A copy of Super Dice Battle was provided by the designer for the purposes of review
Super Smash Bros is a pretty integral part of my teenage years. Many hours were consumed duking it among my friends, be it on the N64, GameCube, or Wii. So when Super Battle Dice was pitched as an homage to Super Smash Bros, I was instantly intrigued. For what it’s worth, I’ve always been a Link main, and I’ve never been a “Final Destination, no items” type of player. I revel in the chaos the items bring.
If I’m being honest, 90% of the reason I keep the items on is specifically for the Home Run Bat. Hearing that sound when the bat cracks the opposing players, it makes my toes curl with joy.
-AHEM-, I’ve gotten off-topic. In Super Dice Battle, players take control of one of the four asymmetric characters, and engage in real time combo building. Using D8’s, you roll your dice, then you can commit one of those die results to one of your combos. Then, keep rolling your dice! When someone completes an attack combo, they shout out “COMBO!” to stop everyone else from rolling. They designate a target, roll the Combo dice to determine damage, the target has a chance to resolve a defense combo, if they have one queued up, then, play continues.
Super Dice Battle offers two victory conditions. Either, the first player to KO 3 other players, wins the duel. Or, in a stock battle, the last player standing, is the overall winner. And for those of you who abhor real time games (I don’t get it, but you do you), there is a slow mode where instead of rolling all your dice as fast as you can, players roll once, all commit together, then roll again once everyone is ready.
With games taking 5 to 10 minutes per brawl, Super Dice Battle is an easy game to play back to back. The frantic dice rolling has all players constantly engaged, and the tension grows with each passing second as the dice clatter over and over. You’ll see your opponent’s dice pools getting smaller and smaller as they assign the dice to their combos, until they’re rolling one die over and over again, trying to get a specific result.
Which is perhaps one of the main frustrations with Super Dice Battle. Your dice pool is limited to 4 dice. Most of the light combos only require two dice, with a third being used to augment the combo a little. Heavy combos require 3 dice, while the support and defense combos need 1 or 2 dice each. You can work towards building multiple combos at once, or socking away one of your dice on your defense skill, but you’ll find yourself stuck rolling one die over and over, trying to get a specific result.
But you don’t have to live so cautiously. Neglect your defenses and focus all your attention on the heavy attack combo to really sock it to your opponents. After all, no risk no reward, right?
However you choose to fight, the first person to complete an offensive combo shouts “COMBO!” and grabs the combo die, a large white die with a bunch of pips. Everyone has a moment to breathe while they commit their final roll, and then the attacking player designates their target, and rolls the combo die to determine how much damage they’re dishing out to their opponent. If your target has a defensive combo, they can trigger that, but once damage has been dealt, you make sure the target hasn’t exceeded its damage threshold, and the game continues.
The combo dice can range anywhere from devastating to ineffectual, depending on the result you roll and the combo you chose. Some combos will add damage for the spiked pips, while others, won’t.
Super dice battle seeks to emulate a real time fighting game using dice, but it feels like it’s running up against the limitations of the medium. It’s not uncommon for multiple players to have a defensive combo, then just take pot shots at each other until something changes. Sometimes in a larger player count game, there would be a cascade effect. One player would attack another, then before that player could reset their defensive combo, the other two would pile on, as it was the most efficient use of their dice. The restrictive dice pool ensures players can’t have all their combos filled at the same time, but it also results in players rolling a single die over and over and over, trying to hit a specific result.
I always recommend playing the real-time mode, as the turn based mode feels wrong for a game seeking to emulate a frantic brawl. On the subject of the frantic brawl, the COMBO call, which initiates the damage step, feels like a jarring halt. You go from rolling and evaluating as quickly as possible, to a still moment where you evaluate all your opponents situations, and then select your target based on a carefully calculated decision. The frantic feeling is lost at this moment, but thankfully everyone is back to rolling again soon enough. The asymmetric player abilities are both a boon and a bane. I love changing my characters and how different each one feels to pilot. But having wildly different abilities slows down that damage step as players squint to read what each other player can do, or how they can react or counter the incoming attack. The rulebook does tease more characters coming in the future, so look forward to that!
