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Game Info
Year
2018
Players
3-4
Age
10+
Playtime
45 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
StoryLong time ago in the land of rising sun, spirits and demons known as Yokai were harming human lives.
Yokai did not directly attack people, but they were causing supernatural disasters: Yokai caused farmlands to burn, rivers to flood, thunders to roar, and diseases to spread.
One day a chieftain of the nearby village visited you, an Onmyoji, a practitioner of Japanese esoteric cosmology. Through your knowledge of astronomy and occultism, you discover the only way to help save the village. It is simple: the more Yokai you manage to capture, the less the menace caused by these demons. After a few months in the village, you are successful in your efforts; the Yokai menace is completely eradicated in that village!
Then, word reaches you of the havoc being wrecked by the Yokai on your own village. In your absence, the village chieftain has consulted another Onmyoji to help save your village. This is an affront because this is your village and the people under attack are your people. It is your job to save the day! Do not let another Onmyoji save the day and go down in history as the greatest there ever was and the Savior of your village at the time of need.
Compete against your rival Onmyoji and capture as many Yokai as you can!
Gameplay OverviewIn Yokai Septet, your goal is to capture high scoring Boss Yokai by strategically playing cards from your hand. Each turn, players play a card from their hand following the rules of the "trick taking games."
After everyone has played a card, the player who played the strongest card matching the lead suit takes all the cards played this turn. A new turn continues until one of the round's end condition is met. At the end of the round, the winner of that round is determined.
In a 4-player game, the game is played as a team battle of two players versus two players, whereas in a 3-player game, all players play individually competing. The winner of the round is the team that captured four or more Boss Yokai in a 4-player game, and three or more Boss Yokai in a 3-player game.
The winner of the round scores points based on the Boss Yokai they captured. New rounds are played until the game's end condition is met, which can be either 2 points for a basic game, or 7 points for an advanced game.
Components
49 cards (7 suits, 7 cards each)
18 scoring tokens
4 player aids
1 lead player card
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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 10 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–11 of 11
Video Ah6OihvUz0I
Brains On Games Review at 0:28 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89448 · mention_pk 237486
Click to watch at 0:28 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Team-based play adds strategic depth and social fun
- Distinct seven-suit design and unique art
- Acts as a gentle, accessible trick-taking game for families
- Points are earned from bosses, not the trump suit, which creates interesting decision pressure
- Short playtime encourages quick repeat sessions
Cons
- Limited to 3 or 4 players, reducing group size flexibility
- Seven suits can be hard to manage for new players due to sorting complexity
- Three-player game lacks teammate dynamic; four-player mode is preferred
Thematic elements
- competition and teamwork centered around capturing discrete boss cards while managing varied suit values.
- A social trick-taking card game featuring seven suits and seven boss cards in which players try to capture those boss cards to score.
- light, instructional, family-friendly
Comparison games
- Hearts
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- boss_cards_capture — Seven boss cards (one per suit) determine scoring; players aim to win these cards to gain points; trapped cards can end rounds.
- Hand Management — Players sort hands by suit to manage seven suits and identify available plays, especially with diverse card values.
- hand_sorting_and_management — Players sort hands by suit to manage seven suits and identify available plays, especially with diverse card values.
- Memory — Remembering played cards helps plan future plays and predict when bosses are likely to appear.
- memory_and_card_tracking — Remembering played cards helps plan future plays and predict when bosses are likely to appear.
- round_end_conditions — Rounds end when a team or player achieves the required number of boss captures or a set number of tricks without bosses have been completed.
- team_play — In four-player games, players form two teams across the table; teamwork adds strategic coordination across hands.
- Teams — In four-player games, players form two teams across the table; teamwork adds strategic coordination across hands.
- trick_taking — Lead and follow-suit; highest card in the lead suit wins the trick, with trump selecting outcomes.
- Trick-Taking — Lead and follow-suit; highest card in the lead suit wins the trick, with trump selecting outcomes.
- variable_suit_values — Each suit has its own numeric range, affecting which cards are valuable for scoring; e.g., green runs 1-7, purple runs 2-8, etc.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a trick taking card game.
- Seven is the magic number.
- Let's play that again.
- I love teaming up with one of my kids.
- Team play would be more strategic.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Tk8IDmScrqY
Watch It Played Analysis at 5:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88605 · mention_pk 233984
Click to watch at 5:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Had a lot of fun with it
Cons
- Kind of hard to find right now
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Trick-Taking — A team-based trick taking game.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is going to absolutely take me out of my comfort zone since I don't usually Express personal favorites
- if you force me to declare my favorite game of all time right now after much resistance I would say it's this
- I'm expressing probably in this video more personal opinions about games than I have over the entirety of this Channel and I'm not sure how I feel about it
- I just don't get any joy out of explaining why I don't like something when I know it might be something another person could possibly absolutely enjoy
- I have to admit it's kind of fun
- I probably won't do it again for another 10 years
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video j-_gUSAilZo
kovray Top 10 List at 31:46 sentiment: positive
video_pk 84313 · mention_pk 214189
Click to watch at 31:46 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Highly Positive
Pros
- Engaging team play where players must coordinate.
