The Fox in the Forest
Review

Game
Review

Play Overview

The Fox in the Forest (2017) is a sequencing Whist-style game with some novel twists for two players. You aim to play the highest cards of a matching suit, using trumps and special ability cards when you need to. It's a unique two-player tussle, not only due to the reduced card set and special abilities but because winning too many hands can actually score you fewer points.

This looks like a classic trick-taking game with a forest animal theme but hides within some novel twists. For starters, there are only three suits, so you get lots of trump cards. Then, all the odd-numbered cards each have special abilities that change the way things play out. For example, playing a Fox (3) card changes the Trump suit and the Swan (1) card means you lose a trick, but still play first on the next one. Finally, winning 0-3 ("Humble") and 7-9 ("Victorious") tricks earns bonus points for the round, but if you win 10 ("Greedy") you score nothing.

As you play, you battle to win tricks but need to keep an eye on how many you win. This means you need to use the special abilities at just the right time so you don't win too many or too few. The first to score 21 points wins, so you play several rounds.

The result is a game that adds a new dimension to Whist. It's an incredibly well-balanced two-player game, where one or two cards played at the right time can alter the number of tricks won or lost in that round and therefore the score in the overall game. You never quite know quite who the winner is going to be until the very last card is played.

Our examiner, Rob Prior, first checked The Fox in the Forest 15 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 5 months ago.

Play Style

This is a Collecting and Roll-And-Write game with Battle and Sequencing elements. You can play with 2 players in the same room.

You can play this game in the following styles:

Duration

Learn to Play: This takes half an hour to learn. You need to spend time learning the abilities of each of the special cards, how they impact on each other and how the scoring system is applied at the end of each round.

Play Time: This game will take between 20 minutes and 40 minutes to complete.

Benefits

This game is good if you want to:

Play board games together

Age Ratings

Skill Level

7+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. As this is a two-player game, younger players need to be able to think independently. They also need to be able to plan ahead, so that they use their cards at the right time.

Content Rating

We rate this suitable for 3+ years-olds. This game has fantasy-themed artwork that contains magical creatures, such as fairies and witches.

Costs

There are no additional in-game purchases, loot boxes, adverts or subscription costs.

Game Details

Release Date: 01/01/2017

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Players: 2

Genres: Collecting, Roll-And-Write (Battle and Sequencing)

Accessibility: 0 features documented (Tweet Developer )

Components: Cards and Tokens

Developer: Foxtrot Games (@FoxtrotGames)

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