It’s been a while since I’ve played air hockey at the arcade…heck, it’s been a while since I’ve BEEN to an arcade. The ReplayFX event was a rare exception, but you generally won’t find as many arcades as you could twenty years ago…at least in my area. “KLASK” is similar to air hockey, but uses magnets and rolling balls instead of forced air. Before we touch on the rules and gameplay, I’d like to thank Kristian Ahjopalo for reaching out all the way from Finland and providing me with a press copy for review purposes.
KLASK: 2 Players, Ages 8+, Average Play Time = 20-30 Minutes
Components
The game includes one table, two chips, four magnets, two yellow balls, two black striker pieces, one cloth bag, and a rule book.
Setup & Gameplay
Setting up the game is easy enough in that you’ll put the board between both players and place the three white magnetic pieces on the center line in their appropriate spots. You’ll put two coins next to the “0” to set the scoreboard. Each player will have a black magnetic gaming piece in two parts. They’ll place the short (thin) part on top of the board and the long (thick) part under the board in such a way so that the two parts “catch” each other. The youngest player goes first, placing the ball in their corner start field.
Players attempt to use their black piece to maneuver the ball around the field. A player scores a point if:
- The ball lands in their opponent’s hole and stays in the hole.
- Two or all of the three white magnetic pieces stick to their opponent’s gaming piece.
- Their opponent accidentally pulls their gaming piece into their own goal hole.
- If their opponent loses their gaming piece.
Each time a point is scored, the player moves their coin up the score track. The player who reaches the “6” first wins.
Some other rules worth mentioning:
- If one of the white magnetic pieces sticks to a gaming piece, the game continues; if two of the white magnetic pieces stick to one gaming piece, the opponent gets one point.
- If the ball falls over the edges of the board, you must place the ball in the corner start field in the half from which the ball fell.
- If one or more white magnetic pieces fall over the edges of the board, the game continues.
- Each time a player scores a point, you must put the white magnetic pieces back on the white fields on the board, and the player who did not score a point places the ball in their corner start field.
The Review
“KLASK”, I feel, will only appeal to a set niche of people. Sure, anyone can play “KLASK”…but if you’re not someone who enjoys playing dexterity games like Air Hockey, then it’ll overstay its welcome relatively quickly. The components are fairly good and the idea is unique, but that’s really the only good things that I can say about this game. The price tag is rather hefty and will set you back $59.99. Granted, you’re getting a mini-table and some pretty powerful magnets, but $59.99 is out of my personal price range for something like this. If you are a collector of table games and/or really, really enjoy Air Hockey, then you may find “KLASK” to be worth your time and money. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people and I didn’t enjoy my experience with this one. Oh, and the slogan on the huge box the game came in needs some work…watch the video I posted below for specifics.
Final Verdict: 3/10
Editor’s Note: This is one instance where price had a huge impact on the review score. If money is not an issue for you, I’d say tack on a few points to my score and make it a 5/10.
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I’m told that the game will be sold in the US exclusively at “Marbles The Brain Store”:
http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/klask.htm
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