Rio Grande Games: Friday - Deck-Building Card Game, Solo Adventure & Survival Challenge, Choice-Driven Experience, Fast-Paced, Ages 13+, 1 Player

Solo games rule.

This solo game is great if you wanna kill 30 min or longer. Easy to set up. I have not won a game yet however. It takes practice. I like the artwork and real wood pieces. The cards have a coating to protect them.

THE STUFF: Friday has great components - it's a fantastic little box with some quality cardboard play mats, nice tarot shaped cards (though a bit smaller), and green wooden HP counters. All of the art really serves the theme and is of professional quality. That being said, the art and layout can be a little boring and repetitive, but it's mostly a by-product of the mechanism that uses the top and bottom of the card for different purposes, so on the cards that don't require both halves the bottom half is just filled in with a wooden fence. Also, the top of the cards just have a bust of Robinson displaying different mannerisms, which is cute, but very repetitive. THE GAME: This is a mini-deckbuilder where you encounter dangers on a savage island; by overcoming them, you can improve your deck for future challenges. The game has 3 stages, each getting significantly more difficult, and ending with a boss fight that will require you to use everything in your arsenal to be victorious. The game is definitely challenging and engaging, with a bit of excitement due to the quasi-randomness of drawing from your personal deck. Some cards have special abilities, all of which will be instrumental to your success. The theme comes through cosmetically, but your focus will mostly be on risk/reward and mathematical considerations -- you do not feel like you're actually facing the thematic challenges. Don't buy this game if you're looking for an adventure; buy it if you like numerical card games and are OK with the theme just serving as a bit of flavor to spice things up. CONCLUSION: Ultimately, I like the game but don't love it. After I play it, I'm not inclined to play it again for a few days. I'm not recommending it across-the-board, but I think it's enjoyable enough for the price. Check some reviews on YouTube to see if the gameplay suits you.