Maybe you’re planning a low-key Christmas for two this year… or maybe you’re after a back-up in case the big get-together doesn’t quite go to plan. Great games for two players are always useful to have around in our experience, and they make excellent gifts too! In our final ‘top five’ of the year, here are some of our current favourites…
Bridget is both a neat and addictive strategy game and a lovely object in its own right. With simple rules (just build a path of your colour from one side of the board the other while blocking your opponent), addictive gameplay, and tactile, appealing pieces, this is a game that will be enjoyed by new and experienced gamers alike.
Hive is a near-perfect two-player strategy game in our humble opinion! There’s no luck involved here: purely decisions made by players, who take turns to either add a piece to the hive or move a piece they’ve already added, with the aim of blocking in their opponent’s queen bee so that she is eventually surrounded by pieces. Durable, compact (even more so if you go for the pocket-sized version) and extremely replayable, this game will really stand the test of time.
Azul: Summer Pavilion is technically a game for up to four players, but it works so well for just two that we thought it was worthy of a mention here. All three of the Azul series are excellent games for two people, but this one just might be our favourite given focus on individual strategy rather than blocking your opponents (try the Stained Glass of Sintra version if that’s more your bag!). A gorgeous, medium-weight abstract strategy game that’s as interesting to play as it is beautiful.
Thrive is a fairly recent addition to our collection, but after testing it out we’re very keen to play it some more! The concept here is very simple: aim to capture your opponent’s pieces until they have only one left, then you’ve won the game. All the pieces are identical to begin with, able to move only one space forward. However, on each turn as well as moving a piece, you modify two pieces of your choice by adding pegs, giving them more movement options on future turns. Elegant in every way as well as novel in concept, we’re very impressed with this one.
And now for something completely different… Pucket is a frenetic, hyper-competitive dexterity game about flicking wooden pucks across a board using elastic. Players both start with eight pucks on their side of the board. All you have to do to win is get all the pucks to you opponents side at the same time… despite them constantly trying to fire them back at you! It’s exactly as chaotic and maddening as it sounds, but tremendous fun nonetheless, and it makes a great spectator sport too if there are more than two people in attendance.
Thanks for reading our top 5 series. We hope you’ve found it useful. Wishing you a very happy and fun-filled Christmas, however many players it involves!
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