Hongdae board game café for two-player mysteries: Hero Board Game Cafe

Hero Board Game Cafe Hongdae Branch 1 (히어로보드게임카페 홍대1호점) is somewhere I had visited and paid for myself before. I first went because the tteokbokki photos on the menu caught my eye, and after trying it, I wanted to come back because it was good. The fact that it has murder mystery games for two was another reason for my return visit.

What were the admission fees and drink-order requirement?

At the time of my visit, the basic fee was ₩3,000 per hour, while weekday unlimited admission was ₩6,000 per person. After choosing an admission plan, each person had to order one drink. Since it is a place to spend time indoors, I thought it would also be nice to visit with friends, a partner, or family on a rainy day.

What are the seating options for two people and groups?

There were 24 board game rooms, including rooms for groups from two to 12 people. Each seat had a curtain, which made it good for playing with your own group, and the seating felt comfortable too.

They said they also support group events such as company workshops and clubs with game lineups, assigned hosts, and time-slot plans. If visiting as a group, I thought it would be better to reserve in advance.

On one side, there were blankets, penalty-game toys, note paper, and writing supplies that we could freely take and use.

There was also pocket billiards, arcade machines, and a PlayStation 5 console zone. They had spot-the-difference and fighting games too, but other visitors were using them when I visited, so I was disappointed that I could not take detailed photos.

What food and drinks can you have while playing?

Food options included tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), chicken, churros, and bingsu (shaved ice dessert). Drinks also ranged widely from coffee to cocktails and beer. They were running a review event at the time of my visit as well.

We ordered drinks too, then got hungry partway through and ordered tteokbokki. It was still good when I had it on my return visit. I usually prefer wheat-based rice cakes, but I found the rice-cake version here tasty too.

Are there murder mystery games for two players?

There were many kinds of board games, and I could see that they kept multiple copies of popular games.

What I like about this place is that it has many murder mystery games. They are deduction-style board games in which players take roles, act them out, and solve a case; I usually played them when four or five people got together. Since it is not easy to gather people to play with, I was glad there were games for two as well.

There was also a separate murder mystery collection list. It made choosing easier because I could check the number of players needed and a rough outline of each game.

Which two-player game had I liked on an earlier visit?

A Thief's Dilemma, which I played first on a previous visit, was a 60-minute murder mystery for two. It was fine for something short and light, but I personally felt it left a little to be desired.

Samjido, which I played on that same earlier visit, was satisfying. Its approach was a little different from the games I had played before, and I enjoyed the feeling of deducing past events that had happened to me one by one. It is a game I would recommend if you are looking for a murder mystery for two.

Was Unlock, which I tried for the first time, difficult?

This time, I tried the recommended Unlock for the first time. It is a deduction game that feels like doing an escape room as a board game, and since there are many games in the series, I thought there would be plenty more to play if it suited your taste.

The first one we chose, Recipe for Disaster, was level 2 out of 3 in difficulty. I liked the way it played, but it felt a little difficult, so next we tried The Clutches of Hades, a level 1 game in Unlock 8.

But The Clutches of Hades was surprisingly difficult for us too. It felt awkward to quit midway, so we continued while looking at the solution. Even a game marked with a lower difficulty was not easy to solve, and next time I would like to try an easier game.

How did we wrap up after the deduction games?

After using our brains so much, we chose Ciao, Ciao for something light. I lost every round, but it was fun as a low-pressure game.

We also played Da Vinci Code. I had felt confident because I won every round last time, but this time I lost every round instead. Even so, we enjoyed the game itself and wrapped up our visit.

The staff were kind, and the seating was comfortable. My satisfaction and perceived difficulty varied by game, but because we could choose deduction games for two and the food was good, it is somewhere I would like to revisit when I feel like playing board games.