Wouter & Ymke 
In the bustling kitchen of the Sweet Mess: Pastry Competition, participants are in a flurry of activity, each aiming to outdo others and earn the master chef’s nod of approval. The key to triumph in this culinary contest is not just rapid action but also strategic planning and efficient use of resources.
👥 1-4 players, ages 10+
⌛ Playing time: 45-90 minutes
📝 Designers: Zax, Yoma & Jonny Pac
🎨 Artwork: Yoma
🏢 Publisher: PIKA Games (review copy provided)
In this game, players step into the shoes of pastry chefs. Each player has a personal board, referred to as a bench, where they organize their ingredients, striving to whip up the most exquisite recipes. In every round, players have a choice among three actions, moving their pawn from one action to the next. These actions include gathering ingredients, acquiring kitchen tools, and preparing delightful recipes.
🥣 The central kitchen area is a hive of activity, with bowls brimming with various ingredients. When a player gathers all ingredients from a particular bowl, they inadvertently create a “sweet mess,” dispersing the same type of ingredient into adjacent bowls and sometimes even causing spills onto the kitchen walls. Players must avoid overindulgence, as their bench has limited storage capacity, designed to hold only four identical, four different, or two pairs of ingredients. If players cannot store their collected items, they must leave them behind in the kitchen.
🍰 Creating recipes is a meticulous process. Once the ingredients are combined, the pastries aren’t ready immediately. Most creations require some time to prepare, represented by advancing them on a time track beneath the player’s bench each turn. Once a pastry completes its time, it moves to the scoring area, where players gain the icons on their desserts, along with any additional bonuses.
🏆 The pursuit of excellence is marked by the collection of awards. Players earn these by accumulating specific icons from their recipes. When a player secures their third award, the competition reaches its climax. The game concludes with a final tally of points from recipes, awards, stored ingredients, and any leftovers.
Sweet Mess: Pastry Competition, designed by Jonny Pac, Yoma, and Zax and brought to the market by PIKA Games, is a delightful representation of a bustling pastry contest. Tailored for 1 to 4 players aged 10 and above, this medium-weight contract-fulfillment game unfurls over a span of 45 to 90 minutes, the duration fluctuating with the number of players.
📖 The game’s rulebook shines with clarity, adorned with plentiful images and examples, making the journey of learning the game not just easy but enjoyable. The game mechanics are both intuitive and straightforward, steering clear of unnecessary complexity, which paves the way for fluid and engaging gameplay.
🎨 In terms of production quality, Sweet Mess doesn’t disappoint. The game comes with vibrant, colorful plastic chips to represent the ingredient tokens, complemented by sturdy cardboard and high-quality cards. The game also includes premium Gametrayz game inserts, renowned for their quality. These inserts not only serve as a practical storage solution but also facilitate easy game setup. Moreover, the player boards, or benches, are among the finest, thoughtfully designed with designated spaces for ingredients, actions, and a turn overview, enhancing the gameplay experience significantly. Complementing this is the artwork by Yoma, which perfectly encapsulates the game’s theme, adding an inviting charm to the overall experience.
🔄 The essence of the game lies in its straightforward gameplay mechanism. Each turn, you transition your action marker to another slot on your board to execute one of the two actions depicted. For those willing to spend a scarce coin, the luxury of performing both actions awaits, although such opportunities are few and far between.
⚖️ Sweet Mess challenges players to strike a delicate balance in their quest for ingredients. Overindulgence can lead to chaos in the kitchen, inadvertently benefiting your rivals by leaving behind an array of ingredients. The game encourages strategic hoarding of resources, considering the benches have specific storage limitations. Furthermore, tool cards emerge as a crucial element, offering valuable one-time opportunities, with the timing of their use being essential.
⏲️ With an extensive variety of recipes and kitchen tools, each game setup is unique, ensuring a fresh experience every time. The inclusion of event cards drawn from the recipe decks introduces an element of surprise, offering bonuses and adding a subtle, dynamic twist to the gameplay. The inclusion of two game modules further amplifies the game’s replayability, ensuring a fresh experience with each play.
🤝 Player interaction is another important facet of Sweet Mess. Choices made in the kitchen impact fellow players, whether it’s securing desired ingredients or inadvertently aiding others by creating a mess. The competitive race for awards brings an extra aspect to the game, especially with the most valuable awards being claimed by the quickest players. While the game scales well across different player counts, we must admit a trio of players is the ideal number for us, striking a perfect balance between interaction and game duration.
💭 Sweet Mess: Pastry Competition is a splendidly crafted medium-weight game with immense replay value, remarkable production quality, and an original theme seldom seen in board games. The game’s mechanics harmoniously blend with the theme, offering a visually appealing and seamlessly integrated gaming experience. If this game piques your interest, we can highly recommend it for its engaging gameplay and distinctive appeal. You’re likely to cherish every moment spent in this delightful pastry competition!
📝 Please note that a copy of the game was kindly provided by PIKA Games.
