Overboss Duel Review

If you're familiar with the original Overboss then Overboss Duel should be a breeze. This two player only version of the game has a singular shared board between each player and they'll take turns drafting a terrain tile and a monster. The tile can be placed anywhere on the board, including the other players half. Each terrain type scores differently and wants to be in different locations. When you place a tile down, it will also trigger an effect that can help you or hinder the other player depending on what was placed. Duel introduces heroes which spawn in on the villages. They can be removed by playing mini bosses on top of them or having a band of monsters on them or by matching the monster with the terrain. You get points for each hero you slay. As always, you also have a villain that gives you a specific scoring objective along with a one time use ability when flipped over. The game ends when the board is completely filled and players will then tally their scores.

The Good: The biggest gripe with the original game was that it was a largely solitaire experience. You're focused on your own board only. Duel does an excellent job of including a take that mechanism that's apparent from the start. I love being able to put a tile on the other players side that can take away points. The whole game is also fully compatible with the original game and vise versa.

The Okay: For as many tiles in the game, you likely will only see a small amount. This isn't a dealbreaker but there were games played that I didn't even see certain types of terrain come out.

The Not So Good: There is no sort of player aid that tells you what happens when a certain terrain is placed. The symbols are a little iffy as far as understanding them so I was constantly flipping back and forth in the rule book.

Final Thoughts: Overboss Duel was everything I could have asked for from it. It's quick, it's simple, it's surprisingly strategic and deep. The cross compatibility with the original game as fantastic and the inclusion of new themes is well implemented. While the original can play more players or solo, Duel is my new go to for Overboss.

Thanks to Brotherwise Games for providing a review copy.