Ducks and Deduction: An Exciting Solo Game in Harsh Shadows
Uncover the right pieces of evidence on a tense and relatively quick spy adventure through the city of Harsh Shadows.
Deduction games can be rather uncommon and difficult to pull off in the solo world. It isn’t simply about collecting the right cards, because how boring would that be? There needs to be a sense of urgency and enough elements to throw off the scent, so to speak. When Harsh Shadows recently arrived, I knew it was something I needed to try immediately!
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 simple 3×3 grid of locations and hidden discoveries forms the play area, yet the strategy is anything but easy. The agent must move around carefully looking for the right evidence, avoiding the spy and hidden bombs along the journey. Time is also of the essence to catch the spy!
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
Confiscated Items
Every item is randomly sorted into the case files during setup. Evidence represents the items that must be in the agent’s hand to make a successful accusation of the spy.
Careful of the red herring, though! Keeping this discovery results in an automatic loss. It’s just wrong in every way!
False leads are items that don’t mean anything and can be discarded over the course of the game. Note the clue costs for all of the confiscated items, though. Tricky, tricky.
Is it worth it to focus on the evidence or false leads? Never mind those… Mind the awful red herring lurking out there!
Upgraded Characters
Normally, the agent and spy cards simply move from location to location. They work well, and I have no complaints about them! But when you have the option…
Calico Critters, of course! My husband got me a new and very difficult-to-locate trio of baby ducks, so one of them had to be Agent Torres. All mysterious and awesome!
The spy, otherwise known as Grey Knight, was another easy mark with this adorable kitten. Dangerous, I mean.
Ha! They made an interesting duo and I actually could have set up an actual cat and mouse game. Next time!
That’s a Bomb, Right?
Interestingly, as I read through the rulebook, I wondered how a first turn would go if the bomb in the first set of discovery cards was uncovered. Well, case in point…
This duck definitely had an expression! Because my first choice led me to the bomb. OK, I could work through this!
I could immediately lose… No, thanks. The defusing kit in hand had to be used, but it was a single-use item.
Ah, nicely done! With the way this worked out, I didn’t have to worry about any other bombs for a little bit. Very clever design that doesn’t lead to instant losses. Nice!
Blending and Hiding
Spoiler: There is no duck in this photo. It’s all in your IMAGINATION. Just Grey Knight out and about…
In reality, Agent Torres needed to keep moving in this direction but the confounded spy used his random movement to close the gap and show up. No, no!
This resulted in a lost discovery card, which wasn’t too terrible. Yet those clues were helping me narrow down which items were needed to win. Bad timing, Grey Knight!
I was having an interesting time and definitely felt the tension growing. Even a few minutes in, I loved the design.
Matching Items
I focused Agent Torres on the actual evidence, rather than the false leads. In a surprisingly short amount of time, all of the right items had been collected in hand!
Now, this was slightly dangerous because no longer was she safe from bombs. These were mixed in the discovery cards and a total of 4 bombs could be encountered.
Each time, another card had to be discarded. Discard a piece of evidence, and that’s it… Defeat is guaranteed.
So I planned these moves carefully, guiding Agent Torres far from Grey Knight to move in at the right time.
Apprehended!
After also successfully planting the tracking bug, it was a race to end up in the same space. Grey Knight was a little easy to track down. Sir, you were beeping on my radar!
Even with the initial bomb to defuse, Agent Torres made it to the end. I think it was my focus on getting rid of the red herring as soon as I discovered that. Happily abandoned.
Was this too easy? I didn’t even touch the timer card, which speeds up the end of the game. Not a problem.
Beginner’s luck? There were some ways to increase the difficulty level, yet I figured I would try just once more.
Pleasant Artwork
With just 9 locations, the atmosphere might get stale over time. Yet these are gorgeous illustrations, often with a warm color scheme that looks quite inviting.
It’s fun to think of these locations in the realm of agents and spies, though. Each one could be hiding a secret…
What was being discussed at the little cafe? Was there a marked box at the post office? Just who was hanging out at the park near sunrise? And the bank?! Highly suspicious.
