Two-player games have only gotten more popular in recent years, but what do you do when you’ve played ‘em all? After two-player card games like Fox in the Forest and Jaipur, after two-player strategy games like 7 Wonders Duel, Imhotep Duel, and Curious Cargo, where do you go? Why, asymmetric two-player games!
Our current favorite is Skulk Hollow. It uses its asymmetry to tell a nature-versus-civilization story that’s both cute and thought-provoking. One player plays the Foxen, a crack team of rangers who defend their homes and towns from the dangers of the wilderness. The other player plays a Guardian, a literal force of nature who protects the unspoiled wilderness from the encroachment of civilization.
The Foxen player uses the disparate skills of their commandos to defend their leader, surround the Guardian, and leap onto the Guardian to deal damage to its different parts. The Guardian player moves around the map, using primordial powers to eliminate the Foxen leader or achieve a unique win condition.
The base game comes with four different Guardians, as well, and each requires different strategies from both the Foxen and Guardian players. There’s plenty of replay value and variance in even the base game, and all this strategy combines with very appealing art and presentation to make Skulk Hollow something we’re happy to pull off the shelf any time.