Part of me wishes there was more to Super Dice Battle. For a game seeking to emulate Smash Bros, I’d love it if there were some environmental obstacles to overcome, or items to give specific combos a bit of extra punch. But for every element you try to add, the bloat and complexity increases exponentially, and I’m not sure if it would result in a better game at the end of the day.
Super Dice Battle does manage to capture some of that chaotic, competitive energy that made late-night Smash sessions so memorable. But it also occasionally manages to get in its own way. The small dice pools and abrupt pauses can undercut the momentum it’s trying to build. Still, for a quick, rowdy filler that thrives on tension, Super Dice Battle manages to deliver plenty of rambunctious fun, provided you don’t mind a bit of die-rolling repetition in your game.
It’s the mid-way point! Hopefully you’re able to ascertain what kind of gamer I am, and what types of games really tickle my fancy.
50 – Cuphead
Year Released: 2017 | Platform: PC
I utterly love the super cute aesthetic, reminicent of the hand drawn animation of 1950’s cartoons and the whimsical score. The cozy, funny vibe gets wiped away pretty quickly once you start playing. The controls are move, dash, jump, and shoot. And for your sake, don’t stop shooting.
A devilishly difficult bullet hell game lies underneath this cutesy exterior. I had so much fun playing Cuphead. Learning the attack patterns, getting better and further with every attempt, I felt like the game was actually rewarding to play. Every loss felt fair, every obstacle felt like you could overcome it, if you’re strong enough to persevere. Cuphead was a fantastic experience, and I wish I could play more games like it.
49 – Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Year Released: 2014 | Platform: Xbox 360
With gameplay very similar to Batman: Arkham Asylum, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor established itself as a fast favourite of mine. The Middle Earth theme infinitely more appealing than Batman, and a dynamic nemesis system that made hunting down the cretin that killed you last utterly satisfying, This was a fun game to play.
Story-wise, I’m always dubious of anything outside the main LotR cannon, as nothing consequential can happen to the story I already know. It’s not like I can find and destroy the ring in this game! Calebrimbor’s ghost teaming up with a human to get revenge is a pretty fine tale to tell, and I’m more than happy for a reason to slay orcs. I can’t overstate how, once you get into the game play of Shadow of Mordor, it’s just really fun violence. Highly recommend this polished title!
48 – Into the Breach
Year Released: 2018 | Platform: PC
A puzzly, tactical, turn-based, strategy game about piloting mechs, time travel, and saving the future from an alien invasion? Sign me right up! But Mechwarrior, this is not. Instead, Into the Breach is a slow, tactical game where everything that’s going to happen is blatantly and obviously telegraphed before you ever push a button. The goal is to save the human race, protect the citizen buildings and the electrical grid. You’ll get to upgrade your mech with new weapons and abilities, push back the alien Vek, keep yourself alive, and eventually, save the earth.
More realistically, you’re going to fail. And when you do, one of your surviving pilots will be thrown through time to start again. As you win, though, you’ll unlock new teams of mechs with wholly different skill sets that are actually surprisingly interesting to play as. A team might specialize in stunning the enemy, or setting the forests on fire. Some will be able to deal huge damage, while others won’t be able to do damage at all, but they’ll be able to push and pull several spaces, which has some huge tactical implications.
Into the Breach is a perfect mobile game. Runs are short, and when you ‘solve’ the puzzle and manage to get through a confrontation without any casualties, it’s utterly satisfying.
47 – Pocky & Rocky
Year Released: 1992 | Platform: SNES
One of the few 2 player coop video games that my mom and I played together, Pocky & Rocky was one of those weird SNES games that no one else I’ve talked to has ever heard of.
Pocky & Rocky is a bullet hell-esque cooperative game where you and a partner take on the roles of a shrine maiden (Pocky) and her tanuki companion (Rocky) as they fight against hordes of goblins inspired from Japanese mythology.
