by pacman88k
SHADOW HUNTERS
4-8 Players
30-60 Minutes
By Yasutaka Ikeda
1. Out of the Box:
Shadow Hunters is a “secret identity,” deduction game for a larger group of people. The game comes with a nice board, containing a nautilus-looking track to mark hit points (HP) on one side, and a roundel-looking area off to the other side of the board, which marks where players’ markers are moved from location to location. The board is simple, yet evocative for what it does.
Each player has 2 tokens, one for the HP track, and the other to move around on the location cards. They are nice & big, not too small and can be handled easily and without fuss. At first, I thought the little player mats were a little gratuitous and unnecessary, but it turns out they’re very practical. For example, in a full, 8-player game, it can get confusing trying to remember which player is what color. The boards serve little more than a holding place for the character cards, but they also function in identifying each player’s color at a glance.
The cards are of good quality. True, there are some cards that have black borders, but sleeving them should quickly solve that problem (sleeving ALL the cards, I mean). The only small problem I have with the cards is the color of the Shadow’s characters, as they are printed on the green Hermit cards, are difficult to read, especially in bad lighting.
In general, the components are of good quality – as in, well constructed – however, the boards unfortunately belie their production value. I feel that the main board and each of the player mats “stain” too easily. If you run your fingernail just lightly enough to make a line, it will stay there. Grease stains stay there, and they can’t be removed without much delicate effort and care. So, while the boards are well made, the surface of them is a little on the weak side.
- Unadorned components, yet evocative nonetheless
- Be careful with “rough” or “careless” handling
Fun-o-meter: 4.1/5
2. Rules:
The rules are simply remarkable. They are some of the best rules I’ve ever read. It doesn’t hurt that the game is really simple; it would’ve been easy to botch the rules to such a simple game with very few rules, but not so with Shadow Hunters. Regardless, the rules flow very smoothly and logically. There are a few color illustrations and clear examples. I wish ALL games explained their rules with such confidence and simplicity.
- Honestly, these are quite possibly some of the clearest rules ever written
Fun-o-meter: 5/5
3. Ease of Play:
Players have hidden identities and belong to one of 3 factions: Shadow, Hunters, or Neutrals. Each faction has their own winning condition(s) and as soon as anyone’s win condition is met, the game is over.
On your turn, you must, first, roll two dice (d6 & d4) and move your token to the card with the corresponding number equal to the sum of the two dice. The rest of your turn is entirely optional (though you’ll most likely perform the whole of your turn for most of the game. The rest of the turn is made up of taking a card from the pile which corresponds to the card on which your token is placed, following what the card says, and then attacking your “neighbor” (the player whose token is in your area).
The beauty of this deduction is that you try to find out who your teammate(s) are, while attacking others to fulfill your win condition. I’ve taught this game in about 5-6 minutes, flat. That’s how easy it is. Overall, the game play feels very intuitive and natural. There shouldn’t be any difficulties in understanding how to play the game.
- Easy to play, and actually fun to teach
Fun-o-meter: 5/5
4. Weight/Length Ratio:
This is one of those games where experienced players can potentially prolong the game, not play it in a shorter amount of time. Even so, the game should never take more than an hour, even with experienced players. There is no such thing as downtime in this game, because you roll the dice and move, do what the cards tell you, and maybe attack. Actually, the exact number of different, individual choices a player will ever have throughout the course of the entire game is exactly 6 (maybe 7); and they don’t pile up, so you will only be presented with one of those six at any given time. This means that analysis paralysis is also not really present.
And I have found the factions to be fairly balanced. We’ve had every faction win a game or two so far in the 5 games we’ve played, which is, by the way, what this review is based on. The game seems to divide itself into 2 distinct “phases.” The first part is where players try to deduce who is or isn’t on their team, while the second is more of a headlong rush into a killing spree as everyone is suddenly trying to satisfy their respective win conditions. So, the game actually crescendos to an exciting finish. The game certainly doesn’t buckle under its own weight.
- Very quick and entertaining dose of deduction/killing
Fun-o-meter: 5/5
5. The “F” Factor:
So, is the game fun? Of course it is, as long as you’re careful with the components and don’t play with a group of friends who have drinks nearby and tend to spill stuff, it’s loads of fun. I like the artwork; it’s not too over-the-top. And the theme is there insofar as players can suspend their disbelief and have a good time. Otherwise, it might even feel tacked on for some. This is a good game that is big on player interaction and even bigger on fun. Don’t be surprised if your group wants to play it again immediately. Definitely check it out.
- A fun game that easily bears repeat plays
Fun-o-meter: 5/5
Overall: Recommended
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