Base price: $25.
2 players.
Play time: 20 – 25 minutes.
BGG Link
Buy on Amazon (via What’s Eric Playing?)
Logged plays: 2
Full disclosure: A review copy of King of Tokyo: Duel was provided by Iello / Flat River Games.
I wonder if people are playing more two-player games or if we’re just expanding into this market because of some high-profile two-player game successes? We’ve been seeing more and more of these lately. 7 Wonders: Duel was a pretty high-profile success, but then we’ve had BANG: The Duel, Azul Duel, Splendor Duel and a whole lot more. Nothing wrong with that if you’re into it; it just feels like a marked uptick in frequency from what I remember. To celebrate that, I suppose, let’s check out King of Tokyo: Duel!
In King of Tokyo: Duel, the monsters are back to throw down and be the best! The game largely plays similarly to King of Tokyo, but with a few minor tweaks. To keep in line with the proud tradition of two-player duel games, there’s now two tug-of-war Fame and Destruction tracks, as you fight to be the most popular or most destructive monster in town. Otherwise, you’re still fighting to be King of Tokyo! Each turn, you’ll roll dice up to three times to attack, heal, use your special ability, and set up more complicated attacks with Power Cards and such. You’re a monster seeking a monster, but will you be able to finish the fight?
Overall: 7 / 10
Overall, I found King of Tokyo: Duel pleasant. I think the original King of Tokyo remains a little on the light side for me, and this King of Tokyo: Duel spin on the game still kind of remains firmly in that camp. It’s far and away not that I had any particularly major problems with the game; I just would have liked something a bit more intricate than dice-rolling, especially as I became increasingly frustrated by my mediocre rolls. The particularly frustrating aspect of this for me is how the Fame and Destruction tracks work. You must roll at least three of a given icon to advance on one of those tracks, meaning that there’s a pretty decent chance your final reroll might be garbage or might be incredible, depending on how the cards fall. Not the worst thing in the world but definitely pushing on the edges of my tolerance for luck in any particular game.
That said, this game was made in a lab for King of Tokyo fans, and there’s a lot to like in that regard. New art and new Power Cards open up even more cute and silly strategies, especially if you’re foregoing the tracks altogether and just beating your opponent down. Special tiles can also be placed on the tracks to extend or shorten them, and they provide an alternate victory condition: getting both on your side or getting one to the final space are automatic victories! Speaking of victory, one deeply underrated feature is that the game also comes with an achievement tracker! If you complete one of the achievements (found on the outside of the box bottom), you can take a sticker and place it on the space to indicate that you have. It’s that kind of thing that shows a love for the franchise and the players that, frankly, you do have to love a bit.
I’m always kind of interested in King of Tokyo because of how well it gets what it’s doing, even if I’d like something a little heavier. The dice are amazing, the cardboard has great art and graphic design, and the game goes for a bold color scheme so that even while Tokyo is struggling in the matchup between these two titans, you know that they want it to look good. And a lot of players are going to find their investment in those aspects, as you might as well! If you’re a King of Tokyo fan, I’d say this was made for you, and if you’re looking for a quick two-player game with some heart and pizzazz, I’d recommend checking it out!
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