Death Valley: Highs and Lows, designed by Kevin Ellenburg and published by Button Shy, is a standalone expansion to its base game (Death Valley) by Button Shy. It is a tableau builder that combines risk management with competitive card drafting in a way that is both engaging and exhilarating.
Death Valley: Highs and Lows advertises 1-2 players starting at age 8, with a play time of 15 minutes.
Let's step into the review.
Quality - 8/10 - While the game itself is small (18 cards in a wallet-sized carrier), the cards and carrier are good quality. There is something both unique and accessible about how Button Shy designs their games. You could easily toss this in your pocket, a bag, or hell, even your shoe if you wanted. It's an easy-to-grab game that still maintains a resilience to being tossed around and brought to many different locations.
Artwork - 8/10 - Fachri Maulana (art) and Milan Zivkovic (graphic design) do a beautiful job at capturing an art style that is as beautiful as it is useful as it is informative. Each card and its unique designs are captivating in their imagery, offer clear visual cues for game play, and list various facts about the creatures and locations listed. I love both the way the game looks and the way it feels.
Theme - 8/10 - Set in the desert valley in eastern California, players find themselves exploring Death Valley, noting its features and avoiding its extremes. As a player, you'll decide whether to travel or rest, gathering cards to your journal or moving them to your scrapbook. You'll encounter creatures and locations, trying to maneuver so that you do not obtain too many of any one type of symbol. The theme in this game is both fun and cohesive with the game play.
Learnability - 8/10 - Death Valley: Highs and Lows does a great job at explaining how to play the game within the game instructions, while still being condensed enough to fit in the wallet carrier. It is easy to pick up and fairly simple to teach, yet does a good job at holding a little bit of complexity within the game's structure.
Weight - 8/10 - There is a good balance here between a small, quick game that is easily portable and accessible and a game with a little bit of strategy to it. Death Valley: Highs and Lows is not overly complex by any means, but it has enough functionality to make it enjoyable to play. It is accessible for a wide variety of play styles and is a good fit if you're looking for something for something quick.
Engagement - 8/10 - This was a ton of fun to play. I was able to play several games back to back, and really enjoyed the challenge of trying to decide how far to press my luck. Each card has a different ability that effects scoring, decision-making, and or the mechanics of the game itself. It was fun to try to collect the beneficial cards and to stick my opponent with the harmful cards.
Decisions - 7/10 - Each turn players decide between travelling (adding a new card to their journey) and resting (moving a card from their journey to their scrapbook), with a few other nuances included in those actions as well. As they do so, they need to be careful to not collect two many of the same type of card so as to avoid "busting" and lose a lot of their cards. Deciding when to risk picking up a good card vs. when to avoid a particular card type was a fun balance with a level of consequence that held a degree of setback without being too punishing. This game is not intensely focused on player decisions, but it has just enough player agency to be lighthearted and fun.
Mechanics - 7/10 - I appreciate the ways in which the unique combination of mechanics work together in this game. There were opportunities to grow my points, to negate opponent points, to collect beneficial items while avoiding potential loss, and to constantly shift my goals and decisions based on the card abilities in play. The discard pile that results from busting in the game also has a mechanic that comes in to play with one of the particular cards. Another card changes the end criteria of the game. Overall, the game had a good level of being light and interactive, easy to explore, and engaging to play.
Solo Play - 7/10 - The solo option of this game was equally as enjoyable as the two-player option. It introduces an AI with rules for their play that are easily managed and promote unpredictability, supporting the need for the solo player to continue to manage their risk levels. While this game is lighter than I normally prefer for a solo option, it is the perfect pick up if I only have a few minutes. I was able to play several games with one hand, holding my infant son in my other arm while sitting on the couch. There is a lot of value to an enjoyable game that can be thrown on a nearby surface, played, and then easily picked up a few minutes later.
Shared Play - 7/10 - Death Valley: Highs and Lows is easy to teach and learn, has changing game play that results in adapting strategies based on the other player's decisions, and has a lighthearted, competitive, push-your-luck feel that makes it fun to play with another person. This game does a good job at making both the solo and shared play enjoyable.
Replay Value - 8/10 - After playing through, I found myself wanting to play again to see what other results might occur. While there are only 18 cards in the deck, unique combinations result in unique play. I also know that Button Shy has the base Death Valley game and a few other card additions as well. I would definitely be interested in combining decks to see what new possibilities exist.
If you're looking for a quick and simple game that still is engaging and enjoyable to play, Death Valley: Highs and Lows definitely fits the bill. It requires low mental energy, but holds a degree of challenge that is just enough to keep players invested. I enjoyed this play, and could definitely see this game sitting by my couch for a quick play here and there.
Overall Rating 3.8/5.0
Keep playing, friends.
(Disclosure: Button Shy provided me with a copy of Death Valley: Highs and Lows in exchange for an unbiased review.)
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