Currently, there is a premise that board games are something outdated that only a few still keep alive, but the truth is that, even in the midst of technological development, this is not the case. While it is true that some people do not go beyond Monopoly, the current offering of games is so wide that it can be perceived just by taking a look at any entertainment store. However, it cannot be denied that there is an entry barrier determined by three factors: setup time, the amount of rules, and the need to play in a group. But what if everything is ready for you and all you have to do is meet with your friends? That is the premise of Sunderfolk, a new video game that captures the best of board games and especially traditional role-playing.
“Sunderfolk was born from our desire to share board games without the entry barriers associated with them”
Board games have accompanied human beings since culture began to develop. Of course, they were not the board games that we all have in mind; some were part of funeral rites, while others, indeed, were born as a rudimentary form of entertainment. But in 1974, an event would occur that would change the way we play: the birth of D&D. The famous role-playing game from TSR, now Wizards of the Coast, was the origin of traditional role-playing games, where a group of characters gathered around a table to carry out board missions. Each player had their own character created based on the game manual rules, and then the Master would guide a game where chance intervened at every turn through dice rolls.
Now, 50 years later and with the collaboration of Dreamheaven and Secret Door, this essence is captured by Sunderfolk, a new video game, as original as it is traditional, based on the personal tastes of the studio. “Sunderfolk was born from our desire to share board games without the entry barriers associated with them,” explained Chris Sigaty, the current studio leader and former Blizzard employee.
Classic Role-Playing in the Palm of Your Hands
For any D&D player, starting with this game will be like a walk in the park, but for those who are not experts, the game consists of the following: it is a role-playing game, with a digital board included, where four players in person gather to play different campaigns with the benefit of not having to waste time creating the character or reading the manual. Once the group is created, the players start the missions and, in turns, each one carries out their action, always having to think about the common good and, of course, with a character chosen from among the six predetermined options available. Before getting into the more specific details of the game, it is interesting for the reader to understand that the missions consist of completing different objectives, starting with eliminating the threats along the way. In other words, it’s taking a simplified version of D&D and turning it into a video game to save preparation time, not something like Baldur’s Gate 3.
It’s taking a simplified version of D&D and turning it into a video game to save preparation time
With this in mind, it’s now time to highlight all its nuances. The main novelty of Sunderfolk is that it is played with a mobile device. Yes, it’s a traditional video game, not an app, but it uses mobile devices as controllers to make use of all available actions. Why is this the case? In the words of Erin Marek, the game director: “We wanted to find a way for each player to have access to menus and information, both about enemies and the character, without having to pause the game all the time, and for that, the mobile device was a great option.” And indeed, it’s very straightforward. Playing through the phone only requires downloading a free app. From this device, not only can we move through the board squares, but also, as Erin mentioned, access what could be considered the game manual with all the information, menus, different areas, etc. It is necessary for each player to have their own phone.
Sunderfolk is configured as a classic fantasy world where different popular magical creatures are present as playable characters. There are six different classes: berserker, arcanist, rogue, bard, pyromancer, and ranger. In my case, I had the opportunity to play with the rogue and later with the pyromancer, experiencing the gameplay differences of each.
“Each player must make their choice based on their play style”
For example, the rogue was equipped with two daggers and was a relatively straightforward class to use. Each turn, available skills appeared on the screen (also depending on mana) and generally focused on melee attacks, not particularly powerful, but also had skills that allowed him to clear the field. On the other hand, the pyromancer was much more powerful, relying on fire skills that allowed him to burn enemies and even the field to gain power later, but it was also more difficult to use and had less defense. In that sense, each player must make their choice based on their play style, and of course, it wouldn’t be a role-playing game if characters didn’t level up and unlock new skills.
Each mission is designed to last about 20 minutes and there are around 30 missions, as confirmed by Secret Door. There is always a main objective and several secondary objectives where different fantasy lore enemies stand in the way, such as spiders. It is important to keep this in mind because if players get distracted, they can find themselves endlessly defeating enemies and running into trouble unnecessarily.
If I had to put a “but,” it would probably be that the world of Sunderfolk doesn’t seem particularly developed
The objectives can vary from rescuing a character who is captured to destroying a certain number of cobwebs. To fulfill these missions, which lead to victory, the team must generate a strategy taking into account their abilities. There are characters capable of pushing enemies off the map edges, others can teleport, others have valuable items… With this, the studio aimed to promote live social interaction, as in a role-playing game. One funny thing that happened during my game was that the teammates sabotaged each other by performing actions that affected the rest, such as accidentally pushing someone off a cliff.
While there are no dice, the random element is also present during the game. This comes into play when, for example, when attacking, there are three options of cards face down, which can increase power, decrease it, or leave it neutral. In other words, it’s a simplified equivalent to what a perfect 20-sided die roll or a fumble would be. It is also present when interacting with the board where unexpected things can happen, like attacking a cobweb as part of the objective and an extra enemy appearing. Speaking of enemies, they also have their own turns, attack distance based on the type they are, can corner a player, etc. The main difference with Sunderfolk from any role-playing game is that when a player dies, a counter appears that is subtracted and when it reaches three, the game ends. Dying doesn’t mean not playing again: after a few turns, the player comes back to life, but it’s important to note that the opportunities are limited.
If you enjoy traditional role-playing, I recommend keeping an eye on it
If I had to put a “but,” it would probably be that the world of Sunderfolk doesn’t seem particularly developed, unlike the lore we may be used to if we come from D&D. Here, the narrative, at least from what I’ve seen, seems to be the least elaborate aspect. There are dialogues and characters we encounter, but there isn’t much complexity in terms of the Sunderfolk universe. It rather feels like a fun game with an experience akin to Mario Party, but with a role-playing twist. What does this mean? It seems like a game very suitable for livening up gatherings with friends who enjoy the genre, but in terms of worldbuilding, it probably isn’t as extensive as one might think.
From a more personal experience, as a player of D&D, Zombie: All Flesh Must Be Eaten, or Vampire: The Masquerade, I found a simplified version of what playing role-playing games would be like, but not necessarily a negative thing. In other words, many times we find ourselves eager to play, but not willing to set up everything that a game entails, especially when being the Game Master. Here, we save all of that, which is great for casual get-togethers.
Everything essential that needs to be in a game is in Sunderfolk and, after the initial minutes, it is very easy to fully immerse oneself in it. For example, I played with strangers and in English (the game will come with voiceovers and texts in Spanish), which makes the experience different from if I were to join my group of lifelong friends, so I am eager to see the new features it will offer and, of course, its future release. If you enjoy traditional role-playing, I recommend keeping an eye on it.
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