I do love cats, but I also hate game cards. 'Shuffle Cats' has both so imagine the conflicts that plagued my mind when I decided to try the game, going in as a devout hater of boring card games like Klondike and Poker. Despite my prejudices - and much as I hate to admit it, I found myself playing the game for hours - even sacrificing a bit of precious sleep time just to gain back all the gems I lost. Along with its charming art and simple gameplay, I say this could be the next big thing.
Development company King is definitely one of the best in the industry. Casual puzzle games like Candy Crush and Farm Heroes have dominated the charts. Now, their first multiplayer game 'Shuffle Cats' has entered the fray, offering a modern twist to the traditional card game Rummy. Players dealt with seven cards, then have to create as many 'Melds' as possible. The first player to get 10 points wins the game and gets rewarded with gems or the in-game currency.
'Shuffle Cats' also has live competitive gameplay. I got to face off with other players trying their luck in the grandiose Card Clubs of Lucky Lane, which is where you spend your gems to enter. This immensely tickled my competitive streak. So the fun factor in Shuffle Cats is highly based on how often you are winning as opposed to losing. I found myself annoyed at having to spend gems and constantly buy more just so I could exact my revenge against the persons who had better 'melds' than I.
That being said, the game has a great way of putting you through a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, giving you winning streaks, then losing streaks. I hate it, but I did start to crave everything about it - from the relaxing simplicity of the game, to the cheap thrills I get at from dropping lucky 'melds', 'Shuffle Cats' is nothing short of effective. It hooks you, drowns you, then celebrates your metaphorical hooking and drowning by rewarding you with gems, among other things.
I have but a few issues about the game. Such as the small number of cat characters - although I expect more will come. I do like casual games and competitive play, but I love campaigns even more. So the only thing I could think of that would make this game more perfect for me is if it includes adventure stories, more characters, and a longer single player campaign. Because after losing at Lucky Lane so much, I found myself rage quitting and refusing to open the app not until I knew that I'm lucky enough to try it again. (Yes, I'm superstitious.) Having single player might give players a bit of down time.
Then again, 'Shuffle Cats' is already effective as it is, who am I to ask King to fix it? In conclusion, this is a great and fun game to play although you might find yourself annoyed at it for making you addicted to it. To put things in perspective, I tried Candy Crush for half an hour and it did nothing for me. Shuffle Cats caught me in its itty bitty little paws-and I liked it.
If you are in a way intrigued, I suggest you try the game yourself. Shuffle Cats is now available in the App Store and Google Play.
