Video games have long taken inspiration from tabletop games, but more recently we’ve seen this trend in reverse. There are tabletop adaptations of countless video games, but between all the individual cards and counters, long setup times, and lengthy campaigns, they’re not always that easy to play.
Sunderfolk aims to change that, by putting the game on the big screen (via PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X/S) and controls on your mobile phone. It’s like a streamlined D&D campaign by way of Square Enix‘s ill-fated Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. And its developer, Dreamhaven, hopes it will transform your cosy game nights.
Dreamhaven was founded by former Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime, known for his work on MMORPG World of Warcraft. The company consists of two studios, Moonshot and Secret Door, and includes a roster of other ex-Blizzard staff, with Sunderfolk developed by the latter. In short, there’s a wealth of experience here in a bid to make the game a success.
Approachability is at the core of the game. It’s why it features animal characters to ensure appeal for all communities, as well as the mobile phone controls. Simply download the accompanying app, scan a QR code on the TV, and you’re connected to the game with personal information on your private screen. The TV screen gameplay is then managed by swipes and flicks through touch-screen menus that all felt immediately intuitive during my hands-on at the Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Alongside two of the game’s developers, we jumped straight into a turn-based battle against a horde of goblin enemies. This mission required us to kill a set number of enemies, though other mission types will include tower defence or more puzzle-based missions like helping a certain character escape. First, though, we needed to select a class. Three were available: the berserker (appropriately, a bear), the bard (a musical bat), and a ranger (a sprightly deer). Each has their own abilities as a series of cards, meaning prior to battle players will need to manage their deck appropriately to suit their build.
Interestingly, unlike other tabletop games, Sunderfolk doesn’t use dice rolls but instead players must incorporate fate cards into their deck. These are then selected at random after each skill card is used for additional effects, both positive and negative. This could modify damage dealt, or add status effects to attacks, and it’s here the deckbuilding takes on a new layer – perhaps a fate card will reduce damage, but an additional effect may suit your chosen build, therefore making the card a worthy inclusion all the same.
The developers are encouraging cooperation through some smart design choices. Not only are skill cards private on each player’s phone, there’s no roll for initiative like in D&D (or Baldur’s Gate 3, for a video game reference). Instead, it’s up to players to communicate and attack in any order, depending on strategy. Each skill card includes a series of actions, both movement and attack, that must be followed in order. As such, players will need to discuss the team’s course of action during their turn, synergising abilities in the best possible order. Simply swipe up on a card to use it and then use the touch screen to draw a line of movement or aim across the game’s hex-based maps. There’s a cursor, too, to hover over the world, or just get off the sofa and point at the screen the old fashioned way.
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I chose to play as the bard, whose abilities leave a trail of musical notes that can buff the health, defence, and attacks of other players. As such, it was important to plan out our actions to make the most of these buffs, allowing the tanky berserker to restore health, or the ranger to collect attack buffs before sniping from a distance. Other classes will be included in the final game with plenty more synergies. And with the snappy battles lasting from 20 to 30 minutes, it’s possible to easily dip in and out of play or settle in for longer campaign sessions (the full campaign will be anywhere from 25 to 40 hours in total, depending on side missions completed).
That sense of cooperation continues into the subsequent town phase, as players return from a completed mission. Here you can manage your deck, collect rewards, chat with townsfolk, and even engage in some romance. Crucially, this all occurs privately on your phone, not only cementing a sense of intimacy with those relationships, but potentially causing arguments too. You see, the town’s locations – the market, temple, workshop, or tavern for instance – can be upgraded once resources are collected, which in turn will boost relationship levels. Perhaps you’ve become best mates with the tavern keeper, who’s able to provide passive buffs through preparing meals, but another player is busy romancing someone at the temple. Which town upgrade do you focus on? Missions may have additional objectives too, which will determine whether certain NPCs become favourable or not, and you can even customise your adventure by naming the town and its upgraded locations.
It’s this kind of cooperation and competitiveness that’s crucial in any good tabletop game, and that’s only enhanced by the public-private nature of Sunderfolk’s setup. It picks up where Crystal Chronicles left off, but without all that fussy Game Boy connectivity, while the game’s narrator delightfully takes players through the linear campaign in the same manner as a tabletop Game Master. It’s a charming world too: a bright and detailed fantasy of woodland creatures and vivid magic.
If D&D has proven too complex, Sunderfolk is primed to fill that gap through its streamlined setup and approachable gameplay. Just don’t blame the game for any argumentative outbursts that may occur.
