Nasi Lemak The Game is a local Malaysian card-based board game that takes the concept of a nasi lemak vendor to entertaining new heights. The game takes roughly 10-15 minutes to learn and once you get off the training wheels after a few starting turns, you will be going all in against your friends to vie for nasi lemak supremacy.
The objective of the game is to collect components to make nasi lemak and the person who reaches a total of 5 nasi lemaks first wins. However, there are a myriad of tactics that your friends can deploy to stop you from reaching your sweet sambal victory, including sending flies (yes, FLIES) to stifle your nasi lemak stock and even steal your nasi lemak components!
The game components are designed with simplicity in mind, with clear artwork depicting a strong Malaysian flavour that gives a sense of familiarity right from the start.
The gameplay itself strikes a very good balance between strategy and chance as each player draws from the same deck of central cards. Aside from collecting the components you need, you’ll need to carefully plan on trades, advancing your nasi lemak production and simultaneously halting the progression of your opponents. This adds an element of unpredictability during each player’s turn that keeps every game past faced and exciting.
The game has a good pacing level, with most games lasting between 15-20 minutes and players immediately wanting to get into another game or two. By adding on the rendang expansion pack, the challenge to manage your nasi lemak business becomes more intense, requiring quick thinking and adaptability as you get hit by crows, and wild cards become abundant. This gradual increase in complexity ensures that both new players and experienced board gamers will find the game engaging and enhance replayability.
In conclusion, after a grueling 2 weeks of playtesting with different groups and players, Nasi Lemak The Game is a must-have for any casual board game enthusiast. It borrows great elements from existing games such as Exploding Kittens, Settlers of Catan, and Saboteur while adding its own zany twists that makes the game inherently unique.
Whether you’re playing with friends, family, or other board gamers, this game is guaranteed to provide hours of laughter, strategic thinking, and an immersive Malaysian theme. We recommend you to play this game at your local nasi lemak shop or even at your local mamak (which we actually did) for an added sambal kick!
