The Perfect Wave Review

The Perfect Wave challenges players to “Surf your way to greatness.” Given the closest I’ve ever been to surfing previously is watching Point Break, I’m looking forward to seeing if I can achieve greatness in the tabletop version and become the Bodhi of The Perfect Wave. Time to examine those waves, wax up those boards and find out.

Stoked About The Theme

The Perfect Wave nails its theme. The art on the cards, the trick terminology, the surf wax tokens; the production is in harmony with the theme. More impressively still, the gameplay makes perfect sense for a card game about surfing.

You play cards out and are trying to achieve the longest wave sequence and score bonus points for playing tricks above your wave cards. Bonus points are also available for sets of the same wave number or sequential runs. So far, so very classic card game, Rummy.

However, you will only score if you can paddle out your surfer to the start of your wave. It’s no good having a large 9 card wave, if your surfer can only reach the first 4 of those cards - the others will be wasted.

Waves and tricks can also only be played above and to the right of your surfer; paddle out too far too soon, and large parts of your play area will be wasted as you pass up the opportunity to play cards there.

Trick cards are played above the waves and provide other ways to score points. These have certain conditions/restrictions as to how and where they can be played to score points. All cards (wave and trick) are played face down, but you can look at your own at any time, hopefully allowing you to plan that Perfect Wave without giving away your strategy.

Gnarly Gameplay

Player turns are quick and easy. You have 2 actions with which you can:

Take a card (wave or trick) from the visible market (pier) or top of the respective deck and play it to your board. You can instead take one and keep it in your hand for later. You can instead play a card from your hand to your board.

You can use a wax token to paddle out, moving your surfer further to the right below your board.

You can spend both actions to gain a surf wax token, or to activate one of the public objectives that will then be an option for all players (so you better be confident you will be the one to meet it!).

That’s basically the game. Yes it’s simple, but I find myself wanting to explore strategies within this structure. Do you play waves and tricks close to shore, building up numerically and not risking wasted space? Do you put a larger wave number further out to sea, anticipating you will get your surfer there? Do you go for a large set or run? Do you try and get the higher wave points at the far right of your board, knowing it will require a heck of a lot of paddling?

At this point, I’ve no idea which is best or what to go for. The addition of private objectives that are worth big points, will help provide further variety and change up your strategy each game too.

The card market changes regularly, especially with 4 players, so you need to be able to pivot tactically and take advantage of what is available to you on your turn. You can always spend a wax token as a free action to refresh the wave side of the market, though wax tokens are pretty precious and crucial for getting your surfer far out to sea.

I’m pleased to report that the 30-60 minute play time is as advertised and tends more towards the 30 than 60. This is a game you can break out, teach and have a good time without any danger of it outstaying its welcome.

Perfect Production?

Not quite. The pier board and player boards are functional and well made. The Perfect Wave logo on the back of each is a nice touch too, making it feel good quality and inviting to open them up.

For a small box card game, be warned that this one is a table hog. The player boards open out to provide space for 10 cards in a row. This makes them close to 60cm wide and you need space above them for trick cards. The boards make it so easy to keep your cards organised and follow what’s going on - I really like them - just be aware that plenty of space is required, especially for 4 players.

The card tokens for the surfers, surf boards and wax tokens look decent enough, as does the first player marker. The card stock used is slightly spongy though and not the best quality I’ve seen. A little care is needed to ensure the tokens punch out cleanly and I find the first player token stand to be very flimsy. That’s not a big issue - I find the stand unnecessary anyway and many games just use a flat marker. If the decision is made to have one standing up, then I would like it to function that way. It also needs separating again to be stored in the box, so it is likely to get even flimsier over time.

Speaking of the box, there is a decent insert inside with space for all the cards and components. I do wish it was just a few mm deeper though, as after the cards are out of their shrink wrap, they expand a little. This results in the top couple of cards just creeping over the edge of the slot available for them in the insert. The boards keep everything in place though, and storing it vertically will be fine.

Should you add The Perfect Wave to your quiver?

There is a lot to like about The Perfect Wave. The gameplay is accessible yet interesting, with the wave/trick/paddle out choices facing players each turn engaging enough, but not analysis paralysis inducing. The theme really works and casual or new gamers will probably still be familiar with the classic ideas of set and run collection that score extra points for the wave cards.

The Perfect Wave is a gateway level game to play, with the scoring system creeping up into a ‘gateway+’ level of challenge. For something very casual, you can play without the public and private scoring objectives (something the game encourages you to do for your first play) and including them adds an extra layer of strategy, but without becoming overwhelming.

There is a luck-of-the-draw element, with players having little control over which cards will be available on the pier when it comes to their turn. This could cause frustration if you are especially unlucky and rarely see paddle out cards on your turn. There are plenty of them in the deck, but it is possible you may not see as many as you’d like and have to endure other players scooping them up on theirs.

The Perfect Wave may not be perfect for players who like to know exactly how they’re doing in comparison with other players. All cards being played face down means you’ll be trying to do your best to combo points and hit those public and private goals, but you’ll never know quite how well that is going in comparison with the other players at the table.

There is a dramatic reveal at the end of the game, when cards are turned over and players total their points for waves, tricks and goals and only then will the winner be determined. I recognise this aspect won’t be for everyone and it does make it hard to respond to what your opponents are doing in a meaningful way during the game, unless you can recall what cards they’ve collected during their turns. Personally, I like the mystery of it and enjoy the end game scoring, seeing if any players managed some sets and runs, high scoring trick combos, or if I managed to hold on for the public goal bonus points.

When it comes to the goal cards, I’d house rule the private goals. Players get 2 at the start and have to choose one immediately to keep, discarding the other. I prefer playing with keeping both during the game and discarding one just before scoring. This allows a little more flexibility to respond to the drawn trick and wave cards during the game.

The Perfect Wave is a great choice for players who like a theme that works with the game mechanisms and who enjoy classic card game ideas of collecting sets and runs. The different scoring areas and the paddle out mechanism combine to provide interesting choices to the players that are thinky enough to not be arbitrary, but simple enough that no one will be overwhelmed.

It’s a game I’m glad is in my collection and it’s a very different and enjoyable card game to break out with both gamers and the family. If you enjoy sets and runs in card games, or are looking for something light, thematic and different, then The Perfect Wave could be perfect for you. Like surfing too? Then you’ve probably already purchased it!