Game Info
Year
2021
Players
2-4
Age
14+
Playtime
60 min
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
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Description
Players compete for influence in a high-stakes underwater business world recruiting and promoting creatures up a corporate ladder
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Images
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video LNCCigPXRuM
people University Review at 24:03 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67764 · mention_pk 164028
Click to watch at 24:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
Positive
Pros
- Impressive gameplay after understanding the rules.
- Fun game that clicks together well.
- Satisfying big swings in points.
- Enjoyed it more on the second play and onwards.
Cons
- Can be brutal, especially with two players.
- Not intuitive from the rules initially.
- Can lead to players being mean to each other.
Thematic elements
- Sea creatures climbing the corporate ladder
- Corporate environment
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control (limited) — Controlling higher rungs of the corporate ladder can lead to more points.
- Card Play — Using cards with abilities to manipulate employee positions and clout.
- clout management — Players gain clout for their employees, which is modified by cards, and need to meet or exceed an employee's clout value to move them into the workplace or resolve abilities.
- Push Your Luck — Deciding how much clout to assign and when to resolve abilities, potentially risking being demoted or removed.
- Set Collection (of sorts) — Collecting employees with high clout and placing them at higher levels for scoring.
- Worker Placement (sort of) — Employees are placed in a mailroom and then moved to the workplace, filling up the board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the biggest issue in the games we've played has been these um these landmarks because you basically build your game around them you draw three at the start of the game you keep two and it's not very hard to leave a space for them and kind of build towards their objective but they did not feel balanced
- it felt felt incredibly imbalanced to me so that was my biggest criticism of this game
- this could be a brutal game especially in two players or brutal to each other yeah it's a fun little fun little brutal game
- it's a very attack the leader sort of game
- my the second time around onwards the first one was like what's going on when this is brutal you are so mean
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tNLJhxp5xiI
Playthrough at 3:45 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67355 · mention_pk 163439
Click to watch at 3:45 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Distinct underwater corporate theme with thematic table presence
- Tactical depth and pronounced end-game swings
- Engaging take-that style interactions via card powers
- Strong two-player depth and replay potential
- Humorous, entertaining live-stream experience with audience participation
Cons
- End-game can lead to kingmaking dynamics in some situations
- High interaction and sharp targeting can feel punishing
- Complexity and numerous powers can be hard to track during play
- Potential confusion around floating/demoting and space-blocking rules
Thematic elements
- Corporate ladder, cutthroat office politics, power moves via clout
- Underwater corporate world with fish employees
- Tactical, competitive tableau with take-that elements
Comparison games
- Munchkin
- Deep Sea Adventure
- Capitalist
- Marvel Champions
- Orchard
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Board refill and turnover — The line is refilled between steps and after certain actions; deck depletion continues gameplay until the deck and spaces are exhausted.
- Clout allocation — Each employee has a clout value; when you gain clout you place tokens on one employee in the mail room or in the workplace, with limited splitting rules.
- end game bonuses — Security guards enter play to clog spaces; end-game is triggered when the workplace is full or the deck runs out, after which scoring occurs.
- End-game scoring — All on-board employees score equal to clout times their level, with leftover clout worth 1 point each.
- Floating / pushing mechanics — Some cards allow moving or floating adjacent employees, including pushing them off the edge or into new spaces to change their tier status.
- Promotions, demotions and powers — Various cards grant powers to promote/demote employees or move them around the board; some powers modify other cards or cancel abilities.
- Security guards and end condition — Security guards enter play to clog spaces; end-game is triggered when the workplace is full or the deck runs out, after which scoring occurs.
- Unemployed line to mail room/workplace — On a turn you select a card from the unemployed line and either place it in an empty mail room space or dismiss it; you gain clout based on the card's bottom value plus location bonuses.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This game is Cutthroat I can tell you that
- it's very brutal
- it's a game about positioning and using these Powers at the right times
- the end of the game is triggered by filling up all 23 of these spaces
- this is a tableau Builder but your Tableau moves around the board tactically
- we have really big swings in points
- two players is brutal
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video b_cLhvFeDFY
The Game Boy Geek Review at 0:27 sentiment: positive
video_pk 35372 · mention_pk 105589
Click to watch at 0:27 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Great art and thematic presentation that draws you in
- Rich interaction with shifting alliances and betrayals
- Deep synergy between abilities and strategic planning
- Shines at 3 players with a balanced pace
- Lots of variety and replayability through cards and promotions
Cons
- End-game length and timing is variable and can feel uncontrolled
- Mean-spirited play can be off-putting to some players
- 2-player game can be brain-burner and overwhelming
- Kingmaking can occur in mid-to-late game
Thematic elements
- Corporate ladder, alliances and betrayals, managing influence to promote employees
- Underwater corporate world with a mail room and workplace, promoting creatures up a corporate ladder
- Abstract, puzzle-like with thematic flavor and high interaction
Comparison games
- Nothing Personal
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — Clout and abilities interact with adjacent tiles and employees; proximity can enable or block effects.
- area control / adjacency — Clout and abilities interact with adjacent tiles and employees; proximity can enable or block effects.
- card-driven abilities / tableau interaction — Each employee card carries a unique ability that can be activated when enough clout is accumulated and placed on them or their tier.
- clout management — Clout tokens are earned, spent, and dispersed to activate abilities and move employees through tiers.
- deck management / end-of-round refill — Dismissing or promoting triggers card replenishment and can shift the deck composition, affecting strategy.
- deck manipulation — Dismissing or promoting triggers card replenishment and can shift the deck composition, affecting strategy.
- direct player interaction / kingmaking — Temporary alliances and direct interference create negotiation-like dynamics and potential kingmaking moments.
- Ladder climbing — Promote employees from the mail room into the workplace across tiers to increase point potential and unlock abilities.
- Positive player interaction — Temporary alliances and direct interference create negotiation-like dynamics and potential kingmaking moments.
- promotion / ladder placement — Promote employees from the mail room into the workplace across tiers to increase point potential and unlock abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Squid Inc has great art that draws you in
- the abilities and the abstract nature of this game really makes this game awesome
- it shines best at three players
- the end game is way too variable
- I love the art in this game
- this game is fantastic
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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