Revisiting a Memorable Nemesis in The One Hundred Torii
Travel along calm, winding paths through a Japanese garden to appreciate the journey found in The One Hundred Torii.
With all of my games neatly organized and finally on shelves, there are endless adventures to choose from! So I often find myself picking whatever catches my attention. This past weekend, the answer was The One Hundred Torii. It’s been a little while since I last played, but the solo opponent, Onatsu, is always my nemesis. Back to the garden for a showdown!
Disclaimer
I currently work for the publisher, but I purchased this game and all of its expansions for myself. Everything here is my own opinion, and I have a fairly silly reason for choosing to bring this one to my table! But just for full transparency, I have a connection to the game and was involved with a very small portion of the final rulebook editing and development.
Game Overview
Game Name: The One Hundred Torii
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Scott Caputo
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Pencil First Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Gameplay involves placing tiles and tracing paths between matching features within the garden. Torii gates provide bonuses, while traveling characters offer assistance that can be most useful. Onatsu knows these paths well, though, and managing her journey is a clever part of the solo mode!
First Play
February 5, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
January 18, 2026
Expansions
5
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
18
Play Time
30 Minutes
High Score
94
Game Area
36" x 22"
Low Score
17
Onatsu Reunion
Ah, my old nemesis! I mean that in the most comical sense, as Onatsu is one of those solo opponents I remember. I even have her original hand-drawn art. Thanks, Ed and Vincent!
So although building paths through the garden and scoring well are key elements, Onatsu has her own unique journey.
Each round, 3 tiles are drawn. Guess what? Typically, 1 is played and the other 2 go to Onatsu. Lots of choices!
Strategies come down to gaining victory points, but also managing which tiles aren’t chosen. It’s a neat mechanic that makes each decision feel very meaningful. I love it!
A Meandering Path
First, I continue to feature Calico Critters at my solo table! I have a randomized list I don’t look at ahead of time, so it was a surprise when I drew the Dalmatian family.
Second, I don’t always choose a common theme between these figures and the games I play, but today, I did!
My husband suggested Spots, which would have been perfect. But my mind went in another direction, much like this zigzagging path through the garden. Wait for it…
Dalmatians! 101 Dalmatians. A-ha! To mangle a movie quote I love: “100, 101… Whatever it takes.” Masterful humor. Ha!
Defeating Onatsu
The base game includes several difficulty levels to tailor the experience. Since it had been so long, I started at the very bottom to work my way up to the expert difficulty level.
Starting out with coins definitely helped boost the early rounds with hiring characters. There are several different ones, ranging from a gardener to a samurai. So thematic!
But there’s a catch… Characters offer victory points for being hired, yet each can only be hired twice during a play.
I made some great decisions and kept Onatsu in check. Neat to see her final board and immediately know how I fared!
A Poet’s Wise Advice
My plays against Onatsu were far from mere walks in the park. Or, in this case, the garden. She was a challenge!
I had to think about the characters and the best times to hire them. That limitation ensured I couldn’t do everything I wanted to, which often indicates a solid game design.
These Calico Critters stopped to listen to the poet, whom I barely hired. Oh! That right there could be the problem.
Indeed, I soon pivoted slightly to find a way to hire a character as often as possible. Even the gardener, who was the rarest visitor, finally made it into the character rotation.
Following Paths and Creating Little Moments
I wouldn’t say that playing actually feels like walking through a Japanese garden, especially since the journey is about counting gates and tiles. But there is something so satisfying about following a path with my eyes, quietly counting how many small tokens I might pick up along the way. Even looking at Onatsu’s area is fun. So many little paths to travel down!
There are small details throughout the artwork that become apparent upon inspection. Little birds can be found. Water features are rare, but seem like they might add a pleasant musical note to some paths. Tiles may look somewhat empty at a glance, yet I’ve found myself enjoying the moments when I spy something unexpected. Those just add to the fun for me.
Not every game about creating paths works for me, and I sometimes struggle to “see” connections. Luckily, Onatsu hasn’t seen the last of me! I like visiting this garden and discovering the surprises found beyond the walking paths.
Through the Gates
Since tokens are awarded based on the nearest matching feature, this can be difficult to turn into a consistent strategy. Torii gates might only be utilized once.
Yet during this meandering play, I had a lantern on the tile in the bottom right. Just trust me, because I was apparently not an expert at framing this photo. I’ll blame… Onatsu? Ha!
Anyway, there was a lantern in the bottom left, which wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t very lucrative. Enter the poet!
He spent his time writing about that lantern, thereby allowing my path to travel even further. So much better!
Sizing Up the Samurai
Hurray for another adorable Dalmatian! She was quite pleased with the samurai character’s ability, as was I.
In the multiplayer game, she blocks a region from having a tile added to it. But for the solo mode, she blocks a column on Onatsu’s board from gaining tiles during the round.
With the right timing, this can mean that Onatsu won’t gain any tiles! Ah, but recall that like all characters, the samurai may only be hired twice. Again, timing becomes critical.
I pulled off some awesome moves in one of my attempts at the expert difficulty level. Onatsu was defeated, at last!
Session Overview
Play Number: 13-18
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Beginner, Intermediate, & Expert Difficulty
Outcome: 59-77, 81-65, 81-67, 73-78, 53-87, 86-79 (3 W & 3 L)
So satisfying! There were some wild swings here and there, but I kind of knew what was going on when I lost so horrendously. Onatsu was challenging at nearly every difficulty level, although expert certainly makes the most sense for me. It was awesome to score so well with these tokens during my final outing, which was still close, but I came away with a better journey. Until next time, Onatsu!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- The solo mode presents interesting choices in terms of choosing what to use, and how to manage the solo opponent.
- Visually tracing paths through the tiles is relaxing and fun, particularly when traveling through many gates.
- Limitations on hiring characters and collecting tokens make each turn feel impactful, adding thoughtful moments.
- Gameplay moves at a nice pace with a clear sequence and method to hand tiles over to Onatsu in an organized area.
- Many subtle strategies exist and aren’t necessarily apparent during the first few plays, adding layers and depth.
- A relaxing vibe can be found in the artwork, particularly the tiles where little details can be discovered up close.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Although the icons are pretty clear, seeing which path they’re located on can occasionally be a little difficult.
- Some degree of luck is involved in scoring well against Onatsu at times, as the score differential can be a lot.
- Excess small tokens can accumulate quickly near the end, even though they offer no additional victory points.
- It’s usually not terrible, but there is an incentive to build a path in one direction, which can take up lots of space.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the beginner difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the intermediate difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the expert difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of The One Hundred Torii? Have you enjoyed playing with any of the expansion content? I’ll give you one guess as to what’s still on my table and the feature of a few more posts… Ha ha! It’s been a lot of fun seeing Onatsu again and appreciating the decisions that come with this tile-laying solo mode. Looking forward to more plays!
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