Game Info
Year
2014
Players
2-4
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
Nyakuza is a competitive game for 2-4 players. Each player is the head of a Cat Yakuza Clan, vying for control over the fishing industry. Get ahead of the competition! Bid for Boats to go out and net the freshest catch in the Bay and establish your seafood Stalls before your rivals. The first Clan to build their Grand Market Stall wins the game!
Control the Fishing Industry Around Oki-Yo Bay
The waters of Oki-Yo Bay are teeming with fish. Such a lucrative spot would be a great place to set up operations for the different Nyakuza Clan. But, in the end, only one can be top-cat.
In Nyakuza, players take on the role of heads of their respective Nyazuka clan. They will bid for boats that will catch the freshest fish out in the bay, then sell them in their seafood Stalls. Each player is racing to build their own Grand Market Stall first, which will prove that they are the best clan and win the game.
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Images
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 11
This page: 11
Sentiment:
pos 6 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 2 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–11 of 11
Video fnL8H-qtUYM
Chairman of the Board Discussion at 8:49 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85888 · mention_pk 220991
Click to watch at 8:49 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- sea life
- harbor
Comparison games
- Havalandi
- Chinatown
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Auction — Lots of auctioning and a pretty cool twist on the auctioning system, too.
- Connection Game — What you're trying to do in this game is you're trying to connect certain um kind of sea life to the border of the harbor here.
- Tile Placement — Each time you you draw a tile and you place it on the matching number.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- So, Night Soul actually made my most anticipated list of games to be released in 2025.
- Love this idea of um kind of Victorian London, The Sewage System.
- And from the gist of what I've read, it sounds like a kind of contract fulfillment resource management game, but it does use dice placements.
- Now, I tend to like the kind of mix of a Euro game with dice placement.
- If you have enjoyed the video, please be sure to hit like and subscribe to the channel.
- Check out my other content, too.
- And for everybody else, I'll see you next time on Chairman of the Board.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video hWWFNpPtc1w
Chairman of the Board Top List at 13:53 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85712 · mention_pk 220319
Click to watch at 13:53 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Excellent gameplay.
- Enjoyable blind bidding with a twist.
- Nice tempo, timing, and pacing.
- Chaining mechanism is interesting.
- Random tile draws keep things fresh.
- Winning condition is a race to shed buildings.
- Looks nice on the table.
- Artwork is good.
- Execution of mechanics is to a high standard.
Cons
- Reskinning is not liked.
- Glaring production issues, particularly for colorblind players (muted translucent player markers).
- Cardboard buildings are cheap and chintzy.
- These issues would have been easy fixes (e.g., wooden components).
Thematic elements
- Building sushi restaurants and claiming seafood features
- Shore
Comparison games
- Adventure Land
- Havalandi
- Chinatown
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — whoever's revealed the most cash will not only go first... but also you'll get to place more of your control markers down.
- bidding — blind bidding system of placing currency in your hand, doing a simultaneous reveal.
- Race game — racing to shed your your sushi restaurants in this game... winning condition of trying to shed your buildings uh before the other players do rather than being based on a points pointsbased system.
- Root building — root building and bidding game where you are racing to shed your your sushi restaurants in this game by creating chains through certain seafood formations and building your restaurants on the shore.
- tile drafting — bingo style mechanism where you're drawing tiles um randomly randomly from a bag. Each tile will have a unique number on it which will position it on the board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Even for a short game, I did find it very boring. It's quite a difficult thing to achieve is to be short and boring.
- lovely artwork, really nicely produced, tiny little box, nice clean rules, good clever gameplay, but sadly a missed opportunity by not putting those keywords on the cards.
- I love the way that each of these kind of moving parts of the game interlock with each other and there's a crossover and synergy between what you're trying to do
- sadly massively hamstrung by the fact that there are some glaring production issues, especially if you are color blind.
- Gameplay alone thoroughly enjoyed it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ccKgAflebUQ
JestaThaRogue Top 10 List at 3:18 sentiment: negative
video_pk 81512 · mention_pk 202828
Click to watch at 3:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- cute, colorful theme
- short playtime (about 40 minutes)
Cons
- slightly repetitive after a few plays
- not engaging or fun enough for the author
Thematic elements
- cats as crime bosses and market rivals
- cat-themed organized crime; fishing industry competition
- not explicitly stated
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bidding for boats — players bid for boats each turn
- placement/puzzle — boats are placed on combinations of fish to enable building stores
- Resource Management — fish are gained and used to build stalls
- set/placement puzzle — the goal is to place boats on favorable combinations to construct stores quickly
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Origin Story is a competitive trick-taking game where you build your own superhero through five chapters of play.