Things get hectic in Pocky & Rocky, but it’s so much fun when you manage to accrue a full set of power ups and fill the screen with your bullets (which are either leaves or fireballs, depending on your power ups). I have such strong nostalgia for this game, if my mom and were to sit down and play a game together, it’d very likely be this one.
46 – Sea of Stars
Year Released: 2023 | Platform: Xbox
This might be one of the most recent games on the whole list, and one that I’ve already talked about in depth. There may be some recency bias, and in my review I point out some of my qualms with the game, especially with how it ends, but I still found Sea of Stars to be a highly endearing experience. The music, the visuals, and the characters are all things to love! Not to mention that I’m a sucker for any RPG that has an active combat mechanic, which you’ll see more of those the further up this list we go!
45 – Journey
Year Released: 2012 | Platform: PS3
Journey caught me off guard. What started as a quiet little adventure in the desert, grew into a surprisingly emotional experience. And that’s really what lands it so high in my top games list, that it was able to evoke an emotional response without using a single word.
The Hero’s Journey is a story template that we’re all familiar with, but in Journey, everything happens so organically, that you’d be forgiven for missing each of the story beats. It’s brilliantly done, and culminates wonderfully. The aesthetic of a ruined civilization and beautiful music give depth to the adventure. A high recommend from me
44 – Rogue Legacy
Year Released: 2013 | Platform: PC
Rogue Legacy was my introduction to the roguelite genre. This Castlevania style game features a lineage of heroes, each with randomly determined characteristics. Perhaps you’re a giant with colourblindness, or an endomorph, so you can’t get stunned. Each run through the castle randomizes the room layouts as well, making the experience feel fresh each time.
Rogue Legacy was a fun game to get good at. Figuring out the broad strokes of the castle layout, memorizing enemy attack patterns, and getting the right gear made flying through the castle feel awesome. When you die, you take your gold back to your home and build out a new wing that increases your next character’s stats. I feel that Rogue Legacy strikes a perfect balance between permanent upgrades and reset-able runs.
43 – Enter the Gungeon
Year Released: 2016 | Platform: PC
I have 200 hours in Enter the Gungeon, making it my 5th most played game on Steam. My interest in EtG came in waves. I played for a few hours, then left it for a few months. Then I came back and put another few hours in, got frustrated, and left it for a few months. Then I came back and fell in hard. The bullet hell gameplay, the synergies between the guns and the items, all the secrets to be discovered, I was in love.
I’m actually quite surprised that this isn’t higher on my list, considering how much I’ve enjoyed playing this over the years. And really, I credit Enter the Gungeon for my modern affection for rougelike and rougelite games, which is both a boon and a bane, depending on my mood
42 – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Year Released: 2018 | Platform: Nintendo Switch
I’ve been playing Super Smash Bros. since the series started on the Nintendo 64 back in 1999. I’ve chosen for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate to represent the entire series, because of its tagline “Everyone is here”. Considering that I’m not a competitive gamer, I feel like every Smash Bros. game has gotten better and better, culminating with Smash Ultimate.
Super Smash Bros. is an arena fighting game where each player takes on a unique character, and tries to knock the others out of the arena. As characters take hits, they fly further and further until the inevitable happens. Featuring representatives from every major and minor Nintendo franchise, Super Smash Bros. is the series crossing smash up that is the envy of every major platform.
While not every fan favourite character gets a fully fleshed out fighter, each game is packed to the gills with references to even the most obscure characters. This really culminated in the Spirits Mode in Smash Bros.Ultimate, where the base fighters with colour swaps and specific quirks were used as avatars for a wide variety of unplayable characters. The adventure mode had literally hundreds of references to characters that just left me tickled.
41 – Borderlands 2
Year Released: 2012 | Platform: PC
The Borderlands series is a post-apocalyptic first person looter-shooter game with cell shaded graphics and a juvenile sense of humour. The series really found its voice with the second game, and that’s the one that I’ve sunk the most time into, particularly because I was able to play it cooperatively the whole way through.
