Downfall

 Check out the video review here!

Here’s an old game that you may have had a turn at playing at some point, Downfall. This particular copy is from 1977 though the game was first produced in 1970. The game itself is a strategy game of sorts in which you need to navigate these tokens through the wheels and into the trough below, sounds simple enough right? Not quite…



The contents to the particular variant of the game, incidentally the longest running iteration of the game, are incredibly robust and sturdy. There’s twenty coloured tokens, in four different colours and these are numbered 1-5. The main bulk of the game is this vertical plastic structure, the underside has these clips that push into the base and it really is as easy as that to set up. The board, if you can call it that, reminds me of the monolith from 2001. 



Starting the game, you must ensure that the wheels have these arrows aligned to the ones seen on the stand, this means that no token gaps are aligned for either player giving no-one an unfair advantage. The tokens are inserted into the top, 1 first through to 5 but you can reconfigure these and this affects play. To decide who goes first, generally i flip a coin or rock paper scissors. The player can then choose to rotate any of the dials as far as they like and in any direction they please. Both players don’t see the opponents side and in this manner, it can be compared to Battleship or Guess Who?  The objective of the game is to navigate the tokens down the wheels and into the trough in numerical order. The tricky thing is that your opponent will be turning dials and affecting your tokens paths. If a token falls out of sequence, that player loses instantly.

The wheels on your side and your opponents are connected though not aligned, the slots for tokens are not in the same position on both sides. Most turns of the dials you’ll unintentionally help or hinder your opponent and this brings an element of strategy to the game. You’ll also need to plan carefully your moves so that slots align up for you. Players may not rotate the dial that the other player previously turned and this rule means more clever thinking, do you attempt to move your pieces through the dials or turn a dial and hope you’re blocking progress for your opponent? Because the slots don’t match up side to side it’s safe to assume that if they’re open on your side, they’re closed on the other. Because you don’t know where your opponents tokens are within the game, you can opt different tactics to try and win. Sure, you can try to get your tokens through the game first but there’s also the option of trying to get your opponents to drop out of sequence, meaning an instant win for yourself. Smart players will listen for the telltale drop sound of a token falling into a slot on the other players side, you can have a rough idea of where your opponents tokens are if you pay attention.

 

There’s a few different ways that Downfall can be played, you can reverse the tokens order so that 5 goes in first up but still maintain the 1-5 drop rule. This makes it far more strategic if you’re willing to play to drop however this is flawed due to the fact your opponent will just race to make them drop out of sequence. You’ll battle to try and get your tokens out in order to leave less tokens in play for that to happen but it’s a tough game. Another variant is to try and attempt it one colour at a time, the first colour dropped on your side indicates that colour set must fall first, if one of your other colour tokens fall, it’s game over. You could swap counters and fill your opponents in a random order and spin the board around. Simplifying this for younger children, you could simply play the game where they need to get their tokens to the bottom regardless of sequence.

This is predominately a two player game though it is possible to play four players, one colour for each player. I’ve never played this four player so I can’t comment on how well this actually translates but my assumption is not that well. Because one of your opponents can see your wheels and your tokens I'd imagine it’d make it far more difficult to out smart that player. You could team up and make it two on two I suppose. 

 

In summary, Downfall is a fun rainy day game that on the face of it seems like a simple concept but has some strategy and memory elements to it. I appreciate the different ways that the game can be played and the different tactics that players may utilize to win and it’s mechanics and simple design means it’s accessible to all ages. Downfall is still being produced with a new funky design rather than this plastic blue slab that looks like a freeze pack. Vintage copies such as this aren’t too difficult and expensive to acquire should you fancy a round or two of this. Thanks again for watching, I’ll talk to you soon.