- It's on probation... you can get powers that give you lots of points for trying to avoid winning tricks when you play as the villain, which is really, really thematic. It's also really boring.
- I love this game, so it's going in the bunker.
- Magic the Gathering is 100% staying in the bunker.
- Doomlings is a card crafting and tableau building game set at the end of the world.
- It's chaotic, but it is structured chaos.
- Just One is getting locked out.
- Worldly Derby is a chaotic racing game where players roll marbles around a circular track with the winners drafting cards to score points.
- Cthulhu Dark Providence is a card-driven social deduction game where players are secretly cultists trying to open gates and bring about a time of chaos or investigators trying to close them and prevent the cultist from succeeding.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5mDVBSac19k
JestaThaRogue Analysis at 16:47 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 80625 · mention_pk 196755
Click to watch at 16:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Theme of fishing
- Tile placement mechanic
Cons
- Currently listed for sale
Thematic elements
- fishing
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Tile Placement — Mentioned as a mechanic in the game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Every game I've ever bought, I've bought for a good reason. At least that's what I tell myself.
- I don't watch playthroughs cuz playthroughs tend to be too long.
- I think it's just the hype and how much money this project's making and all this buzz around it was making me think I should get on this now, and I just know that I'm going to get the cards, maybe play it twice, and then never play it again.
- If it can fit in this 4x4 Kallax, then it will stay. If it doesn't fit, then something's got to go.
- Will I still enjoy the game after 10 plays? It's not a question I ask myself.
- Those are the 10 questions I ask myself before buying a game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video IsbEJRRntQc
The Dice Tower Analysis at 5:40
video_pk 80528 · mention_pk 196148
Click to watch at 5:40 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- So, we have a game here called Sequoia. This is from 2022.
- It's It's fine. I'm giving it a six. Uh Beasty Bars is is is a fun style game where you're playing these different type of animals, and I think each additional expansion made it more complex and less fun.
- Trias is an old dinosaur game that originally came with cubes, and eventually they had little dinosaurs in it instead. And it's kind of grow out to different things. This is a very I have this ranked as a seven. Probably now, the next time I go through my rankings, I'll probably rank it as a six because it's fine, but it's showing its age.
- All righty, of all the games we talked about today, my favorite here is clearly David Goliath, although Hooky is a very close second.
- Either way, it's always good to talk to you all.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video oDDbMsolfq0
Discussion at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 69503 · mention_pk 166027
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Control rival cat clans trying to build a fishing empire.
- Build a fishing empire.
- Build market stalls along the shore.
- Win by building the Grand Market stall.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Rival cat clans building a fishing empire
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Building market stalls along the shore, with one player building the Grand Market stall.
- hidden bidding — Used to place boats and catch what is needed.
- Set Collection — Implied by catching what you need to build market stalls.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Yakuza players control rival cat Clans trying to build a fishing Empire.
- Nova era is the one I didn't get to play but I did get a rundown from Tom.
- it really does look like a solid game
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video E-r2O6sFMkQ
Top List at 0:02 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 69016 · mention_pk 165328
Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Gameplay is thoroughly enjoyed.
- Nice tempo, timing, and pacing.
- Interesting chaining mechanic.
- Winning condition is unique and preferred over points.
- Executed to an extremely high standard.
- Gameplay alone is thoroughly enjoyed.
- Can see this one growing for me.
- A lot of fun.
- Loved root building, bidding, and racing games.
Cons
- Dislikes the reskinning/reskin.
- Glaring production issues for colorblind players (player markers).
- Cardboard buildings are a little bit cheap and chintzy.
Thematic elements
- Shedding sushi restaurants
- Shore
Comparison games
- Adventure Land
- Havalandi
- Chinatown
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Winning a bid allows players to place control markers on the board.
- bidding — A blind bidding system is used where players place currency and do a simultaneous reveal. The winner goes first and places more control markers, but spends their money into a common pool. Bidding nothing allows a player to collect the pool.
- Root building — Players are building their sushi restaurants on the shore by creating chains through seafood formations.
- Set Collection — Players are racing to shed their restaurants by creating chains through certain seafood formations.
- Tile drawing — Tiles are drawn randomly from a bag, each with a unique number that positions it on the board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This game has a really nice tempo and timing and pacing to it.
- Gameplay alone thoroughly enjoyed it.
- This game is sadly massively hamstrung by the fact that there are some glaring uh production issues, especially if you are color blind like unfortunately myself.
- This would easily be uh two thumbs up recommendation if those uh additional things were were fixed.
- But still, gameplay alone thoroughly enjoyed it.
- This game has all of those executed to an extremely high standard.