- Unique objective of winning sevens without taking too many tricks.
- Interesting card mechanics with variable suit ranges.
- Beautiful art and components.
- The passing mechanic adds a layer of interaction.
- Provides a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.
Cons
- Host Tyler finds the scoring punishing and hasn't achieved a solid win yet, preventing it from making his personal list.
- The goal of collecting sevens can sometimes backfire if not managed correctly.
Thematic elements
- Yo-kai
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- card passing — Players pass cards to their teammates.
- Objective Fulfillment — The primary goal is to win sevens, but not too many tricks overall.
- team play — Played in teams, requiring coordination and communication.
- Trick-Taking — Players take tricks.
- Variable suits/numbering — Suits range from 1-7 and 6-13, adding complexity.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The Lord of the Rings is something that I really, really enjoy.
- In most instances, you are playing out your entire hand in this game.
- The packaging and the product design of this game is also just phenomenal.
- It's that one thing that's like everybody's trying to push their points up a little bit more like they want to, but you don't want to do it too much because everybody starts to gang up on you.
- The scoring because you do better if other people do worse. And don't meet their bids.
- Every time I played this game, it just has tickled my brain in the best way possible.
- It takes this simple idea, I guess, and then elevates it just enough that it feels like Ilia said classic, but also doesn't um pull away from the uniqueness of this game.
- It does have grand moments, which I love in games, as many of you know by now. You can be so confident that you're not going to take another trick and you're sitting at 25 and bam, you did. You've busted. Eat it.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video -JChgKgr7a4
Allies Are Enemies Discussion at 13:59 sentiment: positive
video_pk 65838 · mention_pk 159801
Click to watch at 13:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- beautiful art
- engaging take on a familiar mechanic
Cons
- may require a learning curve for new players
Thematic elements
- mythic yokai and trick-taking mechanics
- Japanese folklore trick-taking setting
- Array
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Aircon is the UK's second largest board game convention.
- they run these events and last year we attend them we love them
- it's the first time we'd been recognized
- this amazing shared experience that for the rest of the weekend any time I ran into any of those folks as part of the game it was like we were friends
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5HRk9XRs_BQ
Before You Play Top 50 List at 1:04 sentiment: positive
video_pk 38548 · mention_pk 207955
Click to watch at 1:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Clever balance around the seven in each suit
- Good tension and teamwork in 2v2 play
Cons
- Moderately complex for new trick-taking players
- Requires familiarity with suit/value ranges
Thematic elements
- folklore and trick-taking
- A deck-building trick-taking setting with yokai-themed suits and a cooperative-leaning 2v2 variant
- mythic and competitive with hidden collaboration
Comparison games
- Other trick-taking games
- Yokai-themed games
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- team-based play — In the 4-player variant, players form two teams and coordinate without full disclosure.
- Trick-Taking — Players play cards in tricks with seven as a key high-value card; 2v2 teams can influence outcomes with limited communication.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's so good. This is a fun one to bring out.
- Two teams trying to figure out the words each other's words by using numerical codes.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video ET8Tj_ryzWA
kovray Discussion at 55:40 sentiment: positive
video_pk 32257 · mention_pk 214864
Click to watch at 55:40 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tense, strategic, and thematic trick-taking
- relative accessibility for new players
Cons
- rules-heavy for newcomers
Thematic elements
- mythic creatures and changing trump by round
- spooky yokai-themed trick-taking with boss figures
- boss cards switch trump and values per round
Comparison games
- Skull King
- Five Cucumbers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- boss-driven scoring — sevens are powerful; end condition tied to boss collection
- Compound Scoring — sevens are powerful; end condition tied to boss collection
- Trick-Taking — trump changes by round via flipped cards and 7s
- trick-taking with changing trump — trump changes by round via flipped cards and 7s
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "one of the most underrated, most thematic trick-taking games out there"
- "cooperative trick taking game, but there's a hidden trader"
- "neat connection between its theme and its mechanisms"
- "this is not a persuasive essay to convince you that arcs is a trick-taking game"
- "Skull King is one of those games where every round has a big moment"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vRlf-fASb8A
kovray Top 10 List at 56:17 sentiment: positive
video_pk 27666 · mention_pk 214500
Click to watch at 56:17 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Innovative team play
- Vibrant artwork
Cons
- Complex scoring with sevens
- Requires good team coordination
Thematic elements
- Team trick-taking with sevens and color suits
- Japan-inspired yokai spirits, color-coded suits
- Playful and strategic
Comparison games
- The Crew
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Passing and color suits — Passing at the start; sevens determine end.
