The Fox in the Forest Duet is a cooperative trick taking game for two players. You and a friend will move through the forest path collecting gems; beware as you must work together to make the most of your pursuits or lest be bested by the odds and lose your way. The gameplay is about 20-30 minutes for three rounds and is geared towards ages 10+.
Spider: I liked the coop aspect and it was really quick. So, even if you lose there is always the urge to just get in one more game. I thought it would be a really great gateway game to teach someone trick taking.
Cat: The coop aspect was great and I liked that it was limited to two players. I felt we played really well together and that the decisions we made to play specific cards or abilities were in tune, even if we didn't win. So, I feel like this is a great game for couples. As for playing with kids, there's no talking so it's not really easy to identify what they would have which would make it difficult to teach at first.
Spider: I liked the art and how it was different for each suit. I liked the different ability cards and they made the game more intriguing. They definitely added depth and variation within the strategy per game. The artwork was charming, but realistically the theme could have been anything like Robots in Space and your goal is to the gain energy cubes. Ultimately it didn't really matter.
Cat: The art really reminded me of Frozen. The theme was insignificant. It didn't really grab my attention, but growing up in the 80's and 90's, the similarity of art with Disney films called on my nostalgia.
Spider: I thought of this as a travel game so the simplicity of the pieces was fine. The generic nature of the theme and simplistic pieces were fine though because it was a fast game and not a super immersive experience. You're not going to spend hours doing this.
Cat: The small footprint of the game made it great to set up quickly and bang out a few rounds. It definitely took me a handful of games to figure out how to use the abilities and get the most out them. I feel like I mismanaged them a lot at first. All that being said, the game was so quick and straightforward it's a good one to keep on the docket for when you don't have a ton of time.
Spider: I liked the nature of having to vibe together and understand the moves we each made. I did like learning the game with a partner. I also enjoyed talking after the games to review strategy. There are moments when things get a little hectic because you just don't know what the other person has in their hand.
It was an interesting blend of strategies and tactics. For example, playing low cards when you're by the edge so that the odds improve to have the partner play a higher card to move the marker their direction. You have to plan use of trump cards, keep track of card numbers.
After you figure out how the game works, I do think it would become repetitive. The variations for the difficulty levels add replayability.
Cat: The game was more fun than it appeared it would be. It honestly looked kind of dull on the box, but when we set it up and started playing the tricks we both kinda got into it.
Pros:
Tidy little package of coop, speed, simple mechanics and pockets of stress
mostly a calming, always quiet game
great morning coffee kinda game
simple setup
Cons:
The components are meh.
Limited replayability
Overall
Spider: Two Spiders
Cat: Two Cats
Rating Scale
Would not buy or play again
Would not buy but would play again
Would buy and play again, but only occasionally
Would buy and play again in normal rotation
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