Quokka Games, based out of Brisbane and Canberra around australia, has carved out its very own niche as a purveyor of cosy ‘slice-of-life’ style card and games during the last couple of years. Inspired by pandemic-era living circumstances, and the fun every day life, developers Anderson and Jonathon Cheung make within their mission to ‘share happiness using the world’ by creating welcoming, accessible, and colourful games for everyone.
Boba Master, a game title currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, may be the latest project from Quokka Games, and one that aims for connecting people via a passion for bubble tea – as well as fun, competitive gameplay. Within this card-based game, as much as 10 players compete against one another to become the first Boba Master to concoct two different bubble teas (chosen from a stack of adorable, smiley-faced cards).
The real twist is that players can’t deploy cards using their own deck – they must memorise which cards other players have within their hand (revealed upon every draw) and then play these cards to suit their own purposes.
Bubble tea creation requires players to nab a number of Tool Cards, which can advance the process to another step. Action Cards can also aid progress, allowing players to enact a special move that provides them a benefit in the boba race.
According to the Quokka Games team, it had been this ‘yoinking’ mechanic that first inspired the development of Boba Master. It’s even the core gameplay twist that keeps the action fast, frantic and totally chaotic, with the right number of players.
‘Would not it be fun to possess a game in which you couldn't play cards from your own hand, only the cards from other people's hands? From there, the sport just kind of fell into position,’ the Quokka Games team told GamesHub of the Boba Master creation process. ‘The theme started off with potatoes and making potato chips, but because we had Yum Cha within the pipeline, we figured why don't you make use of this chance to showcase more of our culture, and reskinned it to our favourite drinks instead.’
According to Quokka Games, theft became central to Boba Master after positive feedback in one of the friends, who was playing via a previous game. From an inkling of an idea, to prototyping between your Cheung brothers, it evolved to define gameplay and finally, caused well-received ‘chaos’ in playtests.
In our time with the game, that chaos was certainly on show. While traditionally, card games need you to analyse your own hand and play cards as you wish, the quirk in Boba Master means you have to consider each card draw, and watch like a hawk as other players organize their perfect bubble tea. The Tool Cards included also have potentially chaotic impact – as they can shake up your plans, or perhaps result in dramatic card pinching as players stride towards victory.
Thankfully, every card is illustrated within an entirely wholesome, adorable art style, making losses sting a little bit less. It’s hard to be angry when you’ve got a bubble tea cup inside your hand, giving you the UwU face.
Despite the chaos involved, Quokka Games hopes keen players will respond positively to Boba Master and its unique quirks. Many of the company’s games are created to be happy experiences that gather people together – which shines through within the art style, quickness, and ‘ordinary’ theme of Boba Master.
‘We have found that everyday concepts are the most relatable,’ Quokka Games told GamesHub. ‘As a result, we've definitely embraced this, and try to continue gamifying anything that seems a little tedious in real life, making it an enjoyable and fun experience like a game.’
What is most important to Quokka Games is giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy tabletop gaming, in whatever form it might take. Simplicity is key – as it creates a ‘gateway’ for any player to go in.
‘Simple to us means easy to set up anywhere. The little form factor means easily portable, so you bring it with you all the time. Simple to learn means anyone can get it and play, we don’t want to scare away anyone from having a good time,’ the Quokka team said.
‘We like to think we’re creating gateway games for people that don’t normally play board games. There’s an indication of strategy that some veterans have found which allows them to enjoy our games on the different level, too. [Being] joyful is the most important one for us, the whole reason we exist. We love seeing the smile on people's faces if they are using a blast, additionally, it means we are able to educate people while they're having a good time.’
Boba Master is the same to those goals. While the game is hinged on competitive play, additionally, it aims to show players lessons – and to invite them into the world and lifetime of the Quokka Bros.
‘As with every author will tell you, “write about the items or people you know in your own life”, therefore we have adopted this approach and applied it to the games we make,’ the team said. ‘Being Australian-born Chinese, we realised that people can use our games like a medium to share and represent our Eastern culture in the West.’
Beyond being a fun experiment, the creation of Boba Master was a chance for Anderson and Jonathan Cheung to embrace their roots, and set their learned language into practice. Becoming an adult, their parents took these to Chinese school on weekends, allowing them to find out more about their culture and traditions – and also to share them with friends.
To that end, Boba Master – like Yum Cha before it – features dual languages on its bubble tea cards, teaching audiences about the Traditional Chinese names for each drink.
‘Hopefully that people can resonate with individuals who have similar backgrounds and welcome others through this little portal to view our world and culture via our games … we saw this because the perfect chance to teach our own friends and family how you can pronounce and read traditional Chinese.’
This inclusion implies that while you’re frantically stealing cards and attempting to froth your bubble tea to perfection, you’re subtly learning more – about the Quokka Bros, contributing to traditional Chinese culture.
By pouring so much of their very own experiences into this game, they has established a snappy slice-of-life card game that balances friendly competition with a warm feeling of personality, and a hint of playful education.
Like other games created by the Quokka team, Boba Master is a wholesome creation – wonderfully cute, very bubbly, and excellent for a quiet afternoon with friends. Although it does get chaotic at times, its simple design and beginner-friendly gameplay makes it pure joy.
Boba Master is currently live on Kickstarter. It's already surpassed its funding goal, with 28 days left to accomplish its campaign.
