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A CARD GAME ALL ABOUT SINGAPORE’S LOCAL DRINKS: KOPI KING REVIEW
When you order your cup of coffee at a nearby coffee shop, you might wonder how it’s being made. The questions you have about your favourite local drink can now be answered when you play Kopi King.
According to The Straits Times, it stated that Kopi King is a local card game that was released in August 2020. Daryl Chow, 39, game designer for Kopi King, said that Kopi King is a “real time” and “very dexterity-based game”.
He said that Kopi King was created with Singapore’s local coffee shop culture in mind and aims to share about the amount of effort taken to make local drinks.
Daryl has a goal. He said: “I want to show Singaporeans that games are much more than just UNO and what you perceive them to be.”
In the game, the rulebook states that players find ingredient cards to finish their local drink order cards. The goal is to get the most amount of money from finishing orders.
When I first played Kopi King with four friends, I found that the overall gameplay and rules were simple to understand.
Joey Chan Jia Qi, 23, business development manager for The Mind Cafe, a board game cafe in Singapore, said that beginners usually play local games like Kopi King since they’re relatable and easy to pick up. She also said that Kopi King is a game where people “don't need to think too much” and it’s for “all ages”.
If you’re searching for complicated games, Kopi King may not be the one for you.
During the game, everyone scrambles to get their hands on the ingredient cards at the same time. I found that this made the game chaotic but in a positive way.
“You're looking for the different ingredients to make your coffee … everyone's rushing, [and] panicking … it's very exciting,” Sam Leung, 42, an avid board game collector with more than 300 games in his collection said.
What stood out to me was how the gameplay mimics the local Singapore coffee shop experience in the comfort of home. The rule book stated that whenever a player completes an order, they must shout the drink’s name as if they are selling drinks at a coffee shop.
“I wanted the feeling of the game to be very coffee shop [-] like, so a lot of movement, a lot of talking, and like speed and skill[s] involved,” Daryl said.
What I found interesting is that the rule book contains not just game rules but facts about Singapore’s local drinks.
Joey said that customers at The Mind Cafe who played Kopi King, now know what ingredients are used in various local drinks. They also learnt the way of ordering drinks at local coffee shops.
Similarly, Fajutag John Francis Fajarillo, 18, who has played Kopi King before, said that having moved from the Philippines to Singapore, Kopi King has helped him uncover the array of local drinks one can order other than those stated in the menu.
“It was so interesting seeing how there are more homemade or unique creations that were unique to the hawkers in Singapore compared to your conventional coffees and teas you find from more Western coffee shops,” John said.
Kopi King is not just for locals. Daryl said that the game helps introduce non-locals to Singapore’s drink culture which can’t be explained with just words. He also said that it “recreate[s] this experience, even if you’re not in Singapore ''.
However, the game has its downside. Depending on the individual, Kopi King may not be a game one can play repeatedly. For me, the excitement disappeared after playing for several rounds.
Sam said that one aspect which determines a game’s worth “is the replayability of a game”. It’s stated in a VICE article that replayability refers to the number of times a game is played until it’s no longer fun.
Sam said that because Kopi King is a short game, the question of “how many rounds of the same thing can you play” comes to mind.
Despite this, Kopi King is an enjoyable and informative game. If you’re looking for an easy local based card game, I recommend giving Kopi King a try.
Information about Kopi King:
Price: $20 on Origame’s website
Number of Players: One to six players
Recommended Age: 10 and above
Verdict: Four out of five stars
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