Wouter & Ymke 
Two-player games have really become their own thing lately. You see them everywhere. And honestly, I get why. Sometimes you just want something you can play with one other person, without sitting through rules that were obviously meant for more people and only lightly tweaked to work at two.
Aquatica: Duellum fits neatly into that space. It takes the whole underwater engine-building idea from Aquatica and tightens it into a direct little back-and-forth between two factions: the Protectorate of Turtles and the Serene Republic of Calmari. It’s basically Aquatica distilled into something compact and a bit more confrontational.
👥 1-2 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 45 minutes
📝 Designer: Ivan Tuzovsky
🎨 Artwork: Ramazan Kazaliev, Julia Kovalyova, Daria Martyshchuk, Andrew Modestov, Oleg Proshin, Pavel Starikov & Maks Suleimanov
🏢 Publisher: Cosmodrome Games (review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
The game is all about timing your actions, playing your cards at the right moment and managing coins and tridents before they disappear at the end of your turn. You always take one main action by playing a card from your hand, and then you can add as many small extra actions as you manage to chain together. Those extra actions come from your helper animals, the top depth of your locations, the occasional mercenary, or when you complete a goal.
The two factions handle acquiring cards differently, which is something you really feel after a few rounds. Turtles conquer using the number on the vortex and buy using the cost printed on the card. Calmari do the opposite. It feels subtle when you read it, but it changes how you look at the market and how greedy you can afford to be.
Locations sit in your player board and slowly slide upward as you use them. Only the top depth is ever active, and once you use it, the card simply slides up to reveal whatever’s next. You don’t keep resources from turn to turn, so there’s a bit of pressure to use what you gain immediately. It encourages short, almost puzzle-like turns.
Your helper animals start ready, then get tired, then need to be refreshed later. Wild mantas join your side only if you manage to move the manta leader onto their territory. It’s a nice little race on the side. Speaking of racing: the crown track sits there quietly, but if someone hits nine crowns, the game ends instantly. So you do need to actually look at it, even if your brain is busy calculating vortex prices.
The vortex itself is a rotating market that changes the cost of cards for both players. I mean, it looks innocent, but the rotation decisions can be annoyingly clever. You turn it to help yourself and, if you’re like me, maybe to make life a bit harder for the other player.
The game can end in three ways: someone brings the manta leader to a capital, someone hits nine crowns, or someone completes all four goals. In that last case you finish the round, take one final turn and then total your prosperity points.
Artwork, Components and Visual Design
The game looks great on the table, that’s for sure. Lots of bright blues with a very shiny underwater vibe. The factions look distinct without shouting about it, and the mercenaries have a nice bit of personality to them.
The vortex is a fun centrepiece, and raising the location cards is still one of the most satisfying little physical actions you get in this type of game. Components are thick, colourful and easy to handle, which is always appreciated.
If I’m being honest, the table can get a bit busy once everything is laid out. All those colours, icons, tokens and mantas can blend together a bit, especially if you’re playing on a smaller table. And the art is sometimes so vibrant it becomes slightly harder to read at a glance. Not a dealbreaker, just something to be aware of if you prefer a cleaner layout.
Our Experience
Truth be told, Duellum plays faster and tighter than we expected. Turns are short, but they don’t feel empty. There’s always something small you can squeeze out of your engine if you time things right. And because there are multiple ways to win, you can’t really switch off at any point. If you ignore the crown track, you’ll regret it. If you ignore the manta leader, you’ll regret that too.
The vortex quickly became our favourite part of the game. It creates these tiny tactical moments where turning it one step changes everything for both players. I like that kind of shared puzzle, even if it occasionally leads to the quiet “oh… you really didn’t want me to have that card, did you?” conversation.
The factions feel distinct without becoming overwhelming. You don’t need to relearn the whole game to switch sides, just adapt to its way of doing things. And over several plays we both found ourselves drifting to the faction that simply felt right, which I think is a good sign for a two-player game.
The sliding of locations is still great. It’s clear, it’s physical and it ties the whole engine together in a way that makes sense. You often feel like you’ve pulled off some kind of underwater combo, even when the turn only lasted a few seconds.
It might feel subtle at first, but the tension builds in a way that keeps you involved the whole time. And it’s more interactive than the base game, much more so actually.
Our Thoughts
So, looking at the experience as a whole: we like it. Quite a lot, honestly. It trims the original game into something more focused, and the interaction is simply better here. There’s no reinventing of anything, but everything feels considered and neat.
It has a couple of moments that won’t click for everyone. If you don’t enjoy small tactical denial, the vortex might get on your nerves. The tempo can swing sharply if someone has a strong turn and the other person miscalculates. And if you prefer very open engines or huge combos, this one might feel a bit tight.
But for a midweight two-player game, it lands in a spot that feels very easy to return to. Quick to explain, enough decisions to feel clever, and interactive enough to keep you awake. The asymmetry brings variety without adding weight, and the goals help shape each session a little differently.
If you enjoy games like Targi or 7 Wonders Duel and you want something with a bit more opportunity to build towards something, this is a solid option. And if you already liked Aquatica but wished it pushed back a bit more, this one definitely does.
📝 We received a copy of the game from Cosmodrome Games.
