Looking for a board game that’s as spooky as this day? Then check out Hako Onna. But, be careful; she holds a grudge…
Once again we delve into the horror genre. This time we are going to explore the game Hako Onna. Designed by 江神 号 aka Go Ejin and published in English by Wizkids Games. A typical game will play in around ninety to one hundred twenty minutes.
Hako Onna: $29.99
Get It For Less At Miniature Market
The scary men arrived. My father, in a panic, pushed me down into a way-too-small box. I heard my bones snap, but dared not scream. I heard angry voices…then nothing. Father never came back. I was left alone. That was a long time ago. I’m not alone anymore. Sometimes, people come play. I like to play hide and seek. When I tire of playing, I eat.
Hako Onna is a game of horror hide-and-seek, translated from the 4th edition of the popular Japanese game. One player plays the Hako Onna (the Woman in the Box), and the rest are Visitors, who are trying to escape from the mansion. As Visitors, you’ll try not to make noise as you search the shadowy rooms of the mansion for items to protect yourself, for information, and for a way to escape what you do not see, but know is there. But if you stumble upon the Hako Onna, you’re dead.
Ages: 10+
Players: 3-5
Game Length: 90 minutes
Hako Onna: She Holds A Grudge
Hako Onna is a one versus many style game of hide and seek. One player will act as the Hako Onna or woman in the box. The other players are known as visitors who are searching the shadows and trying to escape the haunted house.
The story goes as such, a girl was home with her father and some unknown men attacked and she was hidden into a box that was far too small. She ultimately perished once the incident ended and now haunts the mansion you are trapped inside.
The game starts with the mansion laid out as an arrangement of tiles. Each room has zones called shadows. The shadows will hold various items. One of these spots will occasionally hide the location of the Hako Onna. If a visitor searches the hiding place of the Hako Onna they are killed and become a Hakobito and joins the Hako Onna’s team.
The visitors take turns searching rooms for clues to defeat the Hako Onna. Each time they want to take an action they must stack wooden disks. If the stack falls the Hako Onna interrupts and takes her turn. The visitors close their eyes while the Hako Onna exchanges any shadow’s item with her marker. This way once they think they know where she is, she is now elsewhere, upping the fear factor.
The Hako Onna wins if all the visitors are killed or they give up. The visitors must escape the mansion in order to win. The visitors need to find an item that the Hako Onna is weak against in order to defeat her. Alternatively, they could find the doll and search her bones to put the spirit to rest.
If the last visitor is defeated the Hako Onna player has everyone close their eyes and reveals the inside of the box lid which has a big game over sign with the Hako Onna reaching for them.
While I do like one versus many games, this one is kinda an enigma for me. The gameplay is heavily weighted toward the Hako Onna player. Despite this, as I kinda feel it’s relatively thematic. The IP this game takes an homage from she was fairly unstoppable and typically won.
Overall, I do like the game. It does have a few problems such as imbalance and bad translations in the rule book. I’ve found myself struggling with my initial playthrough. Just a few things with setup weren’t that obvious.
Getting past that you have a fun horror game with a creepy atmosphere. While I don’t think it’ll be for everyone, it’s sure to make for a spooky game night.
More Board Game Reviews On Spikey Bits
About the Author: Christopher Guyton
