Stats:
No. of players: 2
Amount of time to play: 30 min
Age requirements: 10+
Set-up time: minimal

Kahuna is an area control board game for two players. You play cards to place bridges (or remove your opponent’s) on islands to gain control of those islands and score VPs.

Kahuna Rules Description:

The board for Kahuna has 12 islands on it. Each island is connected by a dotted line to at least one other island. Each card shows one island on it. You start with a hand of three cards and there are three cards face up next to the board.

On your turn you may play as many cards as you like. You may play one card and place a bridge on one of the dotted lines that originate from the island on the card you played.

You gain control of an island by having bridges on more than half of the dotted lines that extend from it. When you first gain control of an island your opponent must remove all of their bridges to that island. This may cause them to lose control of other islands.

If you play two cards at a time you may remove one of your opponent’s bridges from the board. The two islands that bridge connects must be on the cards you play. You can use the exact same card and remove any bridge connected to that island.

At the end of your turn you draw one of the face up cards by the board or one card from the top of the draw pile. If you have five cards in your hand you don’t draw.

You may also choose to pass and not play any cards on your turn. You still draw a card, but must abide by the five card limit.

You score three times during the game. The first time the draw pile and all three cards by the board are gone the player that controls more islands scores one VP. The second time through all the cards there is another interim scoring. This time the player that controls more islands scores 2 VPs. After the third time through the cards the player with control of the most islands gains the difference between the number of islands they control and the number their opponent controls.

Quick Review of Kahuna:

Kahuna is a fast-playing area control game that is easy to teach and learn. You can enjoy this game with both gamers and non-gamers.

The components for Kahuna are great. The cards are durable, the board and art looks good and the rules are easy to read and follow. The box is also a nice size and is very portable.

I really like the domino effect of taking bridges off an island. Especially when you gain control of it. Removing bridges from one island can a far-reaching impact and do a lot of damage.

The back and forth tug-o-war over control of some islands can make a tense game. But it moves quickly and is hard to overthink. There is little downtime and the game moves at a nice pace.

This game is also deeper than it first appears. It is one of those games that are easy to learn but hard to master. Just be aware this tends to give experienced players an advantage over newcomers.

Kahuna is a fun game for couples and families. It is a very good introduction to area control mechanics for newer gamers. If you are looking for a quick game for two players, give this one a try.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 3 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 2 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6