I think this game is massively underrated for how good it is.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video DD95-ffcTOI
Dice Tower analysis at 19:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 31119 · mention_pk 91752
Click to watch at 19:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
highly positive
Pros
- One of the better abstract experiences in recent memory; tension ramps quickly and remains compelling.
- Short enough to be replayable in a session, with a satisfying sense of clever moves and counterplay.
- Strong production and a visually striking look that helps the theme connect.
Cons
- Friction with the starting setup can make the first few plays feel opaque; some players may miss the depth without a few rehearsals.
- Some repetition on higher play counts can dull the novelty; it rewards repeat plays but may feel similar after several sessions.
Thematic elements
- dynamic balance of force and position with clear, tactile components
- stacking-based abstract where pieces have numerical strength values (1, 2, 3)
- strategic duel with evolving board state
Comparison games
- Kamisado
- Dvonn
- Devonné (Dvonn-related).
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- linear and loop win conditions — Victory can come from stretching lines across the board, forming loops, or forcing a position where the opponent cannot move; the game blends taktical two-player pressure with a modular, open-ended start.
- scoring by top pieces and board isolation — At the end of the game or when the game ends early, you tally the discs under each stack by the top value; a taller stack confers higher endgame weight, while the board shrinking dynamic creates a sense of urgency and isolation.
- stack-based movement and capture — You move a piece (or a stack) by an amount equal to the number on the top piece. Stacks can be moved, and you can land on top of other stacks. A single piece can jump on a single piece regardless of top value; a stack can jump on any stack only if height dynamics allow it; you cannot mix these two jump rules.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is one of the better abstract games I've played in a while, I got to say.
- I love games that quickly develop into that feeling of oh, I might make a mistake.
- The look is very sci-fi Tron kind of thing.
- This game has rising tension back and forth trying to be careful not to give you the winning spot.
- The production is nice, but there are holes in the board that require extra setup and punch-out.
- I’m going to give this one a nine out of 10.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video c1Yk5l9L1Fc
Foster the Mele general_discussion at 10:51 sentiment: positive
video_pk 8775 · mention_pk 90720
Click to watch at 10:51 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Relatable school-life humor
- Strong party-game potential
Cons
- Complex social dynamic may require careful moderation
Thematic elements
- Detecting truants through word puzzles and social cues
- Schoolyard and playground social dynamics
- Playful, slightly mischievous
Comparison games
- Clue
- That's Not a Hat
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- social deduction — Players deduce which kids are skipping class via word-based challenges and social hints.
- Social deduction / word puzzles — Players deduce which kids are skipping class via word-based challenges and social hints.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The weirder, the better. I love it.
- It's going to be a real hit.
- This is all in fun as per usual.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 2TaO93XwL2w
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 6:58 sentiment: positive
video_pk 6799 · mention_pk 129783
Click to watch at 6:58 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Sneaky Wordle-like deduction with a competitive hook
- Good pick-up-and-play for casual game nights
Cons
- Wordle-based novelty may wear thin for some players
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Wordle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- clue-based guessing — Players propose five-letter words and receive feedback on correct letters
- word deduction — Clues are given to guess which letters are in or out of a set
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- top 10 chilled board games now for me
- it's such a relaxing game in my opinion
- the production really does help it because it's a lovely lavish Deluxe feeling game
- think Wordle but the Twist on this game
- cooperative game ... very relaxing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 4B_lv0UK_xA
top_10_list at 4:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 899 · mention_pk 120018
Click to watch at 4:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Engaging deduction
- Satisfying word-puzzle interaction
Cons
- Scoring can feel luck-based if not balanced
Thematic elements
- hidden information and word puzzle solving
- competitive deduction word game with hidden letters
- interactive deduction with shifting information
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Hidden Information — players have letters behind screens
- questioning/feedback — players ask questions and get feedback on letters
- word deduction — identify which letters are in opponents' words
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Hidden Gem
- I think this one's going to have his audience if you can kind of dabble with Euro games but Euro games aren't your main focus
- it's a fantastic job of being so broadly appealing
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–5 of 5