Bugs & Co is a short and simple family game by Bruno Faidutti, Thomas Viuarchex, and Pierric Yakovenko, published by Libellud and distributed in the US by Asmodee Editions.
Players: 2-8
Playing Time: 5 minutes
Summary of Components
Bugs & Co comes in a small square box that contains 75 cardboard discs and a set of rules.
Quality: The discs are all sturdy, linen-textured cardboard. 5 out of 5.
Beauty: 70 of the discs portray a monsters, drawn fairly plainly. The last 5 depict trophies, drawn a bit more complexly. The simplicity of the monster drawings is probably a requirement for the gameplay to work, but it doesn't really stand out as a result. (Contrariwise, the rules and box cover are both very attractive.) 3 out of 5.
Theming: The game is largely an abstract, where you're collecting three matching discs. Nonetheless, the monsters (bugs?) on the tiles are cute. 2 out of 5.
Overall, Bugs & Co. is a pretty minimalistic game. I've given it a "3" out of "5" for Style.
Summary of the Gameplay
A collection of discs is placed on the table, face-down. It contains many sets of three monsters, each of which is drawn the same, but depicted in a different color. To make things more difficult, some different monsters are pretty similar in shape.
Some trophy tiles are also placed on the table.
When the game starts, all players simultaneously start looking at discs. They're trying to gather sets, but this is made difficult by the fact that they're only looking at one disc at a time. When they decide they want to keep a disc, they place it face-down in their left hand, and aren't allowed to look at it again.
When a player decides he has a good collection of discs, he takes the best-valued trophy tile left.
There are always fewer trophies than the number of players. When the last one is taken, any remaining players have about 10 seconds to finish up. Then each player scores the discs they've collected.
Each set of three identically shaped monsters is worth +3 points. Each other disc is worth -1 point. The trophy is worth 1-3 points. The player with the most points wins.
Relationships to Other Games
Bugs & Co. is sort of a real-time Concentration, but with risk-taking amping up the game even further, as you often decide to take a set without knowing if all three discs are available.
The Game Design
Bugs & Co. is a fast-paced game without a lot of depth. It gets most of its power from the frantic excitement that it generates--and that definitely exists. There is some opportunity for risk-reward, as you decide how many of a set you need to see before collecting. There's also some opportunity for strategy, where you can grab bugs of a certain type in hope of completing sets without actually having to remember the specifics of the discs.
Overall, Bugs & Co. works well as what it is: a lightning-quick memory game. In that context I've given it a "4" out of "5" for Substance.
Conclusion
Bugs & Co. is a light and fast family game that's exciting and amusing. It's not, however, a game of serious strategy.
