Sushi Go!

Is Sushi Go! worth taking on holiday?

Sushi Go! is exactly the sort of game that works well on holiday: simple, quick to play and easy to fit into the gaps between everything else you're doing.

It's not something we take away expecting to spend an entire evening playing. Instead, it's one of our go-to choices when we've got 10–20 minutes and want something more substantial than simply passing the time but don't want to start a long game.

It's also very easy to introduce to people who don't regularly play board games.

What's it like to play?

Sushi Go! is a card-drafting game, but it's considerably simpler than that description might make it sound.

Everyone chooses a card from their hand and then passes the remaining cards to the next player. You gradually build a collection in front of you, trying to put together combinations that score points.

Because everyone plays at the same time, there's very little waiting around for someone else to take their turn.

That's particularly useful on holiday when we want something quick and sociable rather than a game that requires everyone to concentrate for a long period.

Is Sushi Go! good with children?

Yes. It's colourful, straightforward and doesn't take long to understand.

There's enough decision-making to keep the game interesting for adults, without making it difficult for younger players to join in.

It's one of the games we'd be comfortable getting out when we have a mixture of ages playing together.

Is it good for short sessions?

This is probably where Sushi Go! fits best in our holiday collection.

If we've got 10–20 minutes available, we'd happily choose between Sushi Go!, Dobble or Hive depending on who's playing and what sort of game we feel like.

Dobble gives us something extremely quick and chaotic. Hive gives two players something more strategic. Sushi Go! sits nicely between them as a light family card game with a little more decision-making.

How easy is it to pack?

Very easy.

The game is fundamentally a deck of cards, so it doesn't require much luggage space. That's exactly what we want from this type of holiday game.

As with any card game, we'd be more cautious about playing it somewhere particularly windy than we would with something like Hive Pocket.

Would we play it all evening?

Probably not.

That's not really what we use Sushi Go! for. We'd be more likely to play a game or two and then move on to something else.

For a longer evening of gaming, we'd choose something such as The Crew. But having several compact games that each fill a different role is useful on holiday, and Sushi Go! is one of our favourites for those shorter sessions.

Our verdict

Sushi Go! is an excellent little holiday game.

It's easy to pack, easy to teach and quick enough that getting it out never feels like a commitment. It's particularly good when adults and children are playing together or when you've only got a short amount of time available.

We wouldn't take it away as our only game if we wanted something to occupy several evenings, but alongside one or two longer games, Sushi Go! earns its suitcase space very easily.