Don Duality review

Mafia decision-making is as easy as selecting a discard

Sure, role-playing as a superhero or space colonist is kind of cool. But I’ve always longed for interactive experiences that let me become the kingpin of a formidable underworld empire. As such, it’s easy to appreciate Don Duality’s ambitions, which combine the moment-to-moment decisions a mafioso might make with the accessibility of a table-top, card-based game. There are still some rough edges that need to be ironed out. However, at present, Duality is undoubtedly diverting.

As the game’s moniker implies, being the capo dei capi entails managing two interconnected businesses. The first are traditional criminal undertakings. That means spreading the reach of your organization across a city map. Each district that you seize provides an additional stream of income. But as the big boss, you’ll have to contend with a trio of rival factions who also desire the daily dividends of control. Like Risk, you’ll gradually take over territories and quash the ambitions of your adversaries.

Thievery with a Side of Meatballs

Drawing from a hand of five randomized cards, you’ll hire goons, put them to work to rob banks, rough up folks who owe your mob money, take kittens hostage, or intimidate the police. Naturally, there’s a cost, reward, and risk associated with each undertaking. But sadly, Duality fleeting tutorial doesn’t stress the importance of clicking on the information icon to view the specifics of playing a card. But if your goons are successful, they’ll earn ‘black money’ and likely increase the heat gauge. Let this maximize, and the mob boss will be forced to stand trial, with a conviction ending the game.

Dirty money must be laundered, which is where your second business comes into play. On a horizontal strip right above where your henchmen operate, you’ll find a restaurant. From the same deck that you use for your underworld activities, you’ll hire waiters and cooks. You can also buy additional tables as well as cooking equipment that allows you to create more exotic and expensive dishes. Far less involved than a game like Cook, Serve, Delicious, you’ll watch a steady stream of customers arrive, bringing in clean cash which serves as your main source of currency.

Randomness is a Threat to the Mob

Naturally, there’s a steady influx of random occurrences that can mess with the cash flow of your operation. Red cards periodically enter your deck and if they linger for too long, an adversity will trigger. These range from employees stealing your money, surprise inspections, the loss of an employee, or even hipsters that fill your restaurant but only order low-priced coffee. If it’s already evening, you can risk waiting it out for a new card deal on the following deal. Otherwise, you might receive a card that removes the random event from your hand- but there never seems to be enough of these in the deck. Even less common are green cards, they reward the don with some amusing, collectible skits.

With play that centers on the consumption and disposal of cards, Don Duality is refreshingly accessible. It will take about ten minutes to grasp the fundamentals of basic play. Additional enjoyment comes from learning how to handle different problems, like when you have a lot of dirty money and can’t seem to launder it quickly enough. But Duality’s uncomplicated gameplay also means the game isn’t going to remain compelling over the long haul. After about four hours of play, I felt the need to permanently retire as the head of the family. Duality begs for deck building.

Conclusion

Don Duality’s reliance on randomization seemed poised to become contentious. Make no mistake, the randomized deck deals influence your chances of success just as much as your decisions. And for some, that might be a deal killer. However, if you’re the type of player who appreciates when choices help shape rather than directly determine outcomes, there’s fun to be had as the big don.

Don Duality was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.