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Somewhere in the cold waters of Loch Ness, a few brave explorers are searching for hidden treasures and maybe even a glimpse of something big and scaly. Nessie is a light push-your-luck card game where you flip cards, collect treasures, and slowly piece together your own version of the famous monster.
It’s a short, easy game that mixes curiosity, luck, and a bit of chaos. You’ll probably say “just one more card” a few times, and that’s usually when things go wrong.
👥 2-6 players, ages 6+
⌛ Playing time: 5-15 minutes
📝 Designers: Kiko Domenes & Josep Anton Font
🎨 Artwork: Ariadna Altimira
🏢 Publisher: 2Tomatoes Games (review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
In Nessie, everyone is trying to collect treasures and build their own complete monster. The deck is a mix of Nessie cards (six different parts, A to F) and treasure cards worth one to three points. You shuffle everything together, hand out the summary cards, and you’re ready to start.
On your turn, you flip cards one by one from the deck. You must flip at least one, but you can keep going for as long as you like. The trick is knowing when to stop. If you stop in time, you keep some of the revealed cards. If you push your luck too far, you “sink” and lose them all.
You sink if the total treasure value you’ve revealed reaches six or more, or if you draw a third Nessie card with the same letter (including ones you already have). When that happens, all those cards go straight to the discard pile and your turn’s over.
If you manage to stop before that, you can take cards starting from the last one you revealed. Treasures are kept for points, and Nessie cards go in front of you to form your monster. Each card represents a body part, and you can only add pieces that connect properly. Duplicate letters aren’t allowed, and if a card doesn’t fit, it gets discarded along with one of your treasures.
The game continues like this until someone completes a full Nessie with six different cards. That player gets a ten point bonus, then everyone adds up their treasure values. The highest total wins.
Artwork, Components, and Visual Design
Nessie is entirely card based. The design is colourful, with thick black borders and bold artwork that pops nicely on the table. The purple and blue tones give it a clear underwater feel, and once you start building Nessie, she becomes the main visual focus of the game.
The full Nessie artwork is quite fun. When you complete her, she looks more like a friendly cartoon creature than a scary monster. Big eyes, rounded features, the sort of face that wouldn’t mind sharing a cup of tea rather than dragging you under. Each section connects neatly to the next, so you get a nice continuous shape that looks good on the table.
The treasure cards are simple and clear, showing coins, chests, and fish with clean colours. It’s easy to see their values at a glance.
Overall, the game looks good, though it’s not exactly a showpiece. It’s tidy, colourful, and fits the light mood, but it’s not going to blow anyone away visually. It’s practical rather than impressive, and that’s fine for what it’s trying to do.
Our Experience
Setting up Nessie takes maybe a minute. Shuffle the cards, deal the summaries, and that’s it. The rules are clear and short, and everyone got the hang of it straight away.
The game flow clicked almost instantly. Flip a card, weigh your luck, decide whether to keep going. The table got louder with every turn as people started cheering, guessing, and warning others not to risk it. And of course, someone always ignored that advice and sank horribly.
With fewer players, the game stays quick and your turn comes around fast. That makes each decision feel a little more focused, even if you cannot forecast what the deck will throw at you. In larger groups it leans into the social side, louder and a bit chaotic, with plenty of cheering and groaning as each card flips. Turns are short, so even with six players, it moves along well.
The visual side works nicely too, especially for kids or casual players. Building your Nessie feels satisfying, and completing her gives you that nice “I did it” moment. That little bonus for completing your monster gives you a good reason to risk it all near the end.
After a few games though, it does start to feel repetitive. There’s not much variation beyond the draw of the cards, and once you’ve had a few close calls and lucky turns, you’ve seen most of what it has to offer. It’s definitely better as a filler or a warm-up than something you’d play several rounds of in a row.
Our Thoughts
Nessie is a classic push-your-luck filler. The main mechanic of flipping cards until you bust or stop is simple and still works well. It’s familiar and reliable, the kind of system that never really gets old.
The little twist with connecting Nessie’s body gives it a touch of puzzle feeling, which is nice. It adds something small but welcome, though it doesn’t turn it into a new or deep experience. You play mostly on instinct, not strategy, which suits the game’s light nature but limits replayability.
So yes, it’s fun, but not something that will blow you away. It’s great as a break between heavier games or a quick family round. It’s one of those titles where the fun depends on the people at the table more than the mechanics. The laughter, the teasing, and the shared groans are what make it work.
If you go in expecting a light, social game, you’ll probably have a good time. If you expect clever design or meaningful decisions, you’ll be disappointed. For us, Nessie fits best as an easy opener or closer on game night. It’s small, quick, and simple to explain, and that’s exactly where it shines.
So no, it’s not a must-have. But if you enjoy a bit of tension, some laughter around the table, and the thrill of seeing if your monster will ever be finished, it does its job nicely.
And if you ever spot the real Nessie while playing, please let the publisher know. I’m sure they’ll want to print an expansion.
📝 We received a copy of the game from 2Tomatoes Games.
