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 [5 of 5 Stars rating]
I've always had a soft spot most anything in the horror genre and been a fan of H.P. Lovecrafts writing for some years so my initial reaction to discovering this game was giddy joy.
This is a cooperative game for 1-8 (yup, its possible to play solitaire) detectives. Portals are opening all over town that lead to other dimensions and monsters are pouring out. This activity is causing the Ancient Ones to stir in their eternal slumber. It's the detectives job to explore these portals, destroy the monsters, and close/seal the portals to protect the citizens of Arkham.
If I had to pick one word to describe this game it would be stout. There is a ton of stuff in that box and all of it is top-notch quality. The cardboard tokens are thick and well made, there were a few moments I thought I would tear them when I punched them out but a careful hand should have no problem. The art is appropriately dark and mood-inspiring and covers everything from the sanity/health markers to each of the encounter and item cards.
A bit of the game goes as such:
Each player randomly draws a detective from the stack of detective cards and takes the starting equipment listed, players then randomly choose an Ancient One that will be assaulting Arkham, each with different powers and game changing modifiers. Play starts with a first player (though the first player will change from round to round) and goes around the table clockwise during each phase. The first phase allows each player to adjust their stats and refresh their spells and abilities. Adjusting stats becomes an integral part of the game as you learn the differant properties the board inflicts upon you and become more comfortable with the combat/skill system.
After you set your stats you are allowed your movement phase in which you may travel around Arkham searching for clues, enlisting the aid of allies, or even shopping for additional items/skills/spells. It is also during this phase that you encounter monsters and the minions of the Ancient Ones. Each time you face a monster and destroy it you are allowed to claim it as a trophy, trophies are turned in at various locations for different beneficial effects (getting blessed at the church, obtaining allies, and even getting cash). Also if you move your detective onto a portal they will be drawn in and allowed to explore the next dimension.
The next phase allows the detectives to experience encounters if they are on a location in Arkham. They are randomly dealt a card and find the corresponding location and follow the directions. This was a nice random element I thought that was dangerous and beneficial for investigators. It could make you pass a skill check to earn an item/money or could spawn a portal and monster to do battle.
After this phase the player who are exploring an alternate dimension are allowed an encounter as well. Again the encounters may be helpful or they could send you hurtling, lost in time and space…
The last part of each turn, the Mythos phase, has the player who is first player that turn draw a card from the Mythos deck and follow its directions. This is a fun phase although it’s almost always guaranteed to be bad for the detectives. The card can set up environment effects that can disrupt the investigators abilities, make the monsters tougher, or even unleash serial killers upon the streets of Arkham. These cards can also stay in play for multiple rounds until the investigators meet the conditions on the card or are lucky enough to draw out of it. It is also during this phase that portals open and monsters spawn. No rest for the investigators!
All in all I found this game to be very enjoyable! On the downside however it is fairly lengthy, be prepared to sit in for the long haul (or leave it set up like I did) at least your first couple of times playing and learning the rules. Also with the number of pieces that comes with this it would have been nice if they had included some way to sort them or bag them, as it is I have a bunch of zip-lock bags for it now. Not a deal breaker but I like to have my games sorted away.
Now to see if I can get an 8 person game going… hmm…
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