While there are a wide variety of guns, each one with its own unique blend of attributes and quirks, in the end it really is just a pew pew pew shooter game. Pick the gun with the biggest numbers, and use it until you run out of that ammo type, or you find a gun with bigger numbers. I had a real good time with Borderlands 2 specifically, and I’ve played every sequel that’s come out since, but considering my coop partner isn’t available, and my sense of humour has matured while these games haven’t, it’s one of those video games that I remember fondly, while not actually having a strong urge to go back and revisit.
Those first 6 words of the rulebook set the stage for Last Will, designed by Vladamir Suchy and published by CGE in 2011. Taking the plot of 1985’s Bewsters Millions, your uncle, who has amassed a great fortune, realized on his deathbed that he never got to enjoy the fruits of his effort. So he’s provided each of his descendants a small sum, and challenged each one to live lavishly, as whomever is the best at spending money will inherit the rest of his fortune, and win the game.
All players start with the same amount of money, and each round, take turns choosing which initiative they want to claim. The earlier in turn order you want to go, the less cards, errand boys, and actions you’ll have to spend. But in a game about being the most efficient at blowing your cash, going first and getting the perfect card can be worth having less actions.
The cards you draw can be anything from companions and staff, whom you’ll want to accompany you on your events so you can rack up a bigger bill, to real estate that costs a fortune to maintain, or, can fall into disrepair forcing you to sell it at a loss, to one time events, to persistent events that you’ll be able to use round after round to drain your bank account.
The errands to choose from mostly consist of cards, including the more powerful event cards that are not in the regular decks, but also allows you to put your thumb on the scale of the real estate market, making some types of real estate more expensive to buy in a round, while making others less desirable, so they’ll sell for even less than their already bottoming price.
Beyond the errand boys, your player board and cards have will have a bunch of scarlet badges market with an A, to indicate that doing something costs you an action. Buying and selling houses, activating events, and hiring staff all take time, and therefore, cost an action. Again, the winner is the player who runs out of money first and declares bankruptcy. An important aspect to Last Will is that you cannot declare bankruptcy if you own an asset. While maintaining those houses may have been a great way to drain your cash reserves, you’ll need to sell the house and drain the proceeds from the sale if you want to claim victory here.
Last Will has a sense of levity that permeates the entire production. The art on the cards is whimsical and absurd. How much extra do you think you’d have to spend to bring your horse to the theatre? Well, in Last Will, the answer is £3. That sense of levity can fool players into a false sense of security, there are plenty of difficult decisions you’ll need to make in respect to timing and giving up actions to go earlier in the round.
The reverse scoring method also sounds simple, but it surprisingly breaks your brain in different ways. After hundreds of euro games, I’m conditioned to try and achieve the most amount of actions for the least amount of money. This was most confusing in the real estate market, when I couldn’t figure out if I wanted Farms to be more or less valuable for the round in which I wanted to offload my real estate investments.
There’s a fascinating pivot point in Last Will. The best way to lose money is via real estate, either by letting it depreciate round after round, or just by paying the obscene upkeep. But the houses that drain the most of your money also retain their value, and when you run out of cash, but still have a house, you can find yourself in a weird pinch. You don’t have the money to do anything, but you’re still a ways away from being bankrupt, and selling that house may mean dismantling your cash reduction engine, giving players who haven’t invested in real estate a chance to catch up.
Last Will‘s action selection mechanism looks fairly simple, considering the games that Vladimir Suchy has designed, but it’s finely tuned and considered. Every space on the row is a trade-off in some way. It’s finely balanced and a tight decision at the start of each round. Suchy is flexing his design muscle here and it shows.