- Team-based trick-taking — Will try to win sevens across teams.
- Trick-Taking — Will try to win sevens across teams.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of the first trick taking games that I would think of bringing out to show somebody
- I would give this an S
- A for me
- I give this one an A
- the theme is great but still a D
- Gummy Trick is fantastically fun
- Vivo is a sleeper hit for me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 65wqGeEcypQ
Paula Deming Top List at 5:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11065 · mention_pk 32545
Click to watch at 5:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Plays best at 4 players
- Easy to find 3 other people at convention
- Super easy to carry around
- Not a huge time commitment
- About 20 minutes to play
- Allows running off to other activities
- Knowing when to win vs lose tricks
- Strategic depth
- Feel smart making good decisions
- Tricky and fun
- Played it 4 times at Aircon without getting old
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Yokai (Japanese spirits/monsters) competition
- Japanese folklore
- Competitive team trick-taking
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Boss Cards — Yokai cards with value 7 that contain special powers and are worth winning
- Losing Tricks — Sometimes winning a trick is bad - players must strategically choose when to lose
- team play — Played in teams of 2v2
- Trick taking — Players play cards to win tricks
- Trick-Taking — Players play cards to win tricks
- Variable Suit Values — Boss card position changes by suit - might be high, low, or middle value
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I've seen enough 90 sitcoms to know it's never a good idea to try to be in two places at once
- conventions are the perfect place to play a game that requires a larger group
- at a convention the people who signed up to play probably really want to be there
- I'm easily distracted at a convention it's a lot of stimulus and it's overwhelming
- it's quick and shouty and silly and it always goes over really well
- it's unreasonably fun and lovely and feels really good to play from a pure really tactile perspective
- it's wacky high energy dexterity silliness and that's honestly everything I want while at a convention
- I mean no accomplishment feels as good as that
- it's so simple and so good and it makes me laugh with my friends
- knowing when to try and win a trick and when to try and lose a trick makes me feel so dang smart
- it's fascinating that depending on the style of the people I'm playing with the game can feel really different
- it's just it's dang good y'all
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9x9VgqOykx4
Before You Play Other at 4:37 sentiment: positive
video_pk 10134 · mention_pk 29828
Click to watch at 4:37 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong trick-taking appeal for fans
- Accessible for a range of players
Cons
- Availability may be limited at events
Thematic elements
- Trick-taking with a yokai motif
- Fantasy Yokai world
- Light-hearted, humorous
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Team/partner dynamics (implicit social play) — Players may coordinate with partners or leverage remembered cues to optimize tricks.
- Trick-Taking — Classic trick-taking play with a yokai-themed twist; hand management influences who wins tricks.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this is the first time we're bringing out cabo deluxe deluxe
- it's the easiest thing to grab on the shelf
- this is the physically biggest one that we have
- not alone without location powers
- Parade plays up to six
- Jack's Friends is a streamlined Not Alone with different locations
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video vf8oFllUdDU
Before You Play Discussion at 21:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 7216 · mention_pk 21393
Click to watch at 21:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- upgraded components and foil sevens are visually striking
- tightly designed with accessible rules for quick play
Cons
- slightly tactile components; new print boasts improvements over earlier version
- requires coordination with players to optimize timing
Thematic elements
- collecting sevens; ceremonial duels for points
- Japanese folklore inspired Yokai
- light, whimsical
Comparison games
- The Mind
- Codenames? (not used in transcript)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hand_management — manage a hand to time when to win the seven cards with foil/seven emphasis
- set_collection / scoring — collect sevens to maximize score; the seven cards carry special value
- simultaneous_card_play — players play cards to influence which Yokai cards win; sevens are critical
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's basically it's an auction tiling game
- it's a classic Euro but with fresh mechanics that you don't really see in newer games
- the best scoring that you can get is one building amongst all these things is is four points
- I really liked it I think the very first uh work that I scored I took it all as money and I thought like this is great I'm gonna have so much money for the rest of the game but I think that hurt me in the end
- it's mean that it was comical
- it's a very silly game
- it's a strong mix of chaos and strategy
- it's better with higher player counts
- it's one of those games where there's very limited communication; it's fully cooperative
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Sbi26uJVJ3E
Getting Games Discussion at 14:59 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 2855 · mention_pk 8351
Click to watch at 14:59 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Beautiful production
- Buzz around the title from outlets
Cons
- Difficult to count and manage with asymmetric decks
- Not everyone enjoys the complexity
Thematic elements
- asymmetric deck design with seven suits
- Supernatural yokai themed world
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric deck / seven suits — Sevens counting as the primary scoring mechanism with high card mixed into play.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm really curious to see how people react to it.
- The idea is that maybe I do this near the end of a month and then the update vlog obviously is a week later.
- It was a really fun time; it was a blast.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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