Unboxing and Review – Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery

Outside of lolita fashion, one of my hobbies is tabletop games! I love games like Dungeons and Dragons, as well as board games like Code Names, Love Letter, and Pitchstorm. I’ve even written about board games and lolita before! While I’d found games that have a spooky aesthetic, it was harder to find a fun game that fit into a more kawaii, sweet style. Until…

…I got a surprise package in the mail! The nice people over at Skybound Tabletop Games sent me a promotional copy of their new game, Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery.

The Game

From the Skybound website:

Your favorite British Baker, Kim-Joy, has moved to a magical forest and opened up a small bakery. Now she needs your help to keep customers happy. From sly foxes to needy cats, gossipy ducks to clumsy dinosaurs, you’re about to have your hands full keeping this bakery running smoothly!

Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery is a light cooperative card game for 2 to 5 players that tells an adorable story over 10 unique scenarios. No baking experience required!

Game Play

Sample game board. Playing on dresses not recommended.

I had a chance to play test this game while it was still being developed (my friend Ben designed the game!) and the core of the game hasn’t changed. It is a cooperative card game that places the players in charge of helping sure that Kim-Joy’s new bakery is a huge success. Of course, this isn’t just any bakery! Customers include wily foxes, mischievous cats, magical unicorns, and turtles in space ships.

Stupid smug cat.

Players must fulfill orders while handling all kinds of unique challenges by combing cards in their hand to make “layers” of baked goods. Additionally, you can earn extra points by completing orders with optional “garnish”.  There are 10 specific scenarios with a short narrative and unique rules to go along with each one. Playing through all 10 rewards you with a sweet story about the power of baking and friendship.

If you’d rather just crush your old high scores, that’s fine too! The game has a “free play” option, and suggested puzzles created by combining the rules of two or more scenarios.

The set-up for this game will definitely take a little noodling over the first time you play. However, once you get it down, it’s pretty simple to set up to new scenarios.

It needs to be said: while this game is cooperative (you’re not competing against other players at the table) that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. During my play through, there was significant swearing over a certain panda themed scenario that involved a timer. Of course, if you want to change the difficulty, Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery has you covered: the rule book allows you add additional cards to make things a little easier.

Don’t forget to keep score and see if you can become Meister of Macarons, Caliph of Cakes, Burgrave of Biscuits and GREATEST BAKER.

My thoughts

This game hits all the right marks for me. I love the Great British Bake-off, so having a game from one of the contestants is such a treat! The theme is perfectly cozy and adorable. To top it all off the art and design of the game is so perfect for anyone who into lolita fashion, especially sweet lolitas!

I’m a huge fan of card games that easily fit into a purse or backpack, play in 15-30 minutes, and expand to include many people. Unfortunately, Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery only plays up to 5 people, which makes it better for intimate gatherings rather than large events. Still, I can see tucking this into a backpack to bring to a convention since it packs up so compactly and doesn’t take much room to play. I think it would also be a great ice breaker for a smaller meet-up where participants don’t know each other well. Trust me, nothing with make you faster friends than your shared annoyance at that dang tuxedo cat!

Delicious Designs

The version of the game I originally played did not have all the finished artwork and it was a treat to pour over the box art and cute cards! Artist Linda Van Den Berg’s art is stylized and whimsical without feeling childish. The quirky characters leap off the page with personality.

In addition to the game itself, the box came packed with sweet swag, including an apron with the Rainbow Unicorn from challenge #4, a win with the dastardly turtles and a recipe for pavlova.

Magical Menu

It’s hard to play this game and not get hungry for all the delicious treats you’re helping to make! With that in mind, here’s a sample menu for a tea party with items that are straight from Kim-Joy’s Bakery. (I know, I know, afternoon tea should have finger sandwiches, but that doesn’t really go with the theme now, does it?)

Don’t forget your garnish! Make sure you have clotted cream and an assortment of jams and curds for your treats!

Sweet

Mille-feuille

Profiteroles

Swiss rolls

Savory

Cheese and chive scones

Crumpets

Tomato, herb and cheese tart

Showstopper

Blueberry pavolva

Tea

Serve with a decadent chocolate tea or a classic earl grey!

Get your copy

You can preorder Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery on Skybound’s website. If you have Tabletop Simulator, you can also play Kim-Joy’s Magic Bakery for free right now! You can also follow Skybound Tabletop on all their social media including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

 

Comments

  1. Lizzy says:

    Although playing on dresses isn’t recommended, the cards look so cute on the patterns! Love it!!

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