We are a pack of small mice who are constantly being haunted by creatures who once roamed the realm. It’s a race to wake up first and fight off the spooky specters so we can go back to a great night of sleep. Will you be able to fight off the creatures and reign supreme? Let’s go find out!
Haunted Mouse is a competitive card game published by Bezier Games. It plays 2-5 players in 30 mins. The designer is Jonathan Cox and the artist is Sai Beppu.
Overview:
Players take the roles of mice going through a scary world full of ghosts! Each player begins the game with a hand of cards and attempts to get rid of those cards before the other players. The overall objective is to earn cheese by finishing rounds with as few cards as possible. Cheese collected across multiple rounds is added to each player’s personal cheese wheel, and the first player to complete their cheese wheel wins the game!
Gameplay:
The game is played over a series of rounds. During a player’s turn, they either play a meld, draw a card or set a trap. A played combination, or meld of cards must follow the current trick, matching the combination type while meeting or exceeding its rank. Once every other player passes, the player who made the highest valid play begins a new trick and may choose any legal card combination to lead. Drawing a card allows you to take one from the deck, public bait or another player’s bait. You must keep all cards in your hand adjacent but when you draw a new one you can place it anywhere.
Cards are played in a ladder-climbing system that basically means each new play must be stronger than the previous one while maintaining the same combination type until a new trick begins. This structure continues throughout the round as players alternate turns, pass when unable or unwilling to play, and wait for an opportunity to take control of the trick.
A round ends immediately when one player has played all of their cards. Players are then awarded cheese based on the order in which they emptied their hands, with earlier finishers earning more cheese than players who still held cards when the round ended. The earned cheese wedges are added to each player’s cheese wheel before a new round is prepared with freshly dealt cards.
The game continues through successive rounds, with players accumulating cheese over time rather than competing to win a single hand. Progress carries from one round to the next as cheese wedges are added to each player’s wheel. When a player collects their 7th cheese the game ends and that player is the winner!
Impressions:
I enjoyed the gameplay of Haunted Mouse, especially the ease of teaching this one and getting it to the table with a variety of people. The game was easy to follow even with our more casual gamers which is always a welcome addition to my collection.
Another unique aspect for a trick-taking game is that players are not limited to using only the cards in their own hands. The game allows players to incorporate cards belonging to other players from their bait cards face-up in front of them. Using another player’s cards contributes to completing a legal combination while also removing those cards from that player’s hand, so it’s a win-win move but one that could help your opponent win quicker.
There are a lot of trick-taking games out there but I love the way this one plays and the art is a plus for sure. The creatures are adorable and the cheese pieces are very cute. It’s an aesthetic win for sure!
Overall if you are looking for a new card game to hit your table, Haunted Mouse is just the ticket to finding a fun and interactive card game that is sure to hook in a number of players from the most seasoned to the still green to gaming. So go grab a friend or two and pack up some cheese-it’s time to go search for some haunts in the Haunted Mouse!
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