Kelp is a two-player asymmetrical game that offers players a unique opportunity to delve into the natural world of Pyjama Sharks and Common Octopuses, set in a South African kelp forest. Hide and seek meets bluffing and manipulation. Deck builder meets dice bag builder. As players take on the roles of these iconic sea creatures, they will discover that the gameplay mechanics closely mirror their real-life counterparts. Each has a unique path to victory. The Octopus, known for its cunning and adaptability, sneaks around the board by playing cards and managing their hidden and revealed blocks, channeling the creature’s remarkable ability to camouflage and deceive. On the other hand, the Shark, embodying the ruthless and determined predator, patrols their territory and attempts to hunt down the elusive Octopus by rolling dice and using special abilities to mitigate their luck, showcasing the creature’s natural instincts and predatory behavior (BoardGameGeek).
The BoardGameGeek summary above is suggestive of several ways in which Kelp: Shark vs Octopus might be considered as an ecogame. The first is its setting, the South African kelp forest and the water currents are central to the way that the game plays, the second, the opportunity for players to take on the roles of non-human protagonists (specifically these are non-anthropomorphised protagonists), the third the claim that the mechanics match the actions of their real-world counterparts (suggesting an element of simulation).
How to play:
References
Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed (Dirs), My Octopus Teacher (Netflix, 2020)