Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Flash Duel - Review
I just picked up and played my first few games of Flash Duel. It was a lot of fun. The following is some of my commentary/review on the game.
Summary of Gameplay
So the game is designed for two players. It is played typically with three character cards per player, a common deck, and a board that numbers eighteen spaces in a row. The common deck consists of 5 sets of the numbers 1-5, for a total of 25 cards, five of each number. Players put their pawns on either end of the board, then draw five cards from the common deck.
Gameplay proceeds in turns. On your turn you can choose to do one of four actions: move, push, attack, or dashing strike. If you move, play a card out of your hand and move that many spaces forward or backward. You can push if you're in the space adjacent to your opponent, you may play a card to push them the number of spaces equal to the value of the card.
Alternately you can attack. If you have a number card that is the exact distance between you and your opponent, you may play it as an attack. If you have a pair of numbers, or 3 of a kind, you can play them for a stronger attack. If your opponent doesn't block, they lose the round. And lastly you can dashing strike. If you dash strike, first you discard a card to move that amount, then another one to attack if it is the distance between you and your opponent (using pairs or 3 of a kinds to strength it). Your opponent must either block or retreat from a dashing strike.
So say you're the subject of an attack. If you don't block, you lose the round. To block, you must play the same card and the same amount of cards as the attack. So if the attacker played a 3, you need to play a 3 to block. If they played three 1s, then you need to play three 1s to block, otherwise you lose the round.
If you're the subject of a dashing strike, you can block just like an attack. But if you can't block, you have the option of retreating. If you retreat, you discard a card to move backward that many spaces. Also if you retreat, you're forced to skip your next turn (but not your draw phase).
Game totals best 3 out of 5 rounds.
The game is simple enough. When you add character abilities, it heightens the complexity enough to be rather interesting. Each character has a different style and some characters aren't necessarily balanced against each other without the use of strategy.
So next I'll review various parts of the game. Note this review is of the Deluxe version of the game, not the standard.
Box & Container
The box that comes with the deluxe version is nice. I am a fan of wood and the laser cut logo is a nice touch. My biggest issue with the box is actually its design as container. The top doesn't have any type of grove system so it comes off very easily, which is an issue if I decide to travel with the game or set it on its side as all the contents will spill out. As is I'm going to have to look into some kind of ribbon or tying mechanism for keeping the lid on.
The insert inside the box is also of good quality but I think the shape picked was opposite what it should have been. The insert is a squared sin wave; One sheet of paper folded in the center to create a depression so the cards fit nicely in the center of the box. The sides are the right height the board piece on top and still let the lid fit on the box. Extra pieces are kept in a little bag under the insert.
This works well for the cards but the issue I have is with the pieces/tokens that are stored under the insert. They are somewhat difficult to remove from the box due to the way the insert is cut. I think the insert would have worked better if it was a single hump in the center (like a cosine wave). Then you could keep your cards on one side, and your tokens on the other. Or alternately store your character cards on one side, your deck on the other, and put your tokens under the center rise.
A discussion with the game creator on his forums revealed that he may look into this idea for a future printing.
Pieces & Parts
The quality of the tokens are very good. No complaints here. I use the round wood tokens meant for keeping track of how many rounds you've won to also call heads or tales to figure out who goes first in the first round
The real piece of worth in the deluxe version is the board. I love the board and its color use. The deluxe version board is two wooden pieces that fit together well. You can find a pictures of the board from the deluxe version on this product page, look to the standard version for pictures of the card-based board for comparison.
The deluxe version of the board is very colorful and very sturdy. My version had some slight warping that I imagine will come out with use.
If I had asked for one improvement I might have asked for numbers along both sides of the board. Perhaps with the other set in a different color. The numbers can be used to do quick distance calculations in your head without having to rely upon eye counting. So having a count from the other side might have made it easier on those of us who can't do quick mental math in with the higher numbers or prefer to add numbers rather than subtract.
Cards
The cards are of decent quality. I was actually surprised at how small a 25 card deck is. The art is colorful and it was masterfully reused. I studied the art for awhile, seeing how color and patterns were used to make each character card feel unique without requiring a lot of custom art.
