Black Sonata and the Unfairness of the Meandering Fair Youth
Travel across the city of London to track down the mysterious Dark Lady from Shakespeare’s sonnets in Black Sonata.
Solo deduction games can be difficult to create, yet Black Sonata is an excellent example of mechanics that work! I realized it had been a few years since I last played, and it seemed like the right time to explore this realm again. So many modules to consider adding! I returned to the city to solve the mystery and stay one step ahead of the Dark Lady’s hidden movement.
Game Overview
Game Name: Black Sonata
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: John Kean
Artist: John Kean
Publisher: Side Room Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Exploring London and studying the Dark Lady’s moves offer clues to her true identity. Solving these characteristics is the ultimate goal, yet she’s always on the move! Modules offer various additions to the deduction puzzle, providing more mysteries to unravel across the areas of London.
First Play
February 20, 2019
Complexity
2
Latest Play
April 19, 2026
Expansions
2
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
20
Play Time
30 Minutes
High Score
53
Game Area
24" x 16"
Low Score
-6
New Clues to Follow
I moved onto using a lot of modules as I worked my way back into this one. So much time had passed, the Dark Lady probably thought she would be anonymous forever! Ha!
More difficult clues proved to be interesting, as was tracking down the rendezvous point. Loved those new additions!
Yet the Fair Youth was the most frustrating of all. I knew what I had to do and how to solve this other puzzle, but I got it wrong even when I thought I was right both times…
One thing I also forgot about was how much I struggled to see the paths on the board with the limited color contrast.
The Elusive Poet
Another module introduces a poet, who can adjust the difficulty in either direction. I chose the easier option!
This was another neat mechanic where I could use a bit of logic and knowledge to catch him occasionally, immediately granting me a new clue. That was a lot of fun to pull off!
However, the core gameplay didn’t leave me with a great feeling. It seemed like I saw the same puzzle, even though I changed the deck so I didn’t memorize any patterns.
There were some fun moments, yet with these modules, I saw my play time increase by a lot without much reward.
Following the Clues
A deduction puzzle! I enjoyed gathering the clue cards in different ways as I slowly figured out the trio of icons.
My only annoyance was in how random these clues could be. There was a time when I had 2 cards and already narrowed down the icons to 3 of 4 possibilities. Excellent!
And yet, I got the same information on the next few clue cards and had to wait until I had 6 cards to figure it all out.
That delay didn’t feel great: Maybe I got extra lucky, yet to chase down the Dark Lady and poet so many additional times didn’t make me enjoy this session all that much.
Rendezvous Fun
Did I mention how much I enjoyed tracking down the type of rendezvous? This was a great time and offered just a little more of a challenge. Uncovering the correct card was great!
Alas, as much as I appreciate how unique the game is in the solo space, I was left with a hollow feeling towards it.
Settling on the ideal set of modules for myself would take many more plays. I’ve gotten a lot of joy out of this one, but that doesn’t mean I have to keep it when I won’t play again.
It was a good run overall! This is a fantastic way to achieve a solo deduction game, and I’m glad I had some great times.
When the Puzzle Has Been Solved
There are a lot of different ways to add more variety and other game modes, yet at its core, I feel like I solved the game. The memory element isn’t my favorite mechanic, so increasing the difficulty with the movement deck can be disastrous. I believe I tried the highest difficulty level at one point and it was simply awful for me. Definitely not the solution!
Adding in new modules certainly felt interesting, but I felt more distracted than anything. I enjoyed solving the little mysteries but knew the steps to solve the puzzle… Which I did many times. It’s hard to make a solo deduction game stick around forever, and I don’t begrudge this one for trying! Just a lesson that I’m ready to find it a new home, and that’s OK.
Session Overview
Play Number: 19 & 20
Expansion: Black Sonata: The Fair Youth
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Outcome: 10, 25 (2 Wins)
Unveiling the Dark Lady’s icon on these keyhole cards was quite exciting! And I still managed to deduce correctly both times, even though the Fair Youth resulted in some serious lost victory points. I know I could simply remove that module, yet it seems fair to say I’ve come to the end of my journey. This is still one I recommend looking into for its unique mechanics… My early plays were amazing!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
8
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
6
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Working through the puzzle to track down the Dark Lady is a very fun and rewarding experience.
- Different modules offer some interesting mechanics that add new ways to play and explore more of the game.
- Solo deduction and hidden movement are difficult to implement, yet this is one of the best examples that’s also fun.
- Piecing together the clues to deduce the Dark Lady’s characteristics and confront her is challenging and exciting.
- The component quality is excellent with a lot of wooden tokens and linen finish cards that don’t stick together.
- Even with a lot of modules in use, the overall play space is relatively small and compact for what the game offers.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is a memory element to the Dark Lady’s movement that can be frustrating at the higher difficulty levels.
- Muted colors are hard to distinguish on the board, and the movement paths are a bit faint and easy to cover up.
- Although the expansions introduce a lot of modules, finding the desired experience isn’t necessarily easy to do.
- Not all of the rules are clear, and reading through the rulebooks can be more confusing than helpful in some spots.
Victory Conditions
Identify the Dark Lady
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the normal difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the advanced difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the expert difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy about Black Sonata? Do you have a preferred way to play with the various expansion modules? It was a little disheartening to realize I wasn’t having a good time, yet I had a pleasant enough time. Good to know I ended on a high note with the correct deductions! The various modules are great, but like the elusive poet, I shall now depart!
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