Armello on PC

It’s taken me considerable time to come to terms with the idea of digital board games. Armello, an attempt by developer League of Geeks to “revolutionize” this category, may have finally sold me. With a rich world, complex rules, and phenomenal polish throughout, this charming fantasy tale of a kingdom in the midst of bitter struggle encompasses everything that the genre should be, and then throws in more for good measure. Here, beyond simple board game mechanics and artful card animations, players will find something truly special and unique.

Armello is set in a fantasy kingdom of the same name, populated by anthropomorphic animals of various Clans. Players have their choice from among eight Heroes; two of each from the Wolf, Rabbit, Rat, and Bear Clans. Each hero, of course, has a unique ability to grant them an edge on the field, and each has a set of stats that will help dictate how they perform at various tasks. Your basic attributes are Fight, Body, Wits, and Spirit with each impacting play in different ways. A high Fight will grant you more dice in combat, while a high Wits helps your hero survive deadly Perils along their journey. Body determines your Hero’s health, and Spirit dictates Magic.

If this sounds like a lot, that’s because Armello doesn’t approach much of anything lightly. The game is staged as a battle for control of the titular kingdom as the King sinks further into madness and death due to the surging darkness called the Rot. This seething corruption is yet another thing that players must contend with, as evil Banes fill the land and Heroes may become infected or corrupted through play. Keeping an eye on your own Rot level is vital to success; are you going to remain pure and cleanse the land of this evil? Or is it your goal to use this strange power to propel you to the throne to reign as the new king of corruption?

Gameplay in Armello is a traditional, turn-based style of play. Each game begins on the first Day, and players may select their Quest from available options and then set out on their journey. Four Heroes occupy each game, and each gets one turn every day and night. Other mechanics also come into play; at each dawn, the King will declare a new law, usually having a negative affect on all Heroes, and his personal guard will patrol the land. At night, the twisted Banes make their move, scouring the land and destroying anything in their paths. Each animal Clan also has a natural affinity that grants them an additional die during their preferred time — day for Rabbit and Bear, and night for Wolf and Rat.

In addition to Armello‘s RPG-like stats, many other elements from the genre are present. Heroes may take up Quests with a chance to raise their attributes and find powerful items or followers, explore dungeons in search of treasures, and more. Completing Quests, besting other Heroes in combat, or destroying Banes will raise Prestige, a numeric count of how highly regarded each Hero is by the King. Dying, attacking the King’s Guard, and various other actions will lower this rating. At each dawn, when the King is set to enact his decree, the Prestige Leader will be granted a choice between two possible laws; while both are usually negative to all players, this small edge can help the clever player keep themselves from too much harm.

Armello includes a “Prologue” mode to introduce players to the concepts of the game slowly. Following the tales of four of the Heroes, this tutorial begins with basic movement and combat, then brings in the use of items, followers, magic, and other cards that can sway the way the game plays out. Again, it’s a lot to take in, but this short and effective walkthrough presents each new piece one at a time to make it more digestible. Enough about the rules of the game, though; let’s get into the nuts and bolts of how well this complicated set of rules plays out.I really can’t stress enough that Armello is a complex and somewhat daunting game to grasp. With cards, dice, and so much action, it can be overwhelming at first. Still, once you begin to get into the swing of it, it flows very nicely. The animations, both in-game and on the individual cards used in play, are very well done. The controls, essentially consisting of point and click interface, are intuitive and functional. It took me just about one game’s play after completing the Prologue to start feeling like I really “got it,” but the learning curve isn’t so steep as to make it impossible to play — or even win — without a full understanding of each nuanced piece. In fact, I won my first game by Prestige Victory when the King was killed in combat by another Hero.

Speaking of victory, Armello presents four routes to winning that all require a unique strategy. Two of these involve killing the King and surviving the encounter, with your corruption by the Rot determining whether you rise to become a benevolent ruler or a cruel one. Otherwise, players may win by collecting four Spirit Stones, which appear at stone circles across the map or as Quest rewards, then cleansing the King of his corruption. The last, and probably easiest, is to be the Hero with the highest Prestige when the King is either slain by an opponent who dies with him or is overcome by the Rot and dies on his own. After several games, the only victory I have yet to achieve is the Rot victory, as balancing your own Rot level can be tough, and getting through to the King is no small task no matter how you go about it.

Suffice it to say, if League of Geeks set out to create a unique and compelling experience to bring something above and beyond the norm to the digital board game genre, they’ve got a smash hit. Though complicated and highly detailed in its play, Armello is still approachable and can be learned pretty quickly by players of any skill level. With a rich and detailed story behind it, beautiful art and animations, and a full-featured board game ruleset, there’s a ton here to love. Players can either take on AI opponents in single player mode, or square off against friends or strangers in multiplayer battles.

With so much to offer and such a great presentation, it’s hard for me not to consider Armello a must-buy for anyone with even a passing interest in digital board games or innovative RPGs. Deep gameplay and a wide variety of characters, victory conditions, and more, there’s a ton to dive into that’s all wrapped in a gorgeous package. While the $19.99 price on Steam may seem steep, it’s more than fair for the detail that’s gone into it. Players who prefer to battle against friends can pool together for some savings, too, with the $59.99 four-pack. At the end of the day, Armello is a game with lofty goals to redefine a genre that has set a new bar, for me at least, for what a digital board game can — and should — be. If you’ve read this far, I can assume you’re interested, so let me say it as plainly as possible: Armello is perhaps the most detailed and well-designed entry in its genre that I’ve ever played, and you should probably stop reading and buy it right now.

Score: 4/5