Gloomhaven: Video Game Overview

Gloomhaven (“Gloomy Harbor”) – hardly the best RPG tactical desktop in the category “We all left out of Dungeons & Dragons“. And certainly she was as in 2017 and 2018, when only came out, having gathered for two campaigns on Kickstarter almost $ 4.4 million. Interesting tactical rules came together, and the orientation to the cooperative (they can play up to four people – than them more, the more difficult passage), and the combination of traditions of the best fantasy tags with their own finds, and the scale of the game itself – “Gloomy Harbor” There are almost hundreds of scenarios, 17 player classes and more than 1,500 cards – all this joy weighs in a box more than nine kilos. And recently came the first digital adaptation Gloomhaven, which has already collected in Steam over 4 thousand positive feedback. There is for that?

Rules of regime

Computer Gloomhaven includes several modes. And “Tutorial” – also full-fledged mode. I don’t remember the opportunity to teach, how to attack, apply the abilities of heroes and even in one turn to avoid damage and move to the right distance, was such a difficult and at the same time an interesting occupation, forcing actually solving tactical puzzles.

More or less unfavorable, go out on a strategic map of the world, where two modes are available – Guildmaster and campaign. In the first we take on the role of the leader of the mercenaries guild, which was instructed to get rid of dangers on the roads and in the dungeons around the city of Demonsgate so that its inhabitants would calmly live and trade. The second mode is a plot adventure, starting with an order to capture thieves that have kidnapped important documents.

At least take care of food and time during moving around the world.

And in fact, and in another case, we have a world card, according to which we move the detachment of the scored mercenaries of different classes – these are conditional warriors, “tanks”, arrows, magicians, thieves, elementalists, bards and so on. And the more people (or nonhumands – races here are a different 1), the more difficult the battle and the more enemies in the dungeons – it is there we are doing the main time.

The complexity in the development and use of mercenaries is also different.

On a global map, random events and meetings may occur when we ourselves solve, rake out the ruins or look for a workaround, help the starving thieves, interrupting the guards who drag him into prison, or pass by, agree to find a cat for a boy or not and so on. As a result, you will earn something or picker the curse, an injury or poisoning, which will reduce our health in battles. On the other hand, it can also bring a reputation that affects here and prices in stores, and on the outcome of some events.

Never predicted the consequences of decisions taken.

Also on the map allow you to visit the store and temple, where for money we are blessed with the next dangerous task. In the campaign mode, each party member has its global personal quest (which one – we choose at the start), after the execution of which it dismisses, and we are available to new characters. Quests are mostly primitive – to kill so much such strong monsters – but they are not easy to do.

And in the leader’s guild mode, the tasks is more and there is a separate menu for accounting of all the conditions and tests – the achievement of new levels opens new personal quests for mercenaries, the fulfillment of a certain number of certain actions in battles gives glasses of perks (three such turns into a new attack modifier), and the murder of the desired number of monsters replenishes our wallets. Other actions open new fighters and locations, and all this brings us to unlocking the next chapter.

Close here a lot of things.

Tactical puzzles

And in that, and in another mode it is better to play a cooperative with friends, and it is desirable that you all be familiar with the original desktop system. For such people, computer adaptation “Gloomy Harbor” – This is, of course, joy and a gift, because now they are not necessarily for a few hours to carry and cook all these nine kilograms of cards and scripts. And the rules are transferred to the “digit” quite accurately: you can keep progress, and in general everything is implemented, on the one hand, meticulously and in detail, and on the other – convenient.

But for the rest, as you already understood, the process of mastering Gloomhaven will, to put it mildly, it is not easy – it is not a fact that it will drag in principle. The tactical system here, of course, is specific, with a number of intentional (and sometimes, in my opinion, contrived) burdens. Each character has its own deck of cards responsible for all actions: attacks, skills, “Baphs”, moving and even the ability to “pinch” from enemies. The number of cards is all different, and with higher levels there are new, which you are free to add, removing something in return.

A deck can always be viewed.

So, the main chip is the requirement to choose two cards, where each has its own initiative. Than he is less, the faster you start walking. So first you need to take the one where this parameter is below. Also, each card is divided into two halves, in fact, two actions, and only one of them can be chosen – it will be correlated with opposite halves and action on the second map. That is, conditionally, chose on the first attack in the near combat +3, and on the second then the opportunity to go to move closer to the enemy. And here it is important to calculate everything so that it does not work out when, for example, both actions are an attack in the near battle or in a distant one, but with a small radius, but no possibilities for moving.

In these catacombs, do not really get together, but even here there is space for maneuvers.

In this case, they wondered the cards that will be discharged. And this is the second key chip of local mechanics – cards end, because they are dropped or they are burned at all. The latter happens if we want to avoid damage or when you activate a short or long vacation – it returns discarded cards into the hand, but burns one of them. Anyway, the deck can quickly be lowered, and if it happens, the character will come out of battle, even if he is still full of health.

Therefore, here is the most important thing – so competently plan your actions to apply as much damage to enemies in all rooms, while there are cards, and it is properly combined with rest to restore them. Plus, it is necessary to take into account the presence of traps and the need to interact with the allies – some can even restore cards to their comrades.

We know in advance what kinds of enemies will meet in one or another location.

As a result, all this, I repeat, turns into a solution to tactical puzzles. Another derivative in these equations is an opportunity to use the effects of equipment and potions (they are consumed), as well as add an increase in the natural damage to attacks due to the use of fire / water / darkness elements and others that are charged during battles.

So get ready to master Gloomhaven Have a long time. Good game even in case of defeat keeps progress in the accumulation of gold and experience (they are calculated separately for each character) and allows no special fines to return to Quest again – Ideal for studying the mechanic and extinguishing skills.

Attacks and spells of mass lesions are especially valuable.

The coolest and hardcore on today the Board in computer adaptation looks elegant (including outwardly) – GloomHaven managed to preserve its tactical depth and uniqueness, becoming more accessible and comfortable. Newcomers, of course, will still be difficult to master it, but it is all faster and cheaper than to mess with a nine-tailed paper original (although not so atmospheric). By and large there are only two problems – the lack of Russian localization (and considering the severity and details of the rules, it is serious) and non-ideal optimization – at the start the game loads long enough. But it’s all, I hope, is solved by patches.

Pros: Almost the perfect transfer of one of the best tanks in the “digit”;fascinating, challenging tactical gameplay;several modes, many events, mercenaries, maps and opportunities in setting up their batch;You can play with friends;Qualitative audiovisual execution.

Minuses: no Russian localization;There are problems with optimization;Quests by and large are primitive and constantly repeated.