Kelp is an intense two-player, asymmetric board game that pits a shark against an octopus in a lush, underwater kelp forest. The game features a unique hidden movement mechanic, where one player assumes the role of the elusive octopus, utilizing cards, tiles, and stealth to evade the shark. Meanwhile, the other player controls the shark, stalking its prey along the ocean floor, using dice rolls and special abilities to hunt down the octopus.

The game is highly asymmetrical; each player employs different strategies and components to achieve their objectives. The octopus relies on deception and manipulation, while the shark focuses on tracking and capturing. This dynamic creates a tense "back-and-forth" feel, making each game session a unique tactical challenge. The game combines elements of deck-building for the octopus and dice management for the shark.

The game is set in a beautifully illustrated kelp forest by Weberson Santiago, with components designed to immerse players in the underwater setting. These include the cards used by each player, the backs of the octopus tiles adorned with a wavy kelp design, and a richly thematic game board. I opted for the deluxe version and am thrilled with that decision. The deluxe version comes with an embossed box, a mini octopus holding an exclusive metal coin, embroidered bags, and different dice. Whether you choose the deluxe, regular retail, or deluxe bundle version (which includes the Brilliant Behaviors mini-expansion), the expansion already features deluxified wooden components. However, I was slightly disappointed by the shark and octopus miniatures. Although both are functional and hefty, the octopus has a lovely speckled finish on its red base color, which requires no painting—an elegant touch for a piece used solely to hold a coin. In contrast, the shark, a central figure in gameplay, is simply a greenish-blue mini with no additional detailing.

In terms of gameplay, it's fantastic and fun. The octopus player hides from the shark, hoping to either exhaust the shark's dice as its hunger grows or consume all the food caches before being found. Only the octopus player can see the front of the tiles, which conceal its true location. Meanwhile, the shark’s sole purpose is to "MDK" (Murder Death Kill) the octopus. The shark must do this methodically, avoiding traps set by the octopus and acting before too many dice are exhausted. This gameplay aspect reminds me a bit of Stratego, which is a clever use of materials and a fun reimagining of a classic game mechanic.

The Octopus: On their turn, the player can use cards to perform actions, discard a card to manipulate blocks, or draw back up to their hand size. When playing a card, it is placed on the board near the edge (in designated card slots) in front of the player. Before actions can be performed, the player must first pay any reveal costs, such as showing the shark player one of their blocks. Some of the actions available to the octopus include Learn (gain access to more cards and tiles), Move (swap or shuffle blocks), Hide (flip exposed blocks back to hidden), or Eat (at the risk of exposure), which grants access to a one-time special ability.

The Shark: The player moves around the board utilizing dice, gaining cards that grant new abilities, allowing the shark to grow stronger throughout the game. On your turn, you will start by rolling dice (obtained from the bag) and can reroll them (possibly more than once). The player then gets to move one space unless utilizing blue dice, which act as currents to move greater distances. After moving, and if the shark has yellow or red dice available, they can search and strike. As the name suggests, search allows tiles to be flipped and revealed, and strike attacks the octopus. However, the shark player can use the dice rolled for stored energy (pip value) instead of the basic colored actions per die. This is a way of gaining new cards and dice, although it comes at a cost, as one of the dice used during energy consumption is then placed on the hunger track. Lastly, in the growth step, the player takes the dice stored on a tile, places them back in the bag, then flips the tile. These tiles help improve your abilities as a shark—rolling, moving, stored energy, and possibly even more dice to use per turn.

There’s one last thing to go over, and that’s the grand finale, or possibly the grand finale. After the shark strikes the octopus, there is a grand showdown where both players take three confrontation cards and simultaneously reveal one of them. If they match, the shark wins; if they don’t match, the octopus escapes. However, a matching pair is removed from the deck, giving the shark a better chance next time they strike... inevitability. If you enjoy two-player, head-to-head games with hidden movement, attacking, deception, and trickery, then do yourself a favor and pick this up. A wonderful brain-burner full of hide and seek/cat and mouse/gotcha moments.

Kelp was launched via a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, raising more than 1.5 million dollar-bucks. Fulfillment is currently underway with numerous copies in backers hands. I don't believe you can buy directly from Wonderbow, but there are a chock-full of copies being sold by retailers. You can also check out the BGG site for more info and strategies: Kelp: Shark vs Octopus.

Thanks for tuning in to Boardstates review of Kelp. Please check out our other reviews and articles for Magic: the Gathering, comics, video games and more. All links can be found on our home page.