I struggle to find criticisms for Last Will. The production is modest, I suppose. There’s no fancy components or action selection wheels with cubes falling through holes like in Shipyardor Praga Caput Regni, but those things aren’t needed here. The charm of Last Will is in the premise, the tight action economy and the inversion of everything I’ve been taught to expect from a Euro game over the last 10 years. It’s funny, clever, and surprisingly thinky, and just a joy to play. For me, it’s an easy recommendation.
Almost at the halfway point! It’s at this point that I start to feel fatigued with these lists, but once I break past the halfway point, I pick up enthusiasm again. It’s not that I’m unenthusiastic about any of the games that have come so far, it’s just that the top 50 are really a cut above all the rest. I also have to purposefully stop myself from just skipping right to the top 10!
60 – Papers, Please
Year Released: 2013 | Platform: PC
Papers, Please is the kind of game that when explained, your first thought is “I thought video games are supposed to be fun?” After all, working a boarder patrol gate in a communist state doesn’t exactly scream joy. But Papers, Please immerse and engages you. While the gameplay is rudimentary, considering it’s mostly text and an approve/deny stamp, as well as an in-game document telling you what to look for, it’s surprisingly fun to find the counterfeit documents.
What really elevates the game is the humanity injected into every interaction. On one hand, you need to care for your family, and part of that is working quickly and efficiently, as mistakes will dock your pay. Immigrants will plead with you to approve them, despite their insufficient documents, and as the game goes on, implore you to assist those trying to bring down the communist regime.
Papers, Please excels at ethical dilemmas, which is something I weirdly enjoy. It’s a fascinating experience and one I highly recommend.
59 – Mario Kart Wii
Year Released: 2008 | Platform: Wii
I mean, what can be said about Mario Kart that hasn’t already been said? Mario KartWii is a bit special because it was the console Mario Kart that came out when I was a teenager, and was the edition that I spent the most time with, outside of Mario Kart 64.
I’ve played lots of racing games, but I’ve always preferred the arcade style games over the realism based ones, as I’m not a car guy. Mario Kart represents the best in the genre, and even though Mario Kart Wii was insistent on motion controls, this entry introduced bikes, which was a big deal at the time. Bikes could shake the controller to pop onto one wheel for a speed boost, but had less handling, and their drifts could only mini boost one level. I really liked that trade off, and am kind of sorrowful that the differences have been negated in later editions.
58 – Shovel Knight
Year Released: 2014 | Platform: PC
Shovel Knight is an indie darling that is a love letter to the 2D platformers that I grew up playing. With gorgeous pixel art, amazing chip tune music, and addictive, well crafted gameplay, Shovel Knight is a modern classic that I absolutely adore.
It’s an excellent throwback to games of yore. The mechanics are simple, run and jump, and point your shovel down to pogo stick onto your enemies. The platforming is tight and fair, and once you get into your groove, flying through the levels is utterly satisfying. The characters all feel unique and funny, but not crazy. If you have fond memories of platforming in the early 90’s, then Shovel Knight is a must play.
57 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Year Released: 1998 | Platform: Nintendo 64
I’ll admit that 57 feels criminally low for one of the most critically acclaimed video games, ever. But this isn’t an objective list, this is fully subjective, and even if at this moment in time I feel the urge to push The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time waaay higher on the list, this is the spot it fell on when I originally created it, so here it will stay.
For those who haven’t played, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an adventure where a young boy, Link, adventures across Hyrule to save the kingdom. His adventures hurl him through time into a future where the villain achieved his goals, and Link is tasked with undoing the damage.
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece, do not get me wrong. Link’s first 3D adventure was magical back when I first played it, and even to this day I have fond memories and strong urges to return to the low-poly version of Hyrule.
56 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Year Released: 2011 | Platform: Xbox 360
Skyrim has a special place in my heart. The summer after I broke up with my long time girlfriend, and started college, this was the game that filled every waking moment between work and school. For months I was immersed in the Elder Scrolls universe, which I also need to point out, this is my first and only Elder Scrolls game I’ve ever played.
Bethesda Studios sucked me in with Fallout 3, then hooked me with Skyrim. A decade ago, I was so happy and excited with what Bethesda was doing, and I was thirsty for more. Unfortunately, over the next 10 years they haven’t been able to release a game that gets me as excited as these did.
