Catchy!

Catchy! (キャッチー！) is a tug-of-war-like trick-taking game for two players. In Catchy! you will try to allure Alex, a fickle cat, and have him come into your arms by showing him what he likes. But be careful, as he is so much whimsical that he changes his mind so often; the thing he loved to play with may not be his kind anymore a minute after! In this game, Alex is represented in a tile, and it is two-sided; one side is red colored and the other is blue colored. In Catchy! players play ordinary trick-taking game in which the latter player must follow the suit, if possible. Two players take turn to play one card for one trick, and if both two players play “odd” numbers, Alex flips to the other side; red side being up, it flips to the blue, and vice versa. Then, he moves towards one of the players by one step according to the rule following: if its red side is up, he moves to the player who took the trick, and if its blue side is up, he moves to the other, s/he who did not take the trick. After players’ hands have been exhausted, or Alex has moved into one players field, arms, one round ends and the player who has Alex closer to him/her scores points. Rounds are played on and on until one player gains 7 points, then s/he who has 7 points wins the game. As you may see, in this game, even in one round, you sometimes have to become eager to take tricks and sometimes you do not. This tricky twist is the core of Catchy! This game is small (only 17 cards used), but needing its players to think strategically and concentrate on making most of their hand. This portable game surely takes you to a cute but strategical “catchy” world anytime, anywhere, and anywhere you are with. —description from the designer