A Rapid Review of Wasabi

Some of the best, most interesting and intriguing games come from Z-Man Games, and Wasabi (sometimes sold under the name Sushi) is no exception. Each player competes to create recipes using 2 to 5 ingredients selected randomly. Ingredients are placed on a shared playing board one player after another and once a row of the appropriate ingredients is placed, a player may complete and score a recipe.

As one might expect, the 5-ingredient recipes are harder to complete than the 2-ingredient recipes, but receive a higher point score if completed. The game is won either by using all of your challenge tokens (used for scoring completed recipes) or when the playing area is filled. With each added player the size of the playing field increases, expanding the strategic options and the sophistication of the game play. A 4-player game is very, very different from a 2-player game, which adds to the replay value of the game.

I was very surprised by the quality and variety of Wasabi’s components. Thick ingredient tiles, a solid playing board mimicking the tatami rolling mat, green blocks of wasabi, menu boards, and charming little bowls are all included. Wasabi nicely sets the scene of a lovely sushi restaurant and the game play is challenging and very fun.