55 – Dragon Age II
Year Released: 2011 | Platform: Xbox 360
Now THIS is a game series that I keep meaning to revisit. Dragon Age was a really excellent introduction to the world, but I personally fell in love with Dragon Age 2. The combat system was nowhere near as tactical as the first game, but instead felt a lot more action-y, which suited me just fine, as I was playing on the console.
My main qualm with Dragon Age: Origins, was that the story basically boiled down to “We need backup! go to these three factions and gain their loyalty” then each faction was like “Hey, we’d love to help, but we’re in the middle of a crisis. Solve our problem, then we’ll help you”. While the second game felt a lot more insular, the story centres around Hawke, the “Champion of Kirkwall”, and is a flashback about Hawke’s arrival at Kirkwall, and his growth within the city’s power structure.
I haven’t played Dragon Age since 2012, so my memory is quite fuzzy. I have the games installed, and they’re just waiting for me to come back and revisit them, especially since I never played Inquisition, and with Veilguard just on the horizon, I feel like I should really start prioritizing this replay.
54 – Chrono Cross
Year Released: 1999 | Platform: Playstation
Chrono Cross was the JRPG that I played in snippets as a child because I didn’t have a PSOne. Instead, I would visit my friend, and try to remember what happened since the last time we had played. With an impressive 40 companions to recruit, Chrono Cross is a big experience. What I do remember from the game is vibrant locations, a robust, tactical battle system, and some really great (for the time) visuals.
An important caveat here, I’ve never actually played Chrono Trigger. It’s one of those games that I’ve always meant to go back and play, but I’ve never made it a priority to do so. I’ve read that those who have a deep reverence for Chrono Trigger don’t care for Chrono Cross, but that’s not my story.
53 – Batman: Arkham Asylum
Year Released: 2009 | Platform: Xbox 360
This was the first time I actually enjoyed playing a superhero game. Batman: Arkham Asylum made me feel like Batman. Constrained to the small map of Arkham, and containing a great cast of villains, Arkham Asylum features a fast and fun combat system, and some really satisfying stealth moments. The combat is simple, but also complex enough to pose a challenge when you’re being overwhelmed.
The most important moment for me was near the end of the game when Batman is ingesting Scarecrow’s fear serum, the game appears to glitch and the opening cinematic begins to roll. That cold feeling ran down the back of my neck as I worried my entire save file just got corrupted somehow. But then in the cinematic, Joker is driving the Batmobile and Batman is the one in restraints, being delivered to Arkham Asylum. Well played, Rocksteady Studios!
52 – BioShock Infinite
Year Released: 2013 | Platform: Xbox 360
This is absolutely an entry for the entire BioShock franchise. From the depths of Rapture into the skies of Columbia, the BioShock franchise gripped my heart for a solid couple months when BioShock Infinite came out. The original game, being somewhat a post apocalyptic situation, as you arrive and everything is ruined and the only humans you’re finding attack you on sight. Fast first person, gameplay, a story shrouded in mystery, characters who don’t make sense, and plot twists that leave you reeling for days made BioShock a beloved series for me, back in the day.
An iconic franchise, with its Big Daddy monsters, it now seems to lie dormant. 13 years have passed since BioShock Infinite, and I’m quite surprised. Two separate film adaptions have been talked about, but since the early 2010’s, BioShock seems to have gone into hibernation.
51 – Caesar III
Year Released: 1998 | Platform: PC
Upon reflection, I have no idea how Caesar III came into my possession, but in my late teens, it became the obsession for both my mom and I. Somewhat ironically, we diverged in the missions we preferred. She took the military route, while I felt the combat was the weakest part of the game, and took on the peaceful missions. For dozens of hours, we toiled, trying to raise our damned prosperity rankings so we could move onto the next map.
