Everyone wants a new Skyjo, and Gigamic won't tell us otherwise! In Dékal we find Skyjo vibes with more strategy
When the game combines strategy and simplicity, it quickly becomes a must-have for evenings with family or friends. This is exactly what Dékal offers. With his Skyjo appearance, he has won over fans of fast-paced and tactical games. But does Dekal have what it takes to achieve great success?
How to play Dekal?
Start by creating a 4×4 square of cards face down in front of you. Everyone then removes the card from their board and places it face down in the middle. When you're done, turn over the center cards.
On your turn, in a clockwise direction, choose a card from the center and drag it to your board. Be careful, you can't put it directly into the empty space! You must move an entire row or column to insert it correctly.
When all your cards are revealed, the game ends. Remove cards with identical and adjacent numbers, keeping only isolated numbers. Add up your remaining cards: the card with the lowest score wins!
Your goal is to try to arrange several numbers so that you can finally get rid of them.
My opinion on Decal?
So my opinion of Dékal is a bit mixed. If you've played Skyjo before, you'll quickly find yourself in familiar territory: simple rules, quick games, and a similar goal of minimizing points.
But, and this is where Dékal comes into play, the little touch of extra strategy with 'transforming' the rows and columns in your 4×4 table really makes a difference.
It's no longer just about luck with the cards you flip, but also about smart placement.
Personally, I didn't hate the tactical genre one bit, even if I was never a fan of the genre. There is a real idea that you have to improve your board, anticipate the upcoming rounds and remove as many cards as possible in the end.
Every decision matters, and you find yourself having to choose between saving a strategic card for later or playing safer by limiting damage now, and what I found great is that the games are very fast.
In 15 minutes, you can easily complete several rounds without getting bored. But for some, it can also be a small drawback. I've seen a lot of comments suggesting that the game becomes repetitive once the mechanics are well understood.
It's true that if you're looking for a richer, more interactive experience, Dékal might leave you wanting more, but honestly, for a game of this type, this is exactly what you're looking for: fun, without any of the hassle.
Dékal is a beautiful game but it has some limitations, especially when looked at with a critical eye after a few games. Although inspired by the success of Skyjo, it ultimately remains too close to the latter, to the point of lacking originality.
If you've already played Skyjo, the experience may seem redundant. In fact, despite the row and column switching mechanics, the game doesn't bring any real significant innovation.
Ultimately, if you like light games with a bit of strategy without committing to multi-hour games, Dékal is clearly a good choice. It's Skyjo 2.0, a little more sophisticated, but still accessible and perfect for evenings with friends or family.
Who knows, this game might become a must-have in your game library if you like these kind of quick, tactical little ideas!
