Harsh Shadows: Hold the Red Herring in a Spy Thriller
Collect evidence and race against time in a thrilling adventure to track down the master plan of a spy in Harsh Shadows.
I seem to be in the mood for quick solo games these days, and I was thrilled to stumble across my copy of Harsh Shadows! This is an exciting matchup against an agent and spy. Although I haven’t played it all that much, the box immediately brought back my time chasing through the streets and finding discoveries. Back to a spy thriller!
Game Overview
Game Name: Harsh Shadows
Publication Year: 2021
Designer: Rachel Bruner
Artist: Ben Flores
Publisher: Wonderspell
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
A spy is on the run, leaving behind clues and evidence in various locations. As the agent, the goal is to track down the right items, follow the spy, and bring about the right accusation. Red herrings provide surprise disasters, though, and it isn’t easy to stay ahead of the plot!
First Play
July 28, 2021
Complexity
2
Latest Play
May 7, 2023
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
8
Play Time
10 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
30" x 18"
Low Score
N/A
Mysterious Locations
There aren’t a lot of places to visit around town, yet each comes with a wonderful piece of artwork that gets across the intrigue with the agent chasing the spy.
Some feature darker color schemes, while others are washed in beautiful light. Definitely a nice mixture!
Setup involves placing the 9 locations in a simple 3×3 grid, where the individual abilities can be taken into account.
Gameplay feels quite thematic with the constant movement and backtracking to visited locations. And the agent must always stay just a few steps back…
Agent Davis on the Case
The agent and spy cards are double-sided, offering a few different options to represent the characters. Agent Davis looked like a secret agent in that dapper suit and tie!
Discovery cards provide everything, from clues and pieces of evidence to… Bombs! There is a defuse kit, yet these unexpected surprises usually involve losing another card.
While the agent may move about freely, the spy moves randomly and provides another ongoing threat.
Aside from the final showdown, meeting at the same location is another way to lose a discovery. Watch out!
To Catch a Spy
Wolf Rose was a tricky spy, but Agent Davis managed to track her down successfully! With the right evidence and no red herrings, the accusation was a rousing success.
Actually, returning to this one reminded me of how it can be a little too easy to win. There aren’t a lot of different strategies, so it can feel like it’s easy enough to solve.
However, there is enough randomness to keep it fun. I also decided to try out all of the higher difficulty levels.
Despite it being a little repetitive, I won at the last moment almost every time for an exciting adventure!
Managing Evidence
All items fall into a category, which is important to understand. Evidence forms the solution, and all 3 pieces must be present in order to achieve victory.
A red herring is an instant loss, though, so it’s important to find a way to discard it before the end. To add more of a challenge, there might be even more of these in play.
I rarely spend clues to find false leads, though. It could be useful, yet going after evidence and red herrings is vital.
This isn’t so much deduction as luck, yet it can be quite fun to find out what items exist in each category.
Distilling an Exciting Theme Into a Short Game
One of the highlights of this game is how quick it goes. Many turns take a matter of about 10-15 seconds… Or even less, when the pressure is on! It moves with minimal pauses, which mimics the spy genre. Flipping over a discovery card provides a bit of intrigue on nearly every turn, and the final few rounds are filled with tension to chase down the spy.
Although I think gameplay can be repetitive, this is a solo game that’s best enjoyed in moderation. I only kept on playing to test out the various difficulty levels, yet sitting down to play a couple of times every month or so seems like the perfect cadence. It’s like an ongoing spy thriller where the spy keeps getting away… Only to be caught again!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-8
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Hard, Difficult, and Expert Difficulty Levels
Outcome: 5 Wins & 1 Loss
Agent Davis ran all over town, for Wolf Rose wasn’t one to stay put for very long! I enjoyed making up a little story about the evidence combinations, and play time flew by as I enjoyed the familiar fun of an agent tracking down a spy. There is something very interesting wrapped up in this game, and I hope to continue to play it regularly. Always time for a quick play to track down a local spy!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
8
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
6
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
4
+ Pros (Positives)
- Tracking down a spy and collecting evidence is a thrilling sort of theme that comes through with the mechanics.
- Play time flies by with simple but interesting choices as an agent must stay a few steps ahead of or behind a spy.
- Item categories provide fun ways to spend clues, while red herrings offer a little bit of danger with extra cards.
- Each location offers a special ability in the random layout, which can create some interesting back-to-back turns.
- Spy movement is handled with a random deck of cards that can sometimes be examined for more information.
- Although there isn’t a strong narrative, it can be very fun to create a quick story about the evidence collected.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Various difficulty levels are available, yet they feel pretty similar and winning can feel a little too easy at times.
- Some degree of luck is often necessary to find the right evidence before time runs out and the spy escapes.
- Gameplay is generally pretty repetitive with a similar strategy and progression during each play.
- There are rarely times when uncovering false leads is worth it, as evidence and red herrings are more important.
Victory Conditions
Successfully Accuse the Spy
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the standard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the hard difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the difficult difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the expert difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Are you adept at playing Harsh Shadows? What other solo games do you enjoy that have some very exciting themes? I can’t believe it took me this long to return to playing this one, yet it was a wonderful experience! The chase is exciting, and I particularly enjoy how it’s mostly about gathering clues. Agent Davis will continue to be successful spy catcher!
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