Michael Coene
United States
Ellicott City
Maryland
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I just want to begin by saying that this game does not deserve the low average it has recieved here on the geek, at least as far as my reviewing standards are concerned.
Anyone who has been reading my reviews has probably picked up on how I do things by now. I make an effort to not so much judge the game on personal taste, or how it fits in to MY collection (all though I will certainly share this information). I instead try to judge it's potential to first fit into ANY collection, and then from there, what NICHE collections could it have potential in if it's not quite "universal".
That being said, I'm going to go ahead and give Jishaku a good review, despite the fact that I am totally aware of how shallow of a game it is.
Your objective in Jishaku (assuming you are playing by the basic rules) is to get rid of all the tiny magnets in your hand. The first player to do so wins the game. You do this by taking turns placing the little magnet stones, which vary in shape and size, one at a time into a little egg-carton-esque foam board. Your hope is that you place it without attracting the attention of the other magnets all ready placed.
The placing of the magnets actually does take a certain amount of skill beyond simply placing it gently. As your stone descends down to the foam, you can see which magents are responding and in what direction. From there, you can kind of manuever your positioning so that it's placed juuuuust so. If you're really good, you can place it without attracting any magnets while leaving it in a very precarious position, meaning it looks ready to leap out of it's spot.
When the magnets to attract, it happens lightning fast and with a resounding "CRACK!" that startles the player almost every time, and ends with all players going "OOOOOOOOOOHHHH!" almost every time.
That's it. There's alternative rules, but they're not as good as the basic. They revolve around collecting magnets instead of expunging them, which just isn't nearly as fun. What's nice is that the mechanic is simple enough that you could make-up any number of rules and it could work for an interesting game. I myself am toying with the idea of making my own board that works a little differently.
What makes this game worth having around is anyone, and I do mean anyone, can get into it for at least a couple of rounds. I've played with my mother and my three-year old neice, while I've also played at a crazy birthday party involving jello shooters. During game nights, people tend to like to play it once they're "out" but don't feel like sitting around waiting.
I honestly do feel like this is one of those games that everyone should own. Seriously. I mean, why not? It's so barebones that players can casually play it at the same time that they're playing a big, meaty wargame. Finished your turn? Drop a couple magnets to pass the time. It requires so little of you that you can get away with doing this without coming off as rude to the players of your meatier game, even without missing anything that's happening.
Do I think it's an awesome game? Do I ever suggest it? No, not really. I gave it a six on the geek, I believe. But there's room on everyone's shelf for quick sixes. Especially for the people who would never imagine "rating" a game in their spare time.
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Where does Jishaku belong?
No Collections
One Niche Collection
Some Niche Collections
Most Collections
All Collections
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Posted Sat Nov 21, 2009 7:57 pm