Frosthaven Preview: Less Gloom, More Chill

If you're a board game connoisseur, you might be aware of a game called Gloomhaven. Throwing adventurers down dark dungeons and having them face scores of enemies, the tabletop experience proved so popular that it got a stand-alone sequel: Frosthaven. Gloomhaven also got a digital version, transforming the board game into a video game, and now developer Snapshot Games looks to do the same with Frosthaven.

It's worth pointing out that it is a different studio behind Frosthaven. Flaming Fowl Studios released Gloomhaven in 2021, and Snapshot has since taken up that mantle to deliver its own adaptation. Frosthaven also largely revolves around a gaggle of heroes tackling various scenarios in which they have to fight enemies, watch out for traps, and keep themselves alive.

It's classic fantasy RPG stuff, really, but what immediately stands out about Frosthaven is Snapshot's dedication to making this feel like the board game experience. It's a bit more ruthless, as you can't take back turns or remember something you intended to do like in real-life, but the game uses tile-based maps, card-based combat, and more to ensure it feels like you're taking the experience from your table onto your computer.

We had access to four heroes during our time with the demo, picking up the Drifter. A strange mix between a goat, polar bear, and human, our Inox Drifter wields a club and a bow in order to take down enemies. We were joined by a dev playing the Banner Spear, with the Boneshaper and the Deathwalker remaining mysteries to us. 17 total heroes will be added to the game at its full launch, with the interesting ability to retire characters once they've met certain conditions.

Essentially, your hero won't be pulled along endlessly by the plot, and can decide to settle down from a life of battle once they've completed a specific starting goal. This allows you to then pick up a new character. With a potential 200 hours apparently needed to beat the entire game (including well over 100 scenarios) for a first-time player, it's nice to know you won't have to face that mountain again if you want a fresh start, and that it will take more than a single hero to save Frosthaven.

Our demo began with the outpost of Frosthaven under attack by the yeti-like Algox absolutely trashing the place. Stepping into action, we leave a lovely depiction of the scene to head into battle. As mentioned, combat takes place on a tile-based map, with enemies and allies having turns, somewhat akin to Baldur's Gate III. On your turn, you pick two cards from your deck to play. Depending on the power of these cards, you'll go earlier or later in the turn order. You then use one of the abilities of one card, and then the second ability of another. Each card is split into halves, and you can use one half of a card on a turn. Usually, one half will be focused on dealing damage, with another allowing you to move, buff allies, and take other actions. While I'm not used to the combat of Gloomhaven or Frosthaven, it didn't take long for me to get the general gist of what was going on. There's a sense of randomness in the combat, brought about by damage modifiers which are rolled each time you deal damage or it is dealt to you.

While it can suck to get a sudden -1 to a damage number, you only get a limited amount of these modifiers per encounter. So, your luck won't suck forever, and soon you'll start to see some positives. The reverse is true if you get really lucky early on. While I can't claim to have hours spent playing the game's combat, the glimpse I got was enough to pique my interest, leaving me wanting to learn the system more. After we'd finished the scenario, we were thrown back into the world of Frosthaven, meeting the mayor and given reams of dialogue showing just how far you can go into this world if you please. One for the readers, perhaps, but the dialogue is all voiced from what we've seen so far, including voiced narration, so if you don't care for reading, you can just look at the pretty pictures and listen.

We then get an overview of Frosthaven itself. An outpost formed in the bitterly cold wilderness, it's not exactly a prime holiday destination, and after the raid at the beginning of the game, it's in a sorry state. But, as well as going off and finding more about the story, a big part of Frosthaven is centred around the town itself. Building up key areas, making it more of a functioning, efficient settlement. We didn't quite get to see Frosthaven built up, but it's nice to know your adventures can have real effects on the world. In the wider map, too, you'll see more life arrive as you explore the world around you, uncovering secrets as if you're a cartographer sent to discover all there is to find in the surrounding areas of Frosthaven.

I've not yet seen enough of Frosthaven to really get a proper impression of it, but it's looking like a strong RPG for those wanting to either experience the board game the first time or go through yet another run in the digital format. The scale looks to be immense, the battles tactical and precise, and the story full of enough mystery to keep you asking more questions than you'll get answers for a while. A meaty RPG, for those looking for one.