Frosthaven is a RPG, Strategy game from Sanpshot Games. Fun fact, some of these developers actually worked on the X-COM games before forming Snapshot Games. Which greatly explains the RTS in a bird’s eye view whole aesthetics. I have hundreds of hours under the X-COM flag. Besides at the very least a point-blank shot doesn’t have a chance to completely miss.
You must choose who to fight as from a list of six characters, but why did you choose the same character FOUR TIMES!!!!!
The game is out now in Early Access on Steam. Which means this will be a nice little preview, rather then a full review. Being a multiplayer game, and to get a proper feel for it, I grabbed Thumb Culture’s Stu, Kyle and Nathan, then headed on in.
If you’re specifically looking for my thoughts on the latest update named Awakening Protocol, scroll right to the bottom and there you will find it!
Gameplay
Frosthaven uses a card system to do both movement and attacking. Each turn you select 2 cards from your deck of 12 cards. After the cards are used to fulfil your action that round, they are discarded. Once discarded, the only way to get them back will be to do a short rest. Which requires you to remove the card from the whole rotation.
But wait! There’s more! You can even lose a card for good as well if you choose to not take damage at any time. Which is honestly, a great mechanic to have in case the damage is too much. But to have it cost a card and not just lose one ability to the card is crazy. Especially when you don’t have a way to get any of those cards back. With the cards also being our lifeline that if you’re down to 1 card, you’ve already lost. I would understand if we played on a higher difficulty to have these requirements, but I had us on Standard difficulty. The last thing I also want to touch on is the movement allowance outside of combat.
We found ourselves still burning through cards when moving to the next scene. Which feels as though it defeats the purpose of losing all these cards to continue the fight. I will say after losing the first chapter, we did get a better understanding of the character and the system thus far. It was a steep learning curve though.
Graphics and Audio
The looks and appearance of Frosthaven gave me the feeling of an over the top TTRPG. It was as if our DM went out of the way to make the most unforgettable campaign of our lives. The environments to me are the highlight of the game. With the attack special effects and the character models being a close second. I could see their maps being something someone made using the TTRPG game Tale Spire. You can tell this game started life as a board game.
The environments look stunning and the atmosphere is aided by the accompanying soundtrack both in and out of combat. Both complimented each other perfectly. During our group gameplay we did encounter times some audio issues. Essentially the game cut out audio from either the middle of combat or when going in and out of the menu. However, as this is an early access title I’m sure this is on the developers radar!
Longevity
I can see this game lasting hours, but not for the reason you think. From a earning curve point of view. Both in terms of the card system and trying to understand the six character we have access to. Each one having a unique build and mechanic that takes some time and some trial and error to get a grip on. Basically with the current build, you could play for about 20 to 32 hours. Unless you play it on Unfair…that’s when all the cards are on fire.
Initial Final Thoughts
Frosthaven is hard, but also fun. I love the idea of having the option to lose a card to prevent damage don’t get me wrong. However, I think the card system needs a little rework. Or some changes to be made to a couple mechanics when it comes to out of combat moments. Although I was surprised we can’t let our friends make their own character to be a part of the story. This feels like a missed opportunity. Maybe even dampens the TTRPG aspect as you have to supply everything to your fellow party members and they do not get a choice on any decision.
Since this is really Early Access, only time itself will show if Frosthaven will stay in the same state or not. Yet, I can’t wait to see what the full game will have to offer on their full release. Hopefully by that time the game is complete, I would have played the board game to give it a proper comparison too!
The First Update: Awakening Protocol Thoughts
The Awakening Protocol is the first major update for Frosthaven that Arc Games have released. Following suit with three new character, a new storyline known as The Unfettered and a few other additions. For this section, I’ll be covering the changes to the mechanics and the new heroes. I will be honest that it has been some time since I last played the game, but I have made a lot of progress. Luckily since the pre-save was giving me issues, my progress was enough to get to the new storyline and the new characters.
Firstly, the changes made to the mechanics make them a lot better. Especially when it comes to Germinate. Where before you would need a card to change from range to melee, now we have a button to flip it without having to use a card. Honestly, I’m willing to sacrifice those cards if it means we can easily swap between the melee and range mode. However, I’m still waiting for the day we can rewind our movements when it’s still our turn! As for the Unfettered storyline, I will say that I said the word “Clankers”, along with screaming “Democracy” all whilst fighting some bugs a lot. It’s pretty great.
Now for the new characters aka Miralea, Mirorei, and Mirinko. These character have a huge learning curves, but it is definitely worth learning and executing their abilities. The fact we got three more range characters is amazing at this stage. I especially love Mirorei as their cards can change the terrain. Imagine setting the field on fire after your enemies have finished moving. Perfect chaos ensues!
Even with the relatively small amount of time (if hours and hours is indeed small) I put into the update, I’m really impressed with not only the changes, but the game overall. With this much content from just eight months of work, I’m curious and excited to see what the next major update will be!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this preview article
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