Fans of the original The Fox In The Forest will recognise the core gameplay of playing cards to win, or lose, a trick. However, in this cooperative version the winner of the trick will advance a token along a forest board in one of two directions, and collecting any available gems on the adjacent location. Players have three rounds to try and collect all the gems without the forest path shrinking beyond four spaces, which happens should players ever stray too far in any one direction and at the end of each round.
For those unfamiliar with trick taking games, players take it in turns to play cards, the highest value in the lead suit played wins the "trick". Player one will play any card, which indicates the lead suit and the value to beat, while player two must play a card from that lead suit if they have one, or another suit if they don't. The lead suit always trumps another suit played unless that other suit matches a "decree" card that is visible to all players. As in The Fox In The Forest, some cards also grant additional actions such as choosing the direction of travel on the forest board, or choosing to ignore a certain amount of movement allowance.
The Fox In The Forest: Duet creates a satisfying and challenging cooperative experience. Players cannot discuss tactics or what cards they have, so the challenge comes from the ability to work wordlessly with your partner to traverse the forest, choosing when to win and when to lose, to ensure that you never stray too far from the path. The gameplay feels smooth and while there is a satisfying amount of tension involved, it creates a calming atmosphere thanks to the lovely illustrations and theme.
A big problem that I often have when it comes to more abstract games is the question of "why". In more thematic games this is less of a problem, there's usually some story line that sets up the intentions of the characters that the players control, but in The Fox In The Forest: Duet the purpose of the game feels clear.
For a price tag of around £15, the game is well worth the expense and offers plenty of replayability. When we first got it out of the box we played two games back to back (one win, one lose) and it left me wanting more. The addition of the forest path board and movement counter was a nice touch and helps the game stand out from the basic The Fox In The Forest.
