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.