- Wonderful game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video i1KrqL1C_9A
Watch It Played Rules Teach at 0:12 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 64124 · mention_pk 157608
Click to watch at 0:12 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Catan
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- amulet_token_and_turn_order — The amulet token determines the first player each round; the oldest player initially holds it, and ties are broken in favor of the amulet holder.
- boat_placement_on_resource_tiles — Boats are placed on unoccupied resource tiles and must be adjacent to existing boats; groups of boats and shores determine valid placements.
- coband_token_resource_marking — Coband tokens placed behind screens are spent to mark resources; coband never return to the player once placed on the board.
- optional_variant_secret_resource — An optional variant lets players secretly draw a resource behind their screen and place a boat on its matching space, adding a hidden element to placement.
- round_structure_and_end_conditions — Rounds proceed with resource placement, bidding, and boat placement; the game ends when the Grand Market stall is placed or a final round is triggered by resources on the board, with tie-break rules described.
- secret_bidding_with_tokens — Players secretly bid coband behind screens; highest bid moves to the Warf area and collects boats and the amulet, while other bids are resolved. Reference: bidding phase example and amulet assignment.
- secret_resource_reveal_and_place — During the round when placing boats, players may reveal a secret resource and place a boat accordingly, as an addition to their normal placements.
- stall_building_when_group_complete — When a placement group covers required resources and includes a Shore space without a stall, players pause to place a stall under a boat and mark resources with coband.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- two to four player game Yakuza designed by rer kitzia and published by seon
- the oldest player this amulet token or you can pick someone randomly
- the game ends and you win
- first place all of your stalls and then place the final Grand Market stall to win the game
- you can bid Nothing by revealing an empty hand
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video U-Zg9wXejFI
Board Game Animal Review at 4:18 sentiment: positive
video_pk 27906 · mention_pk 81504
Click to watch at 4:18 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- dynamic closed-economy mechanic that scales well with player count
- strong two-player viability; still dynamic at small counts
- charming and humorous artwork; thematic fit with the cat motif
- highly recommend having Nyakuza in the collection due to availability and catalog value
Cons
- theme may not appeal to everyone
- some players may prefer the original theme of Arango
Thematic elements
- cat Yakuza; urban market intrigue
- Cat Yakuza-themed re-implementation of Arango; urban market/streets with cat characters
- humorous, thematic
Comparison games
- Arango
- Black Sheep
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- auction for turn order and turn strength — players bid to determine action sequencing and power for placement
- board/stall placement with connectivity — players place stalls by linking paths on the board
- Closed Economy — money moves around and shrinks as the game progresses; dynamic budget management
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a nice little game that looks absolutely gorgeous
- easy to teach easy to play but has a lot of critical decision-making space in those small parameters
- I would highly recommend it
- Nyakuza is indeed a cat Yakuza themed re-implementation of Arango
- the closed economy is one of my favorite things about Nyakuza
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video yE_9K5wmVjU
Board With Steve Top List at 1:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 9944 · mention_pk 29239
Click to watch at 1:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong production values
- Innovative combination of auction and racing mechanics
- Solid replayability and strategic depth
Cons
- Token colors can look tame on the board
- Availability may be uncertain due to external factors
Thematic elements
- auction/race hybrid
- urban market with seafood stalls and a grand bazaar
- competitive tack with race-style progression
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Closed auction — Players bid for specific spots to build seafood stalls; speed of build matters toward victory.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- 2025 is shaping up to be the year of two-player games, and I am totally here for it.
- This is easily his best design to date.
- Stuper Mundy is the most Eurol looking Euro game you will ever see, but unbelievably interactive.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wIvVHCnNJ8k
The Dice Tower Top List at 14:38 sentiment: positive
video_pk 511 · mention_pk 1515
Click to watch at 14:38 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clever auction mechanism
- Compact playtime for an auction game
- Engaging re-theme that preserves core mechanics
Cons
- Ethnic or cultural theming could be sensitive to some players
- As a re-theme, may feel derivative to fans of the original
Thematic elements
- auction/area control with a currency-based economy
- Japanese fishing village; re-theme of Easter Island/NOR
Comparison games
- Kisia
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- closed economy auction — Players bid openly on tiles; bidding zero pools spent money for distribution.
- simultaneous bidding and reveal — Bids are revealed at once, and the highest bid wins the tile while the rest side-effects occur.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The goodest of morning to you all. I'm Tom Vassel.
- Two body parts. Well, I handed an elbow to take pieces out of the pool.
- This is Duel for Cardia. Simultaneous selection, simultaneous reveal kind of game with that brilliant little fun mechanism.
- It's the top of the bottom. No, top of the bottom is what I said.
- The mind of a genius, I tell you.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–11 of 11