To tinfinity but not beyond with Alley Cat Games’s small-tin dexterity game
Alley Cat’s series of dexterity games are usually a lot of fun in a pocket-sized format. Another entry in the tin-pun series that includes Tinderblox (stacking blocks to make a campfire) and Kittin (stacking kitten-shaped blocks), Spaghettin has much to live up to, as those previous titles squeezed a lot of charm and bright, striking components into their compact, travel-sized tins.
The rules are so simple as to be practically non-existent. The tin is full of strings representing spaghetti of different lengths. On top of it sit five wooden blocks – a red tomato, a chunk of cheese, etc. On your turn, your pick a strand of spaghetti and tease it out with the tongs provided. If a topping falls and hits the bottom of the tin, you’re eliminated. The last player standing wins.
That’s it. That’s the game in its entirety. The estimated maximum five-minute playtime may, if anything, be too generous. If you’re playing with two players, the game might be over in 10 seconds. It’s a quick, compact experience that’s accessible for all ages and looks visually appealing.
For all the promise of its premise, Spaghettin is the weakest of Alley Cat’s dexterity game tins. The central conceit – that a topping has to fall and have one face completely flat against the bottom of the tin to eliminate a player – results in fiddly, anticlimactic conclusions as you all pause and peer into the tangle of string like people hunting for a lost contact lens. Sometimes you hear a confirming ‘dink’ as it drops, but often you don’t.
Review by Tim Clare
No
In games such as Rhino Hero or Jenga, failure triggers a decisive, dramatic, “Oh no!” moment. In Spaghettin, it triggers pausing and squinting – more “Am I out? Oh, I am.” It’s an experiment that doesn’t quite land.
A fun, accessible tin-based party game where you play as seagulls using tweezers to grab chips.
Designer: Franco Sardo
Publisher: Alley Cat Games
Time to Play: 5m
Players: 2-6 Players
Age: 8+
RRP: £11.99
20 Spaghetti strings
5 Topping blocks
2 Tweezers
Rulebook