Gatsby Game Review

When the name “Bruno Cathala” is on the side of the box, you best believe I’m gonna get that game to the table.

Cathala’s latest design is Gatsby (2025, Catch Up Games, released in the US by Pandasaurus), and it certainly has a looker of a cover. The illustrations by Christine Alcouffe are excellent, and the cover for Gatsby gives it the feel of a slick head-to-head affair with the literary character Jay Gatsby at its center. (In a sad twist, Gatsby himself is nowhere to be found in the actual game.)

Cathala’s name drew me in. The man who gave us 7 Wonders Duel (the same system used in The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Middle Earth), Five Tribes, Kingdomino and Sea Salt & Paper needs no introduction in my gaming circles. However, bonus points arrived in the form of a second, different name on the box: Ludovic Maublanc, one of the four credited designers for Dead Cells: The Rogue-Lite Board Game, my #1 game of 2024.

So, the design chops are here. As a game, Gatsby is fun, and it is a two-player-only game, ground that Cathala knows quite well (in addition to 7 Wonders Duel, he also designed Splendor Duel, which I think is the better version of that…

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