Tokaido digital is free to download on Android and iOS
Take an all expenses-paid trip to Japan.
The digital version of Japanese sightseeing board game Tokaido is currently free to install on both the Android and iOS mobile app stores until March 27th.
Set in ancient Japan, Tokaido has players travelling along the eastern sea road in search of unique experiences. From seeing incredible vistas and meeting local residents to eating delicious meals and gathering precious treasures, Tokaido is a family board game about taking an amazing journey.
The key to winning Tokaido is collecting as many of these different experiences as possible; as players move along the board game’s linear track they need to decide which activities they want to stop and do along the way. The player who’s furthest behind on the track will always get to go next - moving to whichever action they want to perform regardless of distance - with players needing to decide whether they want to reach certain actions before their opponents, or go slower so they can get more turns than the others.
A beginner board game for two to five players, Tokaido’s action spaces enable players to do a variety of things, such as receive money, purchase an item, collect something of a particular set or score additional points. The more scoring objectives a player can complete by the end of the game, the more points they’ll acquire and the likelier they are to win the game.
The digital version of Tokaido remains faithful to the tabletop original, recreating the game’s art style with 3D graphics and adding an atmospheric soundtrack. Players can experience the game solo or player multiplayer in both pass-and-play - a feature that allows one device to be used with a group of players - and online modes.
Tokaido designer Antoine Bauza is also known for creating 7 Wonders, its two-player spin-off 7 Wonders Duel and the family game Takenoko - which, like Tokaido, is set in ancient Japan.
The tabletop and digital versions of Tokaido are both created by Funforge, which has released a number of expansions for the board game, plus a 2015 collector’s edition with upgraded components.
The Kickstarter campaign for Namiji - a sequel to Tokaido - launched earlier in 2020 with backers raising €639,781 (£591,000) for the upcoming board game, which is estimated to arrive sometime in June 2020.