I’m 100% behind pet adoption programs. There’s absolutely no reason to walk into a retail store and buy a dog for $600+ when you can help rescue animals in need via adoption. The dogs and cats that I’ve owned were all adopted through either Animal Friends or the Humane Society, two organizations dedicated to rescuing animals and finding them forever homes. “ComPetability” has such a theme in that you’re trying to match up animals in your hand so that they are compatible. Before we begin I’m required by FTC regulations to disclose that I was paid to cover this game, however any and all opinions are my own. As always, the only thing paid for here was my time.
My copy of “ComPetability” came with 54 cards, an instruction booklet, a plastic can lid, and a Dunce Cap Games card & sticker (purely promotional).
To set up the game, one of the players shuffles the cards and deals five to each player. The deck is placed within easy reach of all players and the top card is flipped faceup off to the side to form a “shed” (discard) pile. Players can choose who will go first randomly or simply allow the youngest player to go first.
On a player’s turn they’ll draw a card from either the deck or shed pile and then discard a card to the shed pile. Turns continue clockwise until one player manages to make all five cards in their hand compatible, immediately ending the round.
The cards themselves are made up of dogs, cats, birds, and turtles mostly of varying types, though there are a few special cards that defy the norm. Two of these are “we are not sure” cards and one is a unicorn. Cards typically have the name and type on the top of them, with a descriptor along the bottom that explains with whom they are compatible. Green, yellow, and red symbols help to summarize the describing paragraph. A green dog symbol would indicate that the animal can be paired with other dogs. A yellow cat symbol means that the animal can be paired with cats with the indicated exception (no adult cats, etc.).
Cards also contain a point value at the top right corner, indicating how much they are worth at the end of the round. Turtles can be paired with anything, for example, but offer 0 points. Typically, the harder a card is to match with others, the more it is worth. At the end of a round, the player who ended it gets a bonus 10 points. All players then add up the cards in their hand that are compatible, shedding those who aren’t. Players can play multiple rounds, keeping track of the points as they go. Play until your heart’s content!
The above doesn’t cover every rule found in the rulebook, but should give you an idea as to how the game is played.
Typically I’d give you the player count, age requirement, and average play time in the opening paragraph. Unfortunately, the game conflicts itself so I can’t give you exact numbers. The can’s cover says 2-8+ players at ages 5+ while the rulebook says 2-6 players at ages 7+. I honestly think that 2-4 players at ages 8+ would be best, but that’s just my semi-expert opinion given my 10+ years of critiquing / playing games.
The problems with consistency doesn’t stop there. While the whole “game in a can” sounds cool on paper, it’s really not in practice in that it just doesn’t fit or stack well with the other games in my collection. Worse, upon opening the can for the first time I saw that the cards were slightly bent and chipped in some places. The plastic lid that is supposed to replace the peel lid, was warped and does not fit the can. My girlfriend and I both tried but eventually gave up. The rulebook is broken in several places, cutting off entire sentences into the nether. I’ve seen prototypes with better consistency and quality. Please, ditch the can and use a cardboard box or at least, use a can similar to that of “Zombie Dice”.
The gameplay itself is fine for what it is. Everything flowed pretty well and it was all so simple…draw a card, play a card. As such, “ComPetability” is easy to learn and accessible to players of almost any age. I liked the art style and I bet younger kids will love seeing all the different flavors of animals on these cards, especially those two that have no idea what they are (a dog with wings, etc.). From an experienced gamer’s standpoint, I suspect that most of the enjoyment to be had here is hedging your bets on what cards to keep and which cards to get rid of, similar to that of “Fantasy Realms”. You may end up with a pair that compliment each other well and another pair that do the same, but neither of which jive with the other pair. At that point its up to observational skills (what’s been discarded already) and a little luck.
As for myself, the biggest selling point here was neither the components or gameplay, but the message behind it. I feel it to be extremely important to educate both kids and adults alike on the necessity of observing an animal’s behavior in order to determine its ideal living situation. Any game that opens up conversations related to animal adoption scores points in my book. $10.99, the current price point on the official website, is a small price to pay for such dialogue. With a bit of work on the back end (rulebook, component quality, etc.) “ComPetability” could be a fantastic game. As it stands, the backbone of it could use some more work under the hood.
Final Verdict: 5/10 (Fair)
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