Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8413987/pocket-puffins

Designer: Edward Bell
Publisher: Red Stache Games
Artist: Parker Simpson

Pocket Puffins is an adorable print and play game focused on organizing puffins in specific arrangements to complete missions, while also trying to match igloos to score points (half igloos are positioned behind the puffins on each card). Each game, three puffins get removed at the beginning and used for their opposite side: the missions. Once three missions are set aside, the other puffin cards get shuffled and laid out in a row. Besides the double sided puffin cards, there are also six movement cards that get shuffled and placed in a deck off to the side.

Each turn, the player draws one movement card and selects exactly one of the three listed moves. Each move corresponds to a specific puffin type and has a specific movement value. Once the move is selected, the player chooses one of the three puffins of that type and moves it left or right the exact number (no more no less) of indicated spaces while staying within the nine-card layout. All other puffins in between get shifted once the chosen puffin gets relocated.

Play continues until the pattern on the visible mission is complete. Once a mission is complete, players can choose to keep playing to maximize their score or they can score it immediately and advance to the next mission. Points are scored based on the number of completed igloos. After all three missions are complete, the game ends and the final score is calculated. There is one other twist I forgot to mention: after using all six move cards, the player shuffles them and then starts again, but one card gets removed (at random) after each shuffle. If the player ever runs out of movement cards before all three missions are complete, it’s an automatic loss.

While being exceptionally quick and simple, there is a pleasantly surprising amount of planning and strategy needed for success in this game. If you’re looking for an inexpensive, quick, easy, adorable, puzzly game, look no further! Not only are the game mechanics clever, but the theming is cute and well done, and the artwork is absolutely precious. A personal favorite design choice is that the mission cards have numbers printed on them to assist in keeping track of the points scored on each mission. It’s a small inclusion but it makes so much sense and is very helpful.

One small complaint: there isn’t much to drive replayability. There is some inherent variation in terms of the randomness of the cards (the rules state there are over 300 pattern combos), but the game play is very similar from game to game. I also found myself not particularly motivated toward the end of the game to use up the move deck to try to maximize my score. Once the missions were complete and I had a respectable number of points (in my eyes), I gave up.

Thanks to Edward, I was able to get a sneak peek of the next installment through playtesting. I won’t ruin or spoil anything but the new iteration (launching in 2025 I believe) is fun and carries over the same theme and overall basic gameplay while still making it different and, in my opinion, more challenging, which is great. So, give this game a try and keep your eyes peeled for the next version. After all, who doesn’t love puffins?