Himizu

Only one spirit can dominate the forest, flow with water or embrace the flames of fire. Which will you choose? Himizu, the new game from the designer of La Cuenta.

An eternal battle of nature unfolds in the middle of a forest clearing: two spirits, Fire (Hi) and Water (Mizu), clash to prove who truly rules. Take control of one of these spirits and help it dominate the forest by spreading blazing terrain and scorching the land as Fire, or defending the forest for 10 turns and extinguishing the flames as Water.

Himizu is a strategic grid-movement game where players place tiles and use unique abilities to control the forest. On each turn, players must carefully choose which actions to perform in order to gain control of the board and limit their opponent’s next moves. Players can move their figures, place tiles (burning terrain, scorched terrain, puddles, and mud), and interact with enemy tiles and figures. Fire and Water feature asymmetric abilities with different costs that help accelerate each side’s victory conditions. Fire seeks to consume everything in its path by placing all 16 burning/scorched terrain tiles, while Water aims to stop the flames for 10 turns or extinguish the 3 flame figures from the board. Every ability used requires power tokens, which are immediately given to your opponent. The more abilities you use, the more power you grant the opposing element for their next turn.

You must carefully plan every move as the board evolves. Be cautious: desperation may trap you or empower your opponent too much. Patience and perseverance will guide you to victory, brave spirit, but do not hesitate to strike when your opponent is vulnerable and unprepared.

If you enjoy strategy, area control, and asymmetric gameplay, this 2-player game is for you. Every turn matters. Its Japanese-inspired aesthetic immerses players in a duel between kami: nature against nature, destruction against preservation, strength against resilience.”