Frosthaven - Legacy of the Algox Impressions: More of Everything

Sometimes, Early Access games can seem wholly unrecognisable after a short period of time. Perhaps unrecognisable isn't the right word for Snapshot Games' Frosthaven, but with the new Legacy of the Algox update, it feels as if the game has leapt from a project that clearly felt as if it was in Early Access to a game that you can see beginning to take shape.

I won't go over the main gist of the game nor its combat mechanics, as if you want more of a general Frosthaven impression you can find it here. Granted, there have been some big changes to the UI and such since, alongside a lot of improvements to stability, but overall we're still using cards for combat, dealing with a harsh, wintery landscape alongside the many beasties and evils dwelling within it, and building up a small town we can call home for the time we spend in Frosthaven.

The Legacy of the Algox update focuses - as you might guess if you've played the game before - on the Algox. They're a race of yeti-like creatures, with white fur, large horns, and a reputation for raiding. We'll see more of their shamanistic side in this second major story arc, and in the demo we witnessed there was a scenario in which we sent some of our party to the spirit realm in order to protect two shamans while the rest of our heroes remained by their physical bodies. Like the storyline with the Unfettered in the game's first major update, the Legacy of the Algox arc will give us a large story campaign in which we'll help out our furry friends in order to get their assistance in turn during the final arc, which is set to release with Frosthaven's 1.0 launch.

In the short time we had with Frosthaven's new update - which was hands-off, we should add - the story only got a short amount of focus. But, it's worth noting that now there's around 90 scenarios to be played, which are what Frosthaven calls its main missions. This is up from 37 at launch, showing just how much more fleshed-out the game is these days. Something else that's seen a lot of additions is the roster of playable heroes, which is now up to 14 from the 8 the game launched in Early Access with. Legacy of the Algox brings us three new characters, each seeming rather distinct, with at least a couple being a little complex, too.

The Infuser (as you might be able to tell from the name) places the power of the elements in her weapons and attacks. You depend on the elements available to you, but can nerf your own attacks in order to make them. She might require a turn or two to set up all the elements you need, but once you've got them you can trigger multiple cards in a turn, meaning she snowballs greatly throughout a fight. The second character, who the developers referred to as Shackles, seems to enjoy getting debuffed and nerfed. His gameplay allows him to transfer negative effects to deal more damage, and he can even become immune to them. Think of him like a tank for all the debuffs you can muster, and then a huge damage dealer once he's taken them all up.

Finally, there's the Metal Mosaic, an Unfettered character that relies on a mechanic of pressure. His pressure gauge fills or drains with different moves, and you'll be playing the numbers game with him in order to maximise his potential throughout a scenario. When characters have gauges, the new UI system implements them on the right of their swanky new portraits, making them easy to see. Colour-blind users might find these gauges slightly problematic (I raise this as someone who recently find out I struggle to see greens and blues properly), but there are plans to add that accessibility in at a later date.

Snapshot also hopes to one day at a tutorial mission for each of Frosthaven's playable characters, so that you can test them out before deciding who you'll take on your adventure. However, resources are a bit limited for that right now. It would certainly help to give players a taste of certain characters, but considering that the Infuser and Metal Mosaic especially aren't unlocked until you've spent a lot of time in Frosthaven, you should be equipped to adapt to their mechanics by the time you've got them. It all seems well thought-out, and Snapshot has a great handle on what it wants Frosthaven to be, as well as how it can be a great compliment to the boardgame while differing from it enough to be its own experience. Add in some lovely new home screens for the game, and Legacy of the Algox looks like a great peak for the Frosthaven experience so far.