Sunderfolk

Quick disclaimer: I have more hours in this game than it seems. At first, I only played through the demo. Soon afterwards, I played through the rest of this game twice through a friend group of mine, so this review will be based on my full experience. To start, this game's presentation is immaculate. The storytelling is wonderfully executed, and the story itself, while on the shorter side, is very well written and really pulls you in to the world it builds. The game introduces a cast of likable characters (save for one), which are town NPCs you can interact with between missions. You upgrade the town functions between missions, and while your interactions to boost affinity with NPCs are limited to start, you can increase the number of interactions with these upgrades. You still might not be able to talk with every character on your first playthrough though, which lends well to the game's replayability. The heroes you pick are memorable, diverse in their skillsets & initial playstyles, and all serve their role well within a party. Each hero has further unlockable skills, as well as usable trinkets you either find in missions or purchase from shops in town, which allow for further modularity and creativity with how you build a hero, approach missions, and plan your battle strategies. Battles take place on a hex grid, with enemies and hazards. Your attacks are rolled along with a deck of fate cards, which can boost or reduce your damage, and sometimes have special effects attached to them. Map objectives vary, from combat missions, to escorts, and puzzle missions as well. Another fun thing about this game is you occasionally have prompts to name NPCs, particular hero skills, and several other items or equipment. It adds an extra bit of immersion, and makes each playthrough truly unique! All of these mechanics; your character sheets, NPC and shop interactions, picking missions, attacking enemies, checking character statuses or map hazards, are condensed onto a mobile app, which you download for free & use as your "controller." The information is all readily accessible, easy to navigate, and surprisingly intuitive. These elements combine together to form a bite-sized tabletop RPG experience that exudes charm and passion. This game is well worth the money over the course of one or two playthroughs, and is the perfect game to play together with family or friends. [strike]P.S., The Shroom Incense trinket always puts the "double damage" fate card at the top of the deck. Idk if that's intentional, but it's definitely a factor to consider for harder difficulties.[/strike] This doesn't apply anymore, as they adjusted Shroom Incense to work as intended. Balance is restored. (Also the new character is fun as hell.)