Granted, this isn’t a cinematic game with stories to tell. At the same time, it has a theme that comes through well.
All of the Used Cards
With plenty of used and discarded clues, I still hesitated to label this as an easy victory. Just a couple of missteps and a necessary piece of evidence would have been lost.
The bombs definitely added to the tension! Each location usually has 0-2 clues on it, and moving to it allows the top card to be picked up. Clue, item, or bomb? All unknown.
Flipping every card gave me a sense of intrigue and dread. Even being aware of the defused bombs wasn’t enough.
Until I got through all 4 bomb cards, every discovery could have turned into an unpleasant experience.
The Shiny Red Herring
For anyone not too familiar with the crime or mystery genre, a red herring is something that seems to be related, but turns out to be entirely wrong to divert attention.
It’s done in a unique way here, for any item could be a vital piece of evidence… Until it’s not! Red herring, indeed.
So the strategy must revolve around either risking it all or uncovering the red herring before the very end. Or even a slight combination by the process of elimination.
I hope I’m making it clear how great this system is! To have a solo deduction game like this is amazing.
Another Spy Caught
Alright… Technically the same spy was caught after I reset and decided to play again! I didn’t change the difficulty level so I could gauge how well I did. Too easy?
This time, the timer card started to dwindle and Grey Knight was apprehended at the last possible moment!
I still think that it’s about time to try the next difficulty level, though. Easy enough: It comes down to removing a +2 clue card that counts as a pair of clues.
Agent Torres was on the brink of losing a few times. And I still think this duck is looking at me with disdain. Ha ha!
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Play Details: Standard Difficulty Level
Outcome: 2 Wins
Almost out of time for Agent Torres, yet she made it! Also, my copy seems to enjoy making the hidden camera a piece of required evidence. I may have a spy in the box. Ha! I really enjoyed this experience, although it might tend to be on the slightly lighter side than I usually enjoy. Still, there’s something special about a solo deduction game in the spy genre that plays in 10-20 minutes. Very awesome!
%
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)
- Figuring out which items to keep for the final showdown takes some interesting strategic thought and deduction.
- Play time flies by in about 10-20 minutes and creates low-level tension to keep every turn intriguing.
- Modifying the difficulty level is simple and mainly involves changing the setup slightly by removing cards.
- Location cards form a random grid every play and feature unique one-time actions that can be very useful.
- The box is pleasantly small and opens in a hinged way that keeps the deck more secure than a usual game box.
- A solid solo deduction experience is at the center of the design that doesn’t get overly complex with additions.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The rulebook is necessarily small to fit in the box, yet the text is very tiny and it doesn’t cover all play situations.
- There is definitely enough to randomize the card with every play, but the long-term variety is certainly lacking.
- With the locations and discoveries laid out side-by-side, the play area is a little larger than might be expected.
- Only the clue cards feel a bit unfinished with the basic fingerprint, while the other cards use full artwork.
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
What are your thoughts about Harsh Shadows? Are there any other examples of great solo deduction games you enjoy? I sometimes go in and out of my interest in the spy genre, yet I don’t see myself tiring of this one anytime soon! It has just enough to make every play feel like a challenge right down to the end. Ducks are great agents, by the way. Ha ha!
Not so much Torres as Torre-nt duck? (In that casino photo, Grey Knight seems to be about to say “OK, now you hide…”)
It’s an interesting idea, but I think not for me; I still really enjoy hidden movement with a human opponent, Whitehall Mystery for example.
Ha! These stand-ins definitely provided some rather expressive poses and photos. Definitely sticking with them!
Hidden movement and deduction all need to be done a certain way for me to like them solo, too. Mimicking a human opponent in this way can be really difficult! I can see why this wouldn’t be for everyone, though. We all have our preferences! And with my plans to keep using the Calico Critters, I’m sure you can follow along and play vicariously with a few laughs!