Kimono memories

EmperorS4 Games primarily offers light but non-trivial games with Eastern themes. Arcane knowledge and curses in Mystery of the Temples, Chinese medicine in Herbalism, Geishas on Hanamikoji – the most famed Geisha street in the old capital, tea houses in the Geisha’s Road, and secret agents moving like Shadows in Kyoto.

 

Joining this lineup today (and officially at Essen Spiel ’24) is Kimono Memories. Announced as the fourth part of the Hanamikoji series.

Beautiful maiko

Kimono Memories heavily references the early two geisha-themed games. However, this time we are not competing for geisha’s favor; instead, we take on the role of a photographer (actually a female photographer, as all characters in this game are women) and wander through Kyoto filled with beauties dressed in stunning kimonos. Our goal is to collect the best (highest scoring) photo collection of these exquisite kimonos. A distant echo of Hanamikoji’s mechanics is the tug-of-war for the geishas on the board, ultimately earning points for one side or the other.

What is it about?

In the basic version of the game, this is the only scoring method. Whoever gains the favor of more geishas (to use Hanamikoji’s terms), meaning pulling more figures to their side and thus gaining markers, wins. The other elements, such as cats and bonus cards, serve only as tie-breakers. I’ll immediately note that you shouldn’t play this basic variant more than once (and advanced players can skip it entirely) as it’s quite boring. It’s just a way to get familiar with the mechanics.

The real fun begins when playing for points. Points at the end of the game can be scored in several ways:

• for each geisha favor marker (3 to 7 points, depending on the value of the geisha),
• for each visible MON symbol among the cards played,
• for cats—square the number of cats collected,
• for bonus cards in our tableau (if we meet the scoring conditions).

This is a truly enjoyable puzzle, as you have to choose between covering a symbol that will score at the end and arranging a pattern that will either move a geisha or give you a cat. You need to decide which card to take to even have such dilemmas. You must also consider what you leave for your opponent (though this was also necessary in the basic version, now there are more variables to manage). While the game remains light and fun, there’s plenty to think about. Should you take a bonus card? Get a cat? Move a geisha? Where should you place the card—in the bottom row (where symbols score only 1 point) or higher up (2 or more points)? However, placing higher usually covers an already visible symbol. Although the points might even out, having more halves for pattern building could be advantageous. These small dilemmas drive the game.

How to play?

On your turn, you move the photographer around the circle, skipping one to three cards and taking the last skipped card. You then add that card to your tableau, either to the left or right of your starting card (and later the row). You cannot insert cards in between. However, you can place a card on top of two other cards, covering their upper portions (as shown in the picture). The only requirement is that the card must rest on two others; it cannot hang in the air on one end.

The game ends when the deck is exhausted, and only two cards remain around the board. Then, we count points based on the criteria mentioned above. In the expert variant (third level of mastery), when resolving geisha favors, you have a chance to gain the remaining two cards. Interestingly, geishas are evaluated from the least valuable—starting with the purple three—so whoever gains her favor gets one of the two cards and immediately adds it to their tableau, potentially leading to another victory when resolving subsequent geishas. This creates opportunities for spectacular moves, though I must warn you that it’s not easy. I admit I didn’t consider this element a key part of my strategy.

 

Quality

The cards are beautifully illustrated. Each girl is different. One holds a fan, another a lantern, and yet another coyly looks over her shoulder. It leaves a strong impression.

However, the tokens—though pretty and intended to beautify our tableau—are completely unnecessary. Whether you place a pattern token on paired halves or not makes no difference. The result is the same—if you manage to match a pattern on the side of the card, you move the corresponding geisha towards you. Whether you place a token or not… it’s just an extra task that eventually feels a bit bothersome and adds nothing to the gameplay.

Overall, it leaves a very positive impression (after all, no one forces you to put those tokens on the table). The production quality is excellent.

A few final thoughts

I think Kimono Memories is worth investing in. Some people complained about Geishas 2, saying it brought unnecessary complexity, making the previously elegant and simple game a bit more average (still good, but not enough to sing its praises). Kimono Memories, on the one hand, strongly ties into Geishas, but on the other—it’s a completely different game, with a different mechanic and just as elegant. A worthy representative of the Hanamikoji line. I’m delighted I spotted it, and thanks to the kindness of EmperorS4, I had the chance to try it. I hope it will also be published in our country.