Yokohama Duel Board Game Review
It’s always amazing to me when complicated board games can be stripped down into a two player variant, a variant that is equally as good as the 2-4 player counterpart. I’ve only had the chance to play the regular Yokohama once, but this duel version gives me some of the same vibes, but in a tighter, two player experience.
In Yokohama Duel, players are using progressively better workers to take actions around the board, collecting resources, completing contracts, buying cards, and more. Each of a player’s worker cards have a different power, and the power of the card is what determines what you get from the various locations. In most situations, the higher the power, the more you can do at that location.
Whether getting resources to complete contracts, praying at the temple for points, collecting additional help, or building structures, there is a lot to consider across the only a couple rounds. This is a very tight game, so having a strong strategy is important, but maybe more importantly is being able to adjust on the fly.
Purchasing cards can help with end game points or provide ongoing bonuses during the game; ignoring these cards is a pretty easy way to lose the game, but putting too much into them is also a recipe for disaster. And that highlights the most important strategy here – what is the perfect balance with your limited actions?
The real delight in this game, though, is the way the player worker cards need to be used – lowest power to highest power, every round. Yes, there are ways to get more power out of your low power card. There are boosts you can use, buildings on spaces provide extra power, etc. but ultimately you need to plan out your turns from lowest to highest. What do you need the least of, and what do you need the most of? And even further to that, what does your opponent need and want?
It’s such a great, crunchy 2-player experience from start to finish. Every action matters, and finishing the game with a pile of resources you couldn’t turn into contracts is pretty bad. This is a highly strategic experience, and while it is easy enough to teach to almost anyone who’s played at least a few board games, the strategy here is so much deeper than many other games I’ve played, 2-player only or not.
And that’s really why I recommend Yokohama Duel so much – most 2-Player games are of the lighter variety, something quick and easy, something you can setup and take down in a minute or two. That isn’t Yokohama, and to that end, it enters the 2-Player only games area and sets itself apart. For friends or couples who enjoy great strategy in a game built for only 2, Yokohama Duel is easily one of the best. And we cannot recommend it enough.
Article By Adam Roffel
