Tentacle Bento (2012)

About this game

Tentacle Bento is a cheeky, fast-playing trick-taking card game for 2 to 4 players. Each game puts you in the enviable position of being a horrid, tentacle-flailing, slime-oozing monster from outer space – cleverly disguised (of course) as an adorable and newly enrolled student at Takoashi University, an all-girls school nestled in scenic Japan. Play requires matching a student, a location, and an action in order to get points for that student. Any suit combination of these cards is sufficient for a "sloppy capture", but a "noble capture" (all items of the same suit) allows you to capture up to three students simultaneously. Noble captures also allow additional game actions. Suits in the game are "cute", "sexy", "sporty", and "smart". Cultural events (such as Sports Day) and special personalities can also modify the basic game play.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 1.3/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 16 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.