In 2024, Joyride: Survival of the Fastest was one of my Top 10 Games published that year. At the time, I was looking out for copies of Joyride Duel because it was MORE Joyride and it was focused on the two-player experience. Erin and I have taken some time with Joyride Duel from Rebellion Unplugged and we have some thoughts.
Step on It!
First, the basics. Joyride is a pretty technical racing game and has a style all its own. Players choose a racer that comes with a unique set of abilities, or you can use the three standard abilities if you aren’t a fan of asymmetric gaming. Each turn will take players through a series of phases where they can lock dice for movement, change gears, and roll dice for movement all while navigating an open race course.
The mechanics of Joyride are all about pushing your your luck, using your abilities wisely, and wrecking the other drivers. Joyride Duel comes with two unique vehicles that are compatible with other versions of the game. The double-sided track board is built for two and three player games in mind. It’s smaller in size than the original maps and has some new mechanics on the Warehouse side of the map.
Unlike many other racing board games, Joyride is unique in its approach to how you interact with the race track. Joyride Duel comes with a variety of map setups in the rulebook and you can even design your own after a few games. The open track style means that players can choose whatever strategy they want, as long as they cross the check points in numerical order. First time players usually struggle to understand the chaos, but catch on by the middle of their first game.
The New Driver vs AI
The Learner is one of the two cars included in this set. This vehicle is nice for players who are going to push their car to the limit and need to make corrections as they go. The Electric is powered by robots but their electric powered vehicle comes at a cost. The robotic drivers will syphon power from your die rolls, so the player has to decide which dice will lose one point of power each turn.
I was worried that these two vehicles would feel too “introductory” since this is a two-player focused set. Both vehicles feel unique and have pros and cons. I was actually surprised that The Electric vehicle gave the player MORE control during the game. I found myself thankful that I lost a point of power on a die as I went careening toward a wall.
You can bring these two vehicles into any other Joyride map you want to play on which is great for us since we have the original game along with a couple of expansions already.
Racing or Car Combat
Joyride Duel is part racing and part car combat. Players will pick up weapons to launch or drop onto the map. The delivery drone and flash bang weapons are unique to this set, while the oil slick and landmine show up in other sets. Joyride is a game that really shines when players take the car combat aspect of the game seriously. There are multiple ways to damage other players cars or just spin them in a direction that is less than helpful. It’s more than just racing.
Joyride Duel is a smaller map and this leads to some tight spaces, especially in a three player game. Players are encouraged to be aggressive and it has a “demolition derby” feel to the game. As you come to a tight corner, you’ll be shifting down to get the most turning radius out of your vehicle. Since turn order initiative is determined by the player(s) in the highest gear, you don’t want to go too slow.
The turn order initiative track feels most important at two players. Knowing when to shift gears to gain back-to-back turns is vital.
Final Thoughts
Joyride Duel is everything I wanted in a two player version of Joyride: Survival of the Fastest. The map size is perfect while the two vehicles feel balanced and fun. So, does Joyride Duel do anything that the standard game doesn’t? Not really.
There are plenty of two player maps in the original game. Using the blocking hexes and barricades in the game, you can change the size of the raceable area with ease. This game honestly is a great way for players to jump into Joyride as they decide if this is a racing game they connect with. For us, Joyride Duel adds more to a game system that we really love. New cars, new weapons, and The Warehouse map introduces damage dealing robots, which is a nice touch.
If you already own Joyride: Survival of the Fittest, this game is more great content that keeps the good times rolling (it’s a dice joke, get it?). If you are curious about this racing game from Rebellion Unplugged, this might be a great starting point for you!
With Joyride: Full Throttle launching on Gamefound last week, I’m personally really excited to see this game grow. Joyride Duel is a welcome addition to our game self and feels like just the beginning of something we’ll enjoy for years to come.
Joyride Duel: Next Gen is available at your local game store, through the Rebellion Unplugged webstore or online through Amazon today.
This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.
Highs
- The maps focused on 2 to 3 players works really well
- Mix of combat and racing feels unique in the genre
- Two new vehicles are a nice addition to Joyride
Lows
- Learning curve and open track style can be disorienting for new racers
Complexity
Time Commitment
Replayability