The number cards have so many different ways to determine they're value, at first I was a little boggled as to if they the different parts of the number hard had different meanings. I theorized that the arrow length at the top of the cards was an actual measurement you could lay against the board to determine how far your character moved or could attack. Not so much but we thought it was a neat idea. As it stands I think the number cards could actually be as language independent in their value as they could be.
Rulebook
Rules were one page and very nicely laid out with one exception. After reading through setup and having the board art separate that from the rest of the rules, my eyes wanted to move on to the action definitions rather than the turn definition. For a second I though the turn structure/order had been left out of the rules since it almost seems to appear in its own "side box" which my eyes have been trained to ignore until I've read the main text. A minor complaint.
One other thing I felt was missing was a credits section. Particularly who had done the art, layout, and card design for the game. Posting to the forums of the designer revealed that with the exception of the actual character art, this was a complete one man job. Which is impressive.
The rules also lack a version number, which is not a big deal except when one goes to the forums to try and determine if there is any errata. At the time of writing this review, the game creator assured me that the printed rules were the "final" version.
Gameplay
Gameplay is the real shining part of this game. The rule book mentions that is it based off a game called En Garde by Reiner Knizia's. It is nice to see game designers giving credit for their inspiration. I have no played En Garde so I can't compare it but Flash Duel is a lot of fun.
The game is very quick once you get the rules down. My first time playing we knocked out rules explanation and 6 games in under 2 hours, which was enough to try out half the characters. My opponent and I randomly choose characters and pitted them against each other, after playing one character-less round.
The strategy of the game comes mostly from attempting to determine your opponent's hand, determining how to use your character's powers, and determining how to use your hand. The game mechanics very much seem to simulate a fast pace first to hit spar.
About the only drawback is that the game is limited to 2 players. Which means it won't be a common pickup game at a board gaming night except for perhaps when you're waiting for your friends to arrive.
Theme & Setting
The game actually has a theme. It is set in the Fantasy Strike universe, which seems to be a setting specifically for Sirlin Games used across all their games. Since Flesh Duel appears to be the first of their fighting games that I am able to determine, this is our introduction to the world.
For those who have played fighting video games, the peek at the world we get through the characters and their abilities will be familiar. Mystic martial artists. Anthropomorphic animal fighters. Modern setting with fantastic elements. I expect the world will be expanded when we see more games set in the world like the upcoming Yomi.
Who would like it and when would you play it?
Fans of fighting games definitely would like this card game. People who want a quick game that takes only 10 or so minuets to grasp and 10-15 minuets to play a round will be ecstatic. Losing isn't a big deal in this game since the game plays so quickly. I could see this being an easy game to break out while you're waiting on a friend or two to arrive for a gaming night. It being limited to 2 players though is kind of a drag though. But the simplicity of the game almost invites house rules and interesting variants including tournament play.
Worth
The deluxe version is selling for $45 on Amazon. The standard version is selling for $16. I'm not sure if the game is worth $45 and while I haven't seen the standard version. That being said the use of the wooden board and its color and numbers makes me feel like I wasn't...Read more›
Click Here to see more reviews about:
Flash Duel: DeluxeThis Deluxe versioncomes in a wooden box with wooden pieces and board.Flash Duel is a simple, fast card game that simulates a duel between two Fantasy Strike characters. There are 10 characters to choose from (all included), each with 3 different special abilities. Landing just one hit wins a round, and a game is best 3 out of 5 rounds. Games take only a few minutes to play. The duel takes place along an 18-space linear track. Players draw from a common deck of 25 of numbered cards (five copies of each number 1 through 5), and use these cards to move, attack, dashing strike, block, and push. Each character's special ability cards add a new dimension to the base gameplay, and create 45 different character matchups. Flash Duel was designed and balanced by David Sirlin, the multiplayer balancer of Street Fighter HD Remix, Puzzle Fighter HD Remix, Kongai, Yomi, and Puzzle Strike. The core gameplay was inspired by Reiner Knizia's game En Garde.Deluxe Contents:*Wooden box with logos laser engraved*55 cards*Two-piece wooden board*Two wooden pawns*Five win-tokens with logo laser engraved*Full color rulesheet
Click here for more information about Flash Duel: Deluxe
