Overview
Draft ridiculous monster cards into a shared arena, position them strategically, then battle opponents’ monsters using dice. First to defeat three enemy cards wins — but defeated cards can be stolen by anyone watching.
Whitney’s Review
Likes
- Constant player interaction throughout the game
- You can capitalize on other players’ battles even when it’s not your turn
- Playing characters in ridiculous voices is basically mandatory
Dislikes
- Lots of reading on every card — not a tired-brain game
- Many details to remember — play it earlier in the night
- Works better with the right group
First Impressions
Intimidated by the rulebook, pleasantly surprised by how quickly the game actually clicks. There’s a lot to absorb up front, but once you’re playing, most of it makes sense. This is not the game to pull out when everyone’s had a few and wants something simple — save it for the start of the night.
Thoughts
Every card is a different monster from different colour-coded families with unique abilities and stats. Each character has attack and defense values, and some abilities trigger only in specific situations — adjacent cards, certain family matchups, or when a specific condition is met.
The attack mechanic: announce which of your cards is attacking which enemy card, then roll dice. If the attack succeeds, the defending card takes damage (googly-eye tokens mark wounds). Defeat a card and it goes in front of you as a trophy. But anyone can then place a new card adjacent to the defeated space and continue the fight.
The best part: capitalization. When one player weakens an enemy card, another player can sweep in on their turn to finish the kill and take the trophy. This creates moments where everyone is invested in every battle, watching to see who benefits from someone else’s work.
A lot of reading is required. Cards have detailed text and you need to process each one you play. Experience players and newcomers can hit different walls here.
Conclusion
Squirmish is interactive, entertaining, and different from most card games. The constant back-and-forth of battles and counter-moves keeps everyone engaged. Play it once to get over the learning hump, and the second game will click into place. Great for groups who enjoy tactical card combat and will commit to actually reading the cards.
