| 👨👩👧👦 | Players: 2 |
| ⏳ | Time: 20 Minutes |
| 🎂 | Ages: 8+ |
| ⚙️ | Mechanisms: Dice rolling, Tug of War |
We’ve been busy playing King of Tokyo Duel. It’s a new version of the classic monster-battling dice chucker of the same name that’s been designed specifically for two players.
For those who haven’t played any of the ‘King of’ games, they consist of rolling dice and taking actions based on which symbols appear. You get to do things like attacking each other, collecting energy cubes to spend on upgrades, and healing yourself.
In the original, you moved your monster around the map, trying to take control of Tokyo. In this version, you’re instead fighting tug of war style for control of two tracks – Fame and Destruction. Each time you get three or more dice showing one of their symbols you get to move that token closer to yourself.
The game ends as soon as one of the markers reaches the end of the track. You can also win by getting both markers into the spotlight zones at the same time, or by reducing your opponent’s health to zero.
We were already fans of the series, so were keen to try this version out. It hasn’t disappointed at all, and we really like how they’ve managed to distill the fun of the original into a great two player experience. It feels like they’ve grabbed all of the best bits, left out the parts that didn’t work, then improved on it without overcomplicating things.
Additions like special abilities for each monster and upgrades which let you alter the tracks were a nice touch, and make it more interesting. We’ve used both to great effect, and they can mean the difference between winning and losing.
It’s quick too, only taking 15-20 minutes per game. While this might seem short, it’s super easy to reset the board and play again if you want to. It will take longer if you play defensively, but it’s far more fun going on the attack all the time!
I think it’s safe to say that this is our favourite version when we want to play at two. While nothing matches the fun of huge six monster battles, this manages to keep the feel of the original while adding a few fun twists of its own.
You can see this post on Instagram here and if you are interested you can find out more about the game on the IELLO Games website!
The copy of King of Tokyo Duel used for this review was provided to A Tale of Two Meeples by VR Distribution
The Boardgame Detective 