Families Will Love Pusheen the Cat: Purrfect Pick Card Game
I’m not going to lie, the global phenomenon that is Pusheen the Cat completely missed me somehow. Before seeing Ravensburger’s new family game, I’m quite certain I had never heard the name Pusheen before, and the image of the adorable Pusheen was only vaguely familiar to me.
So, suffice it to say, I’m not coming from a place of being a Pusheen super fan, excited to get my hands on any licensed Pusheen products. Never once had I ever read a Pusheen comic strip (although now I’m enjoying them quite a bit, and I’ll probably try to get my hands on a calendar for next year). Instead, I’m coming from a place of complete and total unawareness of the Pusheen universe, and a simple appreciation for good family games and things that are adorable in general.
Pusheen the Cat: Purrfect Pick Card Game from Ravensburger is a great game, and that’s why it’s our April game of the month. Initially I picked it up simply to see if it was worthy to make our list of our family’s favorite cat board games, and we were very quickly won over - not just by the quality of the game, but by the universe itself. But I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything less from Ravensburger at this point.
With all that being said, if you are a fan of Pusheen and know all the names of her friends and family by heart, I have no doubt you’ll have reason to love this game even more than I do. Our kids had never even heard of Pusheen before, but they still fought over who got to hold and sleep with the cute Pusheen figurine inside the box. I can only imagine what little fans will think!
Obviously the first thing that will jump out at you is how cute the whole thing is. But that’s a given seeing as it’s based on the colorful global phenomenon of an adorable cat and her friends. The game features 2 beautiful, pastel-colored sides of the game board to play on - one outdoors and one inside Pusheen’s house. And there are dozens of cards in the game that capture the cute and cuddly aesthetic perfectly.
Even the concept of the game, collecting snapshots of your weekend fun, is wholesome and endearing. It’s truly a feel-good game that we have all fallen in love with. But it’s also very important to point out that this game is good for much more than its cuteness factor. This is far from a case of a popular license phoning it in and cashing in. They teamed up with Ravensburger and made a very good family game.
On the box you’ll see that Purrfect Pick is recommended for ages 8+, and, like usual, you can probably knock a few years off of that if your kids have experience with games. Our 5-year-old is able to play by herself, albeit without the same sense of strategy and planning as her 8-year-old brother. I’d probably go with 6 as a good recommended starting point - because the game is actually remarkably simple.
Purrfect Pick is one of those games that are very simple in concept but leave room for variability in strategy and enough planning to make you feel accomplished. You simply choose one of the cards that surround the Pusheen figurine - which is moved every round by the next player. Over the course of the game, you collect these cards to try and purchase one of the snapshots that are available. Snapshots have different star values (and sometimes special powers), and the first to 10 stars wins.
It’s worth pointing out that this is also the type of game you can teach someone else in about 1 minute. I spent hardly anytime at all reading the rules. And I’m not one to be scared away from complicated rule books, but I’m also not ashamed to admit that games that are easy to learn and teach kids are often very much appreciated - especially if the game is still a lot of fun to play.
At the end of the day, I suppose Purrfect Pick is aptly titled, because it is absolutely perfect for involving the entire family. It’s easy to explain, engaging, and enjoyable for almost any age. And, of course, it’s extremely adorable. Longtime Pusheen fans and newbies like us will all likely be very pleased with the results.
Are you a Pusheen fan? Have you tried Purrfect Pick yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
