Sunderfolk review: Game night

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It might not be feasible for everyone to participate in a traditional tabletop game night due to various reasons such as setup and cleanup hassles, scheduling conflicts, or time constraints. For those individuals, Sunderfolk could serve as an excellent alternative. The teams at Dreamhaven and Secret Door have skillfully created a replica of a cooperative tabletop experience that is filled with camaraderie, humor, and excitement.

Rolling the dice

Sunderfolk is a tactical role-playing game set in a fantasy world called the Sunderlands. This realm is under peril from an unidentified menace lurking in the shadows. The players’ characters, who serve as heroes, are tasked with discovering this mystery while guarding their homeland against aggressive tribes. As many as four players can join in and choose from six character classes (Arcanist, Bard, Berserker, Pyromancer, Ranger, and Rogue), each with unique gameplay mechanics. The narrative progresses through individual quests and side missions on a hexagonal board, with battles utilizing card-based attacks to determine damage and movement numbers. Despite the absence of dice in this tabletop setting, the game runs smoothly without them, and the rules are straightforward to grasp. Instead of dice, cards are drawn after each attack, which decide any damage modifiers.

In every class, unique skills and special moves are showcased; however, these classes function best when collaborating to defeat numerous foes. Collaboration becomes crucial, especially considering there isn’t a defined turn sequence. Each team must determine their own turn order. If coordination is lacking, a mission can easily spin out of control. For instance, the Pyromancer can ignite various areas and walk over them to amplify future attacks, but setting fire on paths taken by allies may cause harm. Similarly, the Berserker’s attacks can fling enemies across the map, but there’s a chance they might land in spots that become trouble for teammates. Effective communication is essential to victory, which I will delve into shortly.

Additionally, you can enjoy the game all by yourself. When playing solo, you’ll be managing two distinct character classes, navigating the campaign much like a traditional turn-based RPG. Although multiplayer communication is absent in single-player mode, it introduces a more intricate puzzle aspect. Players must think strategically on their own when confronting adversaries or tackling new objectives. In one mission, for instance, two party members had to stand on particular tiles to uncover the exit route. Once the path was discovered, the quest would conclude with a single hero standing on the exit tiles. At this point, my Arcanist used their teleport ability to move four spaces and then lift and transport their teammate to the exit, bypassing enemy conflicts.

In essence, Sunderfolk shines brightest when played with others, but it works fine for solo play too. However, the single-player mode tends to highlight the game’s weak storyline, which, unfortunately, is its most disappointing aspect. The narrative in Sunderfolk follows typical D&D tropes and seems less engaging as the game progresses. It would benefit greatly from group discussions among friends over drinks. The townsfolk, too, lack memorable personalities, with many being easily forgettable. Interacting with them to gain their favor, a requirement for unlocking items and features, can become tiresome over time. Despite these story and character flaws, there’s a unique charm in having all characters voiced by the same person, creating an intimate atmosphere similar to a live D&D game.

It’s dangerous to go alone

Discussing Sunderland’s gameplay aspects is interesting, but let’s shift focus to what sets it apart: It offers a unique two-screen gaming experience. Each player controls the game using their smartphone and a free iOS/Android app. This innovative approach creates an engaging experience where players can customize their characters, interact with townspeople between quests, manage their personal cards and inventory. This setup enhances the overall presentation on larger screens by transferring typical HUD elements to individual phones.

In this game, Sunderfolk, it’s important to mention that it doesn’t follow conventional online multiplayer methods. Instead, it’s designed for local co-op play on a single couch where all players scan a QR code displayed on the title screen to link their devices. Although a standard host/client lobby system would have been beneficial, the only way to connect with friends remotely was through Discord’s screen-sharing function. However, everything ran smoothly as one friend shared their screen, and everyone else connected using the QR code.

When using Discord for multiplayer gaming, there are some downsides to consider. The primary issue is that the characters you’ve developed on your own version of Sunderfolk can’t be moved over to another player’s campaign. If you’ve spent time leveling up a character and filling its inventory with items for your quest, those efforts won’t benefit you when joining someone else’s game. Instead, the game encourages players to start fresh by creating a new character from the beginning. Although the new character will be advanced in levels to match the party leader, its inventory will still be disappointingly empty.

As a gamer myself, playing Sunderfolk with my buddies turned out to be the best way to tackle those tricky Sunderfolk creatures. There’s no substitute for the shared thrill of chatting strategies, cracking up at our own misfortunes when things go awry (and believe me, they often do!), and creating memories that we’ll laugh about for years to come. Though I don’t usually dabble in tabletop gaming, I felt right at home with my group of friends. For all its gameplay merits, Sunderfolk shines brightest as a social experience.

Party up

As a devoted gamer, I must say that Sunderfolk, crafted by the ingenious minds at Secret Door, truly stands out as an impressive debut. It skillfully combines some of the most captivating elements from tabletop games and transforms them into a seamless two-screen gaming adventure. Despite areas where it falls short, such as the rather ordinary narrative, the game’s strength lies in the unifying power of friendship. Regardless if gamers gather weekly around a table or bond through online sessions like Discord, Sunderfolk’s innovative concepts sparkle brightly and pave the way for even more thrilling adventures to come!

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2025-04-18 16:27