Mantis Falls is a "sometimes cooperative" game of hidden roles, strategy and deduction for 2-3 players.
As witness to something not meant to be seen, you must escape the dark mob-ruled town of Mantis Falls alive. You are told another witness will join you, and together you must use cooperation to survive the increasingly dangerous roads of the night. Your ability to work with another could be your greatest strength, but what if they are not who they claim to be?
By the deal of hidden roles, each game could have only witnesses, meaning you must all survive together to win. Or there could secretly be an assassin hidden among you, subtly manipulating the situation and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Inspired by shadowy film noir worlds, Mantis Falls is a thematic journey that requires players to continually weigh the value of cooperation against the implicit perils of trust. Hand management and facedown card play combine with opportunities for betrayal to create a detailed blend of strategy, player interaction and suspicion. At every turn, players make concealed moves and develop hidden plans, but will also have thorough conversations as they discuss tactics, defend choices and bluff to protect carefully guarded secrets.
Mantis Falls is sometimes a game of competition balanced with indecision and sacrifice, and sometimes it is a game of cooperation challenged by doubts and distrust. With care, you may figure out which one you are playing before it's too late.
- rich bluffing and misdirection that fuel tense social interaction
- clear thematic framing that reinforces trust dynamics
- expansion-friendly design with Full Circle adding more depth and variety
- structured teaching aids (cards, reference, and video) that aid learning
- bluffing and rule intricacies can be intimidating for new players
- expansions add complexity and potential balance concerns
- two-player dynamic can feel different from larger group play
- trust, deception, and betrayal in a two-player social deduction struggle
- Urban noir town in the 1940s with a mob ruled backdrop
- cooperative puzzle with hidden roles and bluffs shaping the story
- Full Circle expansion (adds new player characters and more advanced cards)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action deck and cards — central deck of action and event cards governs options, bluffing, and timing of outcomes
- conserved energy (shared resource) — a public pool where players can place or draw cards to modify actions, movement, or healing
- Hidden roles and social deduction — two players assume either a witness or an assassin with concealed identities and win conditions
- road-night-day-dusk progression — the road is laid out in segments (sunset, night, dark) with varying risks and rewards
- turn-based action play with hierarchy — players place cards into an action sequence; resolution occurs in order with back-and-forth tension
- wound tracking and last gasp — health tracks reach a last gasp threshold; players get one final action phase if they survive
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Mantis Falls is all about this action deck here it is all about the cards you're going to have in your hand and the way you utilize those to play take advantage
- this is a hard cooperative puzzle
- trust is the theme of this game
- it's a game of trust
- the more agency you're given over what you're able to do the better mantis falls is
- this is mantis falls a game of trust one that west and i are digging into nearly every time
- the last gasp is an important and critical part of this game
- you can't cheat on this part and you must resolve it fully and accurately
References (from this video)
- two-to-three player social deduction
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- you start rich and you're trying to blow as much money as you can as quickly as possible by making bad investments
- this one however has a quite a different feel to a lot of the other rolling rights
- it's strictly two player puzzly abstract style game
- this is the newest printing of the bunk
- this one actually uses the between two cities mechanism where you're working with the people to your left and right except on this one
- it's a game that's fascinated me
- the idea of puzzle this stuff around get the ideal family photo
- gamers bingo