Any fan of tabletop gaming knows the struggle of getting new people to sit down around a table and listen while you tell them about the complex, arcane rules that take almost as long to explain as it takes to play the actual game. It’s tons of fun once you’re all caught up and playing, deep into the weeds of a game like Gloomhaven, but the barrier for entry is high.
Developed by Secret Door (a Dreamhaven studio), Sunderfolk aims to bring more people to the (virtual) tabletop, using a unique control interface, easy-to-pick-up gameplay that gradually grows in difficulty, and weapon-wielding animals. These well-armed critters are the players, Sunderfolk seeing two to four setting out on their fantasy adventure at a time. While plenty of the hexagonal, grid-based action takes place on the big screen – be that TV or monitor – players use their phones to direct their characters, animal versions of classic fantasy archetypes like a rogue, bard, or wizard, in turn-based combat.
