Over the last couple of days I’ve checked out two games that were not even on my radar a few weeks ago and I now love. I figured I’d pop in here and give you my quick impressions of Sunderfolk and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
I picked this game up for the playstation and got my eldest son Gabe to try it out with me. Like Tycho mentioned, it is essentially a digital board game similar in style to Gloomhaven. The bulk of the action takes place on the big screen but players use their phones to control their characters on the board. After downloading the app we started our quest and we were given a QR code to scan. Scanning it from your phone starts the app and gets you into the game. It was super easy and after choosing characters the game starts with an introduction from the game master who actually does a great job voicing all the characters in the game just like a real DM.
The game missions play out on a beautiful hex based grid full of monsters and traps. When it’s your turn, you select a card to play from your phone by swiping up on it and the card gets flung up onto the main screen for everyone to see. You move and select targets using the touch screen and it’s all super intuitive. In fact after a couple missions my youngest son Noah popped in and asked if he could join us. It was easy to pull up the QR code and without me even saying a word to him, he got into the game, chose a character, leveled it up to match his brother and I, and then took his turn. He had missed the tutorial missions but it still made sense and was easy enough for him to jump right in. Not everyone is as tech savvy as the average 15 year old these days but I think most people will get what the game is doing right away.
When returning to town between missions you can move between shops to make purchases, talk to townsfolk and level up but all of this is done on your personal device so you’re not bothering anyone else while you do your housekeeping. You can look up at the main screen to see where everyone is in town and then once you're all ready you meet at the gate and choose a new mission to take on. The loop is super satisfying and the three of us had a blast.
I’ve seen some complaints about the price but I guess my brain categorizes it as a type of fancy board game and so to me $50 seems fair. I can tell you that you’re not getting out of a board game store for less than that, and for this type of game especially, you could be looking at $200.
I don’t actually want to say too much about this game because I’d hate to spoil it. It is a turn based RPG that pulls together all the best elements of the genre and mixes in some brilliant new ideas as well. I find myself watching every single cut scene and talking to every character just so I can squeeze out more of this incredible story. It is serious GOTY material and one of the best games I’ve played in years. I demand a book series and a movie deal immediately! In case you could not tell, I recommend it.
-Gabe Out