Even to this day, Caesar III is a game I’ll install from GOG and pour a few hours into. The city building feels intuitive, I like the roman aesthetic, and it isn’t too complex, which is what keeps me way from more modern city builders, like Cities: Skylines. Caesar III is a hard recommend for me, and right now I need to fight the urge to launch the game and start a new campaign for Caesar!
I suppose I should state my experience with the extended Dorfromantik universe upfront. I’ve played the video game for about 2 hours, but I have not played the first board game. Dorfromantik: The Duel is the two player competitive follow-up to the 2023 Spiel des Jahres winning board game. Designed by Michael Palm and Lukas Zach with art by Paul Riebe, and published by Pegasus Spiele in 2023, this version of the game was perhaps the game that most people were expecting when sitting down to play Dorfromantik.
You see, in the original game, players cooperatively build a single landscape, discussing tile placements to try and earn the most points while satisfying various tasks spread out across the land. In Dorfromantik: The Duel, each player is building their own landscape, and competing against the other one to earn the most points.
The game starts with one player laying all of their landscape and task tiles face up on the table where both players can see them. The other player shuffles their tiles, and is the drawer. Before every tile is drawn, players need to assess how many tasks they both have on the go. If either landscape has less than 3 tasks, then a task tile must be drawn. The drawer draws a tile, and the other player needs to find the matching tile, then both players build out their landscapes. The task tiles also have the drawing player revealing a random task number, which the players need to match a certain number of terrain tiles together to complete the task.
The tiles can contain plain pastures, yellow fields, green forests, and townships. Matching the terrain types is not necessary for general placement, but the tasks do require a certain number of each terrain type to be adjacent. Some tiles also contain flags, which will earn you 1 point per tile of the matching terrain, assuming you manage to close it off before the end of the game. There are also river and train tracks, which cannot just end against a terrain type, but can be placed in such a way that you could have multiple train or streams dotting your landscape.
Players continue flipping tiles in Dorfromantik: The Duel, until the landscape tiles run out. The score is the sum of the tasks you completed, plus the length of your longest train and river, and the points each of your flags earns you. The player who has the most points at the end of the game is crowned the winner.
I’m starting to really rebel against the trend of “cozy games”. These are games that endeavour to make you feel cozy and unchallenged throughout the play time. There is absolutely no grit in Dorfromantik: The Duel, nothing to really make you care about the landscape you’re building. The tasks are there, but they’re easy to complete. Without restrictions on non-matching landscapes, a la CarcassonneorIsle of Skye, every tile placement feels pretty arbitrary.
My biggest gripe with the game has to do with how much of a table hog it is. With one player displaying their 80 tiles, it takes up half my table. Then both players need to slowly build up their landscape, each one sprawling in each direction, eventually either running off the table, or into the other player’s village (and sometimes both).
Another annoyance I had come up, was trying to find the tile that the drawer had picked. It’s annoying enough that I’m sifting through my tiles, trying to find the one tile that has two field spots and one forest spot amongst all the tiles that have fields and forests, but it’s another that the villages have different coloured roofs between the two players, making it surprisingly tricky to always find the matching tile. I realize that last part is a minor thing to complain about, but it still made me feel frustrated. I personally believe the tiles should be numbered, like in Karuba, that would at the very least assist the non-drawing player in finding their tile quickly.
Those gripes aside, Dorfromantik: The Duel is undeniably pleasant. The art is charming, the turns are breezy, and there’s never a sense of pressure. You won’t agonize over a tile placement, and for some players, that’s exactly the appeal. It’s a game that asks very little of you, other than to sit back, relax, and build a countryside for half an hour.
But for me, that’s where it falls flat. I want games that push me, that reward clever planning and punish sloppy mistakes. I want tension in my decisions, a sense that the landscape I’m building matters. Dorfromantik: The Duel offers almost none of that. It’s easygoing to the point of being forgettable. It’s a cozy diversion rather than a compelling contest. And while I can see its value as a low-stakes, charming board game, I’ll be looking elsewhere when I want a duel worth remembering.
