Blending of genres is a tricky business in any medium, even more so when it comes to gaming. Developers need to be willing to apply equal effort to all facets of a muti-genre title or face the prospect of those elements feeling weak or tacked on when the product is released to the public. This is probably why few companies will go out on a limb and try something new when it is easier and safer to stick to a stock standard first person shooter or fantasy RPG. League of Geeks is a developer that seems to be trying to buck this trend and is teetering right out there on the tip of that muti-genre tree limb with their game, Armello.
A sinister rot has corrupted the King of Armello and the four animal tribes of the land have mobilized their greatest heroes to banish the dark magic and claim the throne for themselves. Alliances are formed and then destroyed as each side strives to cleanse the land and seize power by any means necessary. The game has been described as a “cartoon animal Game of Thrones” and that’s a fairly apt description of the proceedings. Backstabbing, poisoning and betrayal are all valid tactics once all the pieces are on the board and total victory is the only goal!
While Armello has been available on PC and PS4 since late 2015, Xbox One owners have had to wait nearly a year to try out it’s unique take on the digital board game genre. Melding the tactics of a grid-based tabletop game with the calculated combinations of a collectible card game, Armello achieves a level of synergy between it’s components that puts many similar titles to shame. There is also some light RPG flavor added as the characters in play can be upgraded and outfitted with equipment that improves their stats or provides them with special abilities. The characters themselves are one the greatest features that Armello has going for it. A proud wolf warrior, a hulking bear priestess and a cunning rat rogue are just three of the available choices. Each one represents one of the four animal clans and each one starts a match with certain strengths and weaknesses that have a tangible effect on the way they interact on the board – the wolf warrior can break the defense of his opponents while the rat rogue can ambush from cover. They are all wonderfully drawn and animated and absolutely dripping with personality.
This character and attention to detail that the developers have poured into every facet of Armello is also the basis for my biggest (and only) complaint. The game begins with a beautiful cutscene depicting the four animal clans in their homelands preparing for war. Blood dripping from a warrior’s sword, a flurry of snowflakes on the wind, a glowing circle of standing stones – all presented in vivid detail and cloaked in atmospheric excellence. Unfortunately, it’s the only cutscene. Although it has a single player option in the menu, Armello is really multiplayer only with the solo component made up of the same match style gameplay against AI opponents instead of other players. This was a huge disappointment for me. After setting the scene so amazingly, I was expecting an equally amazing story/campaign mode detailing the trials of each hero and their clan as they battled one another for the crown and ultimate victory. Perhaps they didn’t have time to implement it but it feels like a missed opportunity to me. One saving grace in this instance is the prologue. Besides acting as a tutorial of sorts, it also follows an interesting narrative that sets up each clan for the main game. It’s very short but provides a glimpse into how great a story mode could have been.
Aside from this one negative, Armello achieves a high standard in almost all other departments. Visuals are stunning in their cartoony beauty with a day/night cycle providing some unforgettable graphical moments. The shadows extend in real time as you play and there are even some gorgeous weather effects depending on which season the match takes place in. Sound is of equally high quality. Swords clang and monsters roar in a repertoire of appropriately meaty audio effects. Music is consistently excellent throughout each match. The tempo increases frantically during battles and perilous encounters before slowing to a more relaxing pace in between fights.
Let’s be frank, fighting is what Armello is all about! Combat is resolved on a separate screen involving dice rolls and many initially confusing rules pertaining to card interaction. In simplest terms, both combatants roll a certain amount of dice, each one constituting either a defense or an attack. The winner is determined by whoever can attack the most as well as defend against attacks from their opponent. While there is definitely a random element to these encounters, cards can be used on the fly to modify results in your favor and it is always fun to try out new strategic options. As I said, confusion is commonplace for beginners since the rules seem complicated to start with but there is a helpful game guide in the menu which lays out the basics as well as tips for those looking to get an advantage.
Armello is probably the best digital representation of a tabletop board game that I have seen to date. Superb graphics, melodic audio and some of the best characterization and background lore that I have experienced in a game for a long while. All these combine to create an authentic atmosphere that is hard to fault. It is let down solely by the lack of any sort of story mode or narrative – the pieces are all in place for the telling of an epic tale packed with intrigue and adventure but for whatever reason, this feature is absent. That aside, Armello is well worth a look especially for those keen to get strategic in the digital board game genre. Get those dice ready and prepare for war!
Reviewed on Xbox One.
