King of Tokyo Duel: Rapid Review
Information:
Player Age: 8+
Player Count: 2 Players
BGG Weight: 2.21
Time to Play: 20 Minutes
Year Published: 2024
Disclaimer: A review copy for the game was provided by the VR Distribution. Gamemat isn't included in the base game.
Refresh:
King of Tokyo, designed by Richard Garfield, is a classic that is personally one of my favourite gateway games. Even to this day, I'm always aching to play. This is a Yahtzee-inspired, head-to-head, area control game that has people either aiming to eliminate the opposing kaiju(s), or to win a certain amount of points. King of Tokyo Duel is a re-evolution of this game focused on the back-and-forth action that a good two-player game provides.
For anyone familiar with the base game, a lot has carried across:
- You can still buy keep cards with energy that add more abilities and discard cards that offer immediate use.
- Players are still aiming to knock their opponent’s health to zero as a win condition.
- There are six symbols on the dice; heal, attack, and energy that work the same where players will gain either health, damage dealt, or energy per symbol of that type rolled.
There are now fame and destruction symbols added to the dice.
These will allow the active player to move the matching token one space towards them on that track when three of these symbols are rolled. Each dice symbol matching past three will count as one more movement.
In this game, instead of the area control aspect, they offer a tug-of-war aspect where players are fighting over the fame and destruction tracks. If a player reaches the end of one of these tracks they win. They will also win if they reach their spotlight section on both of the tracks (shown below).
Alterations:
Some of the cards now include kaiju faces on them on the top left side. When these cards are purchased they allow the player to either place or move buzz tokens. Each kaiju has its unique buzz token.
These buzz tokens are placed on either the fame or destruction track. Whenever a player moves the marker onto a bonus on the buzz token, they will gain that bonus. This could include life, energy, attacks and even extending or decreasing the length of the track. This adds a great array of alterations as each game will only go through a few buzz tokens based on the cards that come out.
The last die face to be discussed is one that activates the special ability which varies between each of the characters. Some of these abilities will allow for extra die rolls, better attacks, and more energy. These abilities can be used multiple times on a turn as long as the player has enough of the die face. As someone who doesn't play the original game without the power-up deck. These unique abilities from the get-go really allow people to have a favorite kaiju that isn't based purely on aesthetics.
Production:
Firstly the game and art are wonderfully produced, even including the insert. The other element of production I found great is the nods to previously released King of Tokyo content. Throughout the cards and tokens, there are kaiju included as buzz tokens that come from both the larger and smaller expansions from King of Tokyo. Some of the cards in this game are also based on original King of Tokyo cards (shown below).
Included in the game are a bunch of stickers of your favourite kaiju. At first, this baffled me, but after I looked at the side of the open box, I found that these stickers are used for achievements. If a player can meet the achievement then they get to modify the box, showcasing the skill they achieved for future players to see. I found this to be a very exciting way to do achievements in board games which I simply hadn’t seen before.
Interactions:
The interaction in Duel feels much more polished than the two-player game in base King of Tokyo. I found with this edition the swings between turns were on a lesser scale, keeping both parties fully invested and keeping the game from being drawn out too long.
Determination:
- Feels like a better two-player system than the original.
- Unique character abilities.
- Interesting achievement system.
- Tense back and forth as you fight for one of the win conditions.
- Unique and interesting buzz system.
King of Tokyo has always been a favourite board game franchise of mine. However, in the original King of Tokyo it can sometimes feel like a lot going on for such a quick game. King of Tokyo Duel remedies this by pivoting the focus on two players. There can still be a lot going on and much to consider but now the focus is on two players. There are two things I enjoyed with this game; the first being the presentation it is designed with fans in mind and captivates newer fans of the franchise, the the second is the buzz tokens. This tug-of-war system has been used in a lot of two-player games but what makes this version stand out is the use of the buzz tokens that allows track modifications. If you have ever been interested in this franchise but play mainly two player games, I heavily recommend King of Tokyo Duel and am giving it a Go-To Golden Seal.
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