I like party games. I think there’s nothing more fun than a game that’s just as much about prompting good conversations as it is about actually accomplishing things.
Duo Quest by Malaysian studio 1+1 Studios is a game built just around that. Taking the form of a tabletop encounter with various monsters, it’s built around using various icebreakers for powerups to fight its rogue’s gallery of monsters.
During Indie Jam 2024, the game was still being demoed with a physical prototype, and that’s where its strength really shines. With simple questions about childhood nicknames and fun hypotheticals, it’s like playing the Wedding Game without having to spend so much money on a venue (or the pain of inviting guests).
Duo Quest : Like The Marriage Game But Easier On Your Wallet
The premise of Duo Quest is simple enough- match answers with your own partner to get various power-ups to fight the boss. Everything in the game is tied to your ability to answer questions – including the eventuality of the boss’ turn, where discussing with your partner will determine your ability to tank a big hit.
As an objective-clearing exercise it’s already pretty interesting- you’re allowed to discuss with your partner to give hints on your answer, so your ability to read into hints is already being tested. But where the magic happens is in the game’s ability to act as an ice breaker: the latent conversations mean plenty of room for fun banter or tangents. It’s even better with an audience- there’s nothing funnier than having someone simultaneously invalidate your high school memories while also not contributing at all to the giant rat monster problem you’re trying to deal with.
Currently the game even sports different decks for different types of relationships- from the kind for long-term friends to the romantically inclined to even ice breakers for the awkwardly paired last two people who haven’t tried the game yet. I’m not at a point in my life where I could have tried anything more advanced than the “Just Friends” deck- but I expect Duo Quest would be a lot more fun with someone you can play Dignity Chicken with.
While Duo Quest is still very much early in development, I’m personally hoping for a physical release of the game. It’s got absolutely great party game vibes, and everything I’d played of it so far works great both in digital and tabletop formats. Of course, that means the inevitable crushing disappointment of having someone tell you “Maybe we should just stick to the Friends deck”.
