Tokaido Duo: A Journey Beyond the Game’s Countryside
Journey to towns and open spaces as a cast of characters works toward goals related to art, trade, and travel in Tokaido Duo.
It was about time I set out on my own little adventure through Tokaido Duo! This bright and uncluttered solo game settled on a shelf and blended in so well, I forgot about it for far too long. Streamlined mechanics and a quick play time were very enticing, as were the clean graphic design choices. Onto a delightful experience through the Japanese countryside!
Game Overview
Game Name: Tokaido Duo
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Antoine Bauza
Artist: Xavier Gueniffey Durin
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
An artist, merchant, and pilgrim travel in search of ways to achieve their goals. Dice provide options during each round, and choosing which character to advance is interesting, particularly since the solo opponent is also on the same sort of journey! Gameplay is quick, if not a bit repetitive.
First Play
June 15, 2026
Complexity
2
Latest Play
June 16, 2026
Expansions
0
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
99
Game Area
26" x 20"
Low Score
35
The Joy of Simple
I think what really drew me in was the overall simplicity of many elements that could have been more complex. For instance, the artwork and graphic design were so clean.
There weren’t extra elements to worry about, and the rules were also pretty easy. Characters took a little extra time to understand, yet that’s to be expected… They’re central!
Moving around the map differs based on the character. The artist, for example, only moves into the wide open spaces.
It was a neat concept and the solo mode seemed simple enough to run. Devoid of questions, I set out to win!
Finding a Rhythm
Against the easiest solo opponent, it didn’t take long to see some of the better strategies. Still, the pilgrim didn’t do all that much before the end! Just the artist and merchant.
This was a neat intersection of decision points, as timing the end of the game is a critical moment. Too early, and only one character will score well enough to win.
But too late, and the solo opponent can easily catch up. This isn’t a big concern at the low difficulty levels, though.
I enjoyed the flow and pleasant atmosphere, and started to bump up the difficulty level pretty quickly.
A Simple Solo Mode
The rules for the solo opponent were easy to learn and implement. It was nice to see all of the different difficulty levels, which slowly added to the challenge.
I had a nice time with the learning curve, mainly in terms of figuring out the strategies. Some cool moments came up when I realized I could block the solo opponent… Take that!
But as expected, it turned into a rather repetitive exercise before long. This isn’t meant to be overly complex, though.
The real test was to see how far I could go with increasing the difficulty level and managing my character actions.
Merchant Skills
I seemed to always focus on the merchant! Lots of victory points there, and I started to at least focus on both of the other characters. But it certainly felt like I had seen it all.
The game was nice, and I think it falls into that realm of being a decent game that will resonate more with some than others. Nothing quite pulled me in beyond the surface.
The fourth difficulty level was a nice challenge, yet beyond that? It felt impossible to win at the fifth and sixth levels.
I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this solo game, but felt like my journey with it came to a pleasant end rather quickly.
In the Middle: Mediocre as an Opportunity
Many hobbies and forms of media have a set of things that are often universally known, and are viewed in high regard by a majority. In board games, this might be Chess and Go. In more modern terms, it might lean into Pandemic and Ticket to Ride. That’s not to say everyone loves these games, yet I expect that most players know of them and have good opinions.
Where things get murky is in the vast ocean of what I would term mediocre games. They aren’t universally known, nor are they universally lauded as being good. This is the landscape that sets apart our preferences and allows us to explore in ways that might not be obvious. I’ve come across plenty of surprises over the years, both good and bad!
As I write more and more, I sometimes feel guilty for not painting every game in a wonderfully positive light. Putting the term mediocre on something might sound less than desirable, but that right there is the opportunity. That unknown, middle ground is full of possibilities. There will also be a lot of disappointment and frustration mixed in there.
When I find a seemingly mediocre game that I love, it feels like it becomes my own thing. “I found it!” That’s where this game and countless others seem to exist. I might not love them. You might not love them. But somewhere out there, someone sifting through the mediocre games will stumble across this one, and discover that it’s their new favorite game.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1-8
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Difficulty Levels 1-5
Outcome: 4 Wins & 4 Losses
No matter what I did, there was no way I could stop the solo opponent at level 5. Maybe I could have adjusted the game to race to trigger the end with a character, although that felt chaotic and against the overall game flow. So I celebrated my earlier victories and called it a day! It was a nice set of mechanics that took a little time to understand, and I’m ready to move it along in a pretty positive sort of way.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
5
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
5
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
2
+ Pros (Positives)
- Learning how to play is fairly straightforward with a short set of rules that generally feels intuitive.
- Figuring out how to use the trio of characters is interesting, as there is a clever balancing act to understand.
- Dice provide different options, but it’s also important to consider what the solo opponent might focus on next.
- There is a very clean and crisp visual design in place that makes it easy to spot icons without any unnecessary noise.
- Play time is quick enough without any downtime, so that the sequence of play flows smoothly without interruptions.
- All of the components are excellent quality, particularly the wooden meeples that are easy to tell apart from afar.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The highest difficulty levels seem impossible to win against, unless the previously learned strategies are changed.
- Not a lot of elements change between plays, even with the random setup of the market goods and bonus tokens.
- Drawing goods out of the bag as the merchant can be very frustrating, as scoring well relies on a fair amount of luck.
- Gameplay isn’t particularly deep, and once the best decisions have been identified, there isn’t a lot of strategic variety.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 80%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at difficulty level 1.
Win at least 1 game at difficulty level 2.
Win at least 1 game at difficulty level 3.
Win at least 1 game at difficulty level 4.
Win at least 1 game at difficulty level 5.
Continue the Conversation
What do you like about Tokaido Duo? Have you managed to win against one of the highest difficulty levels? I enjoyed a lot of the simple elements of the rules and gameplay, which provided a very clear sort of learning curve. Not every solo game sticks around forever, but I still got a lot out of this one! Just another little step on this fun journey through the hobby.
0 Comments