tabletoppingboardgames 
Abstract games have always had a special place in the world of board gaming. By stripping away theme, randomness, and fancy extras, they focus purely on tactics, spatial control, and clever decision-making. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Chess, Go, Hive, YINSH… they all prove that you don’t need a huge ruleset to create endless depth. Just two players, a few simple moves, and a lot of brainpower.
Publishers who love abstract games keep finding new ways to challenge us with fresh designs that are as deep as they are simple. One of them is Steffen Spiele, a German company started by Steffen Mühlhäuser back in 2003. They are known for creating beautifully minimalist games, the kind with lovely wooden components, clear rules, and a ton of replayability packed into a small package. If you like your games clean, elegant, and tactical, their stuff is definitely worth checking out.
Their latest release, XOK, fits right into that tradition. But don’t be fooled by its calm, simple appearance. Underneath, it has a pretty sharp bite. (Yes, I’m starting with the shark jokes early.)
👥 2 players, ages 8+
⌛ Playing time: 15 minutes
📝 Designers: Joel Escalante & Rafael Escalante
🎨 Artwork: Ewelina Proczko
🏢 Publisher: Steffen Spiele (review copy provided)
A Shark by Any Other Name
The name “XOK” comes from the ancient Maya word for shark, pronounced something like “shock.” Which honestly feels perfect for this game. Everything looks calm at first, like you’re just laying down some friendly fish, but you are basically circling your opponent the whole time, waiting to pounce. There’s always tension just under the surface.
How to Play
XOK is a two-player game where you are trying to build a connected group of at least ten pieces on a shared board. You use a mix of your Fish and Sharks to do it, and the board itself is a fabric mat that you roll out on the table. I love this touch because it makes the game super portable. You could totally bring it to a café, or a park, or wherever you want to pick a tactical fight over coffee.
At the start of the game, you pick your color, either black or white. Each player gets fourteen Fish and six Sharks. Half of the Sharks are small, with one mouth, and the other half are big, with two mouths.
The player with the white pieces always goes first. Then you take turns, and on your turn, you have two options. You can either place two Fish on the board, or you can place one Shark.
If you go for the two Fish move, you simply place them on any two empty spaces that are next to each other. You don’t have to worry about which way they are facing or anything like that, just that they are adjacent and the spaces are free.
If you decide to place a Shark, things get a bit more… aggressive. Sharks must always eat at least one of your opponent’s Fish when they come into play. You can either slam a Shark directly onto an opposing Fish, or you can place it on an empty space and have one or more of its mouths point at adjacent enemy Fish. Small Sharks can snack on one or two Fish depending on the placement, while big Sharks can gobble up to three if you plan your attack just right.
When a Fish gets eaten, it isn’t gone forever. It goes back to its owner’s supply and can be played again later. Sharks, though, are permanent. Once placed, they stay right where they are, shaping the board and blocking paths. Sharks cannot eat other Sharks and they also won’t attack Fish of their own color, which feels weirdly noble for a shark but hey, those are the rules.
You win the game by connecting a group of ten of your own pieces, Fish and Sharks combined, edge-to-edge. If no one manages that and neither player can make a legal move anymore, the player with the largest group wins instead. So it’s not just about attacking. It’s about building something strong enough to survive the feeding frenzy.
Final Thoughts
XOK is a quick, tightly designed abstract game that’s perfect if you like games where you can get straight into the action and really focus on outmaneuvering your opponent. It feels a little familiar if you have played other connection games like TwixT, Tak, or Hive, but the whole predator-prey dynamic with Sharks keeps the tension simmering just under the surface.
The push and pull between Fish and Sharks is where the magic happens. Fish are necessary to grow your network, but they are also sitting ducks. Sharks let you fight back, but once you place them, they become part of the landscape forever. Timing really matters. Expand too quickly and you might end up feeding your opponent’s Sharks. Use your Sharks too early and you could run out of tools to control the board when you need them most.
It creates this constant tension between wanting to build faster and wanting to be careful. Every turn feels important. I love that even when you lose a Fish, it isn’t the end of the world because you get it back for later. There is always a bit of hope swimming around, even when it feels like the Sharks are closing in.
That said, XOK might not feel wildly original if you have played a lot of abstract games already. The core idea of linking your pieces together is something we have seen before, and while the Sharks add a cool twist, it doesn’t completely revolutionize the formula. Also, it is strictly two players only, so if you were hoping to pull in a bigger group, you will have to leave some friends behind. (Maybe tell them the Sharks ate the extra players.)
Where XOK really shines is over multiple plays. The more you learn about your opponent’s style, the more you can start setting traps and anticipating moves. It rewards careful thinking, flexibility, and a little bit of boldness.
Overall, XOK offers a compact, brainy battle that fits neatly into a short play session and a small box. It is a great little gem for fans of pure, clean abstract games. It might not redefine the genre, but it definitely earns its place in the collection for anyone who loves a good duel of wits.
📝 We received a review copy of XOK from Helvetiq.
