This masterpiece board game brings the intense atmosphere and strategic depth of the original video game to the tabletop.

In this article, we will thoroughly explain "Dark Souls: The Board Game - Tomb of Giants," from its appeal to points of concern, including the voices of actual players.

We will tell you all about the true value of this game, which is not to be missed by fans of the original work as well as cooperative board game enthusiasts.

Game Basics

Dark Souls: The Board Game - Tomb of Giants is a cooperative board game for 1-3 players, with a playtime of 90-120 minutes and recommended for ages 14 and up.

However, be careful about the actual play time: it has been reported that the actual play time for three players is around 3.5 hours, so be prepared for it to be much longer than what is listed on the box.

It can be played as a standalone product with no other purchases required and is backwards compatible with existing Dark Souls: The Board Game products.

The game's core mechanic is a cooperative dungeon crawler in which players explore the tombs until they either defeat Gravelord Nit or die (finally). Players must learn the enemy's attack patterns and weaknesses and defeat them to succeed.

The appeal of Dark Souls: The Board Game - Tomb of Giants

This is a masterpiece game that faithfully recreates the world of the original and is attractive for its strategic element and high-quality components.

A world view that perfectly recreates the sense of despair of the original

The biggest appeal of this game is that it faithfully recreates the atmosphere of the original video game.

"Dark Souls: The Board Game is now an experience that rivals and in many ways surpasses the fun that video games offer."

According to actual gameplay experiences, "Encounters are tense, and there's a sense around the table that any enemy could kill the player," and the fear of "death" from the original has been beautifully transferred to the board game.

Highly strategic gameplay system

The system for learning enemy behavior patterns is designed to require deep strategic thinking.

Learning enemy behavior patterns, which was important in the original work, is also implemented as a core element in the board game.

The ingenious system allows players to plan their actions when encountering giant enemy monsters by paying attention to their card-driven behavior patterns, as their behavior decks are not reshuffled in subsequent rounds.

This mechanic has been praised as "truly the most inspired Souls moment in design, obscuring some of the other less-than-prepared features."

Greatly improved game system

It features numerous improvements over the original, greatly increasing the player's strategic options.

There are many significant improvements over the original, most notably a "great progress board" and "welcome additions like encounter progression, shortcuts, and most excitingly, Andre's blacksmith shop."

The Blacksmith Shop now allows players to choose from up to four different items instead of drawing randomly (a major improvement), greatly increasing players' strategic options.

Additionally, a new system has been introduced whereby "when exploring a new encounter, players can draw two encounter cards and choose which one they want to challenge (more player options = further improvement)."

High-Quality Components

It is highly praised for its rich contents, including 18 miniatures, and its perfect storage system.

Contents list:

• 18 miniatures
• 4 double-sided game tiles
• 3 character boards
• 3 token boards
• One campaign dashboard
• 1 rule book
• 15 dice
• 169 cards
• 2 health dials

The quality of the components is highly praised, with commenters saying, "The tokens and miniatures maintain the high quality of the original, and the added flavor text on certain cards is welcome. The storage system is near perfect, with neat spots for miniatures and cards."

Flexible playstyle

Designed to not require a game master, it can be used in a variety of environments, from solo to multiplayer.

The game is designed to accommodate a variety of play environments, with "the game not requiring a game master to control the enemies, so you can play solo or cooperatively without worrying about the enemy's decisions."

Additionally, cautious players may want to revisit areas they've already cleared, while others may want to push forward, allowing for a variety of approaches depending on the player's strategy.

Concerns and solutions

There are some issues, such as the incomplete rulebook and the length of actual play time.

Rulebook deficiencies

The biggest issue is the quality of the rulebook.

"The rulebook is underprepared and lacks thorough explanations of certain game elements. It's as if Tomb of Giants expects players to have played the original Dark Souls: The Board Game."

Tips: Because this game is rules-heavy, you'll likely be referring to the rulebook a lot to understand what the symbols mean and how certain aspects of the game work, so be prepared to give yourself plenty of time the first time you play.

Lack of reference cards

"Reference cards would be very useful in a game like this, but they don't exist.

Despite being essentially a second edition, this feels like a major oversight.

Tips: Always keep the rulebook within reach while playing and check the main rules beforehand to ensure a smooth game.

Complexity of managing character boards

"The character board is small and uncluttered, but relies on numbered PunchOut tokens instead of stat-level cubes.

This works fine, but make sure you keep your status tokens in their original location, as the character board doesn't tell you where to put them if you get confused.

Solution: The practical advice offered is "Pro tip: Place the tokens sideways so you don't have to punch them out every time."

Actual play time

"The playtime on the box is an absolute lie, it takes much longer than the recommended 90-120 minutes.

The first three-player session took approximately 3.5 hours of net gameplay time.

Solution: We recommend that you set aside at least 4 hours for your first playthrough, and prepare an environment where you can pause the game at any time.

Recommended for these people and occasions

This is a title that can be recommended to a wide range of players, from fans of the original to cooperative game enthusiasts.

For fans of the original work

Even though the review begins with the preface, "I'm a huge Dark Souls fan, so this review may be a little biased," it goes on to say, "This game works and is actually a lot of fun," suggesting that fans of the original are likely to find it a satisfying experience.

Cooperative game enthusiasts

It's designed to require players to work together to succeed, providing an ideal experience for teamwork-oriented players.

Strategic players

"Souls can be used to upgrade your base stats and unlock new powerful weapons to use.

These systems can truly turn the tide of battle, allowing for deep strategic thinking.

Those who enjoy long gaming sessions

The length of the actual gameplay makes it suitable for players with the time and desire to immerse themselves in the game.

One review stated, "I think this game has a lot of replayability, even if it is repetitive," so you can expect continued enjoyment.

Those looking for a high-quality miniature game

It has been praised as "the miniatures are fantastic and everything is extremely well made," and will satisfy even players who value collection.

The overall evaluation is that "Tomb of Giants has improved gameplay, but easily accessible improvements such as a better rulebook and player aid cards remain untouched," but it has also received high praise, with the authors stating that "SteamforgedGames has completely nailed the feel and theme of Dark Souls with Tomb of Giants and The Painted World of Ariamis core sets."

This game faithfully recreates the world of the original and beautifully combines strategic and cooperative elements, making it a must-have for Dark Souls fans .

Although the initial investment is large, as the saying goes, "fans will love it!", it is sure to provide an unforgettable experience for players who have a love for the original work and a passion for cooperative games.

source

1. Review – Dark Souls: The Board Game - Tomb of Giants - Geeks Under Grace
2. Dark Souls: The Board Game - Tomb of Giants Core Set
3. Dark Souls: The Board Game - Tomb of Giants | Board Games | Miniature Market
4. Dark Souls - The Board Game: Tomb of Giants - Boardgames.ca
5. Review: Dark Souls Tomb of Giants (Steamforged Games) – English
6. Dark Souls: The Board Game has two excellent new Core Sets – Big Boss Battle (B3)
7. Darker Souls – A Review of Painted World of Ariamis and Tomb of Giants – Player Elimination