Tavern Farkle is a new dice game for the Game Boy, developed by 2nd Law Games. It’s available to purchase as a downloadable ROM from the developers’ itch.io page now, where there is also a free demo or the option to play the game in the browser. We also recently took a look at Self Simulated, another Game Boy title from the developer, and really enjoyed it, so we had high hopes for Tavern Farkle.
Farkle is an old game of chance, featuring dice, and is thought to have been played since as early as the 1300s. The rules are quite simple: players roll six dice and discard any dice that score. The remaining dice can be rerolled for more points, or the current player can end their turn and bank their points. The catch is that if they keep rerolling and score no points, all the points previously accumulated on that round are lost, and the next player starts their turn. The game is won by reaching the total needed set out at the beginning.
There are some extra rules that apply; for instance, if you score with all six dice, you can reroll, and there are joker dice added to this particular version. From the outset, Tavern Farkle has two game modes to try. A simple quick match that allows players to set the amount of points needed to win, and start rolling until a winner is found. The more interesting mode is the Devil’s Dice Tournament, which requires you to beat six gamblers in a row.
The tournament is tricky to beat, as the characters act differently each time you play, and you have to take risks to keep up with the scoring. The final battle of dice in Tavern Farkle is with the devil himself! For how simple the game is, the massive risk and reward of the rules, and being under pressure as to how the CPU will react, is exhilarating at times. Some matches we won by the skin of our teeth, and others were lost by such small margins that you rue the day you didn’t take that extra chance rolling a single die.
The presentation in Tavern Farkle is great, with a clear display and a medieval-style tune that happily plays along in the background. We also enjoyed the different dice sets and old-style writing that gave the feel of being in an old tavern. One of the best parts is how the characters comment on their rolls and react to big scores. The characters also have fun names such as Martin McPie and Gertrude the grim gambler.
Overall, Tavern Farkle is a fun game that can be played over and over. The risk-reward mechanic is excellent, and the way the matches are laid out makes it quick and easy to get into. Anyone that enjoys mini-games and gambling-style mechanincs will love loading the ROM into their Game Boy and taking their chances with the dice. We look forward to seeing what 2nd Law Games has to offer. but in the meantime entice you to roll your chances on Tavern Farkle.
