Gloomhaven

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 9,324 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Gloomhaven Game Cover
If you love Gloomhaven, the Steam version is a no-brainer. It seamlessly translates the physical game to a digital platform.
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"Gloomhaven is a tactical RPG and digital adaptation of the popular board game, set in a dark fantasy universe. Lead a group of mercenaries through treacherous terrains, combat horrific monsters, and make choices that will determine your fate. With a wide range of characters, abilities, and equipment, every decision is crucial in this strategic and unforgiving world."

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 9,324 reviews
gameplay354 positive mentions
stability269 negative mentions
  • Near perfect recreation of the board game Gloomhaven with infinite replayability.
  • Very fun and strategic gameplay that rewards careful planning and tactical decision-making.
  • Great adaptation that eliminates tedious setup and allows for easier multiplayer experiences.
  • Game is plagued with bugs and crashes, especially in multiplayer mode, making it frustrating to play.
  • Steep learning curve and punishing mechanics can lead to frequent failures, even on lower difficulty settings.
  • User interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to confusion and mistakes during gameplay.
  • gameplay1,220 mentions

    The gameplay of Gloomhaven is a complex and strategic turn-based experience that closely mirrors its tabletop counterpart, featuring intricate card mechanics and a steep learning curve. Players appreciate the depth and tactical decision-making involved, although many find the card burn and exhaustion mechanics frustrating and punishing. The digital adaptation streamlines setup and automates many rules, making it more accessible for newcomers, but it still requires patience to master its unique systems.

    • “Gloomhaven is a strategic turn-based dungeon crawler, and it has many different interesting mechanics and decisions that heighten the key role of strategy and make the game tremendously complex and more difficult.”
    • “The tutorial does a good job of explaining the game, and it's much easier to play this vs doing all the setup to the actual physical game, but the game mechanically has some pretty big flaws.”
    • “The mechanics are well thought out, and very expansive.”
    • “The gameplay is so tedious.”
    • “The game mechanics are terrible, both the video and board game.”
    • “The gameplay is very limiting and very punishing.”
  • story1,070 mentions

    The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while it offers a variety of missions and some intriguing lore, the overall narrative is often considered weak or forgettable. Players appreciate the tactical gameplay and character progression but feel that the story serves primarily as a backdrop for the missions rather than a compelling narrative. Additionally, the game is still in early access, and many are looking forward to a more fleshed-out campaign mode that could enhance the storytelling experience.

    • “The world feels fresh and unique, and the story is intriguing.”
    • “The story, art, gameplay are epic in scope.”
    • “The campaign story has arcs, sides to pick, quests to fail and then succeed, and decent voice overs.”
    • “The campaign is a terrible repetitive boring slog of outnumbered team, repetitive strategy, glacially slow progress and failure, all wrapped up in the same mission on repeat ad nauseam.”
    • “The story, setting and writing is not very good; it's on par with other boardgames and that's saying all there is to say on the matter.”
    • “The story is very well done as well.”
  • graphics514 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many users praising the beautiful art style, detailed animations, and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience. However, some players noted performance issues, requiring powerful hardware to run smoothly, and expressed concerns about graphical clutter that can obscure gameplay elements. Overall, while the visuals are often described as stunning and faithful to the original board game, there are calls for optimization and clearer interfaces to improve usability.

    • “The graphics are beautiful, you can easily rotate the scene to appreciate the beauty.”
    • “The graphics, animations, and narration were all way better than expected and I was surprised to find a completely new mode (guildmaster) that lets you play the game without any spoilers for the main campaign.”
    • “The graphics do a great job of bringing the board game to life, and the game is beautiful without requiring high-end hardware.”
    • “The graphics are kind of terrible too.”
    • “The graphics are too dark and traps, obstacles and coins all get lost on the map.”
    • “It's a big mistake to not show those cards being drawn graphically.”
  • stability282 mentions

    The stability of the game has been a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and desynchronization issues, particularly in multiplayer mode. While some players acknowledge improvements over time, the overall sentiment indicates that the game remains quite buggy, leading to frustrating experiences and lost progress during sessions. Despite these issues, many still find the game enjoyable when it functions properly, suggesting that ongoing updates may eventually enhance its stability.

    • “It's almost completely bug free now and I think it's a great game to play with friends.”
    • “Good attempt was made at creating a bug free stable game on launch, so props.”
    • “Its balanced, it's fun, and is mostly bug free.”
    • “Gloomhaven was designed as a co-op game, but the co-op is a buggy mess.”
    • “This game has become so buggy it is unplayable; every time I sit down to play, my saves become broken.”
    • “The game is a buggy disaster.”
  • grinding142 mentions

    The reviews highlight that while the game automates many tedious aspects of the original board game, it still suffers from excessive grinding and slow-paced gameplay that can feel unrewarding. Players often find the difficulty scaling frustrating, leading to repetitive grinding of missions without meaningful progression. Overall, the experience is described as tedious, with many players expressing a desire for a more streamlined and engaging gameplay loop.

    • “Just incredibly tedious and doesn't feel very rewarding at all.”
    • “You get very little gold to even upgrade your characters if you do win a quest/dungeon, making it super grindy and just simply not enjoyable.”
    • “It's excessively difficult to the point where it isn't fun and that leads to a boring grinding sim where you have to play quests you aren't interested in to level your characters up.”
  • optimization102 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many users reporting poor performance, frequent crashes, and a clunky user interface that detracts from the overall experience. While some players note improvements in recent updates, issues such as slow AI processing, frame rate drops, and bugs persist, making the game feel unoptimized, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, despite its engaging gameplay, the technical shortcomings hinder its potential, leaving players hopeful for future optimizations.

    • “The best part is discovering combinations that make you feel like an optimization genius.”
    • “Just like playing a more optimized version of the board game!”
    • “But more than a year later after my purchase, the developers have optimized the game incredibly well, and booting up the game no longer feels gross.”
    • “The worst issue is the performance.”
    • “It doesn't seem like the latest update was tested at all and there's some bugs that literally make the game unplayable, paired with tons of annoying smaller bugs and terrible performance.”
    • “Unity is known for its performance issues, but this unfortunately makes the game unplayable on most laptops and PCs unless they are brand-new-level and high performance.”
  • replayability101 mentions

    The game boasts exceptional replayability, driven by a vast array of character classes, abilities, and customizable gameplay elements that encourage experimentation and varied strategies. Players can enjoy multiple playthroughs through different character combinations, guildmaster mode, and randomly generated scenarios, ensuring a fresh experience each time. Despite some minor criticisms regarding content variety, the overall consensus highlights the game's depth and extensive replay value, making it a standout choice for fans of tactical RPGs.

    • “The diversity of characters and abilities is truly amazing, and how the dynamic of the game and its difficulty can vary greatly just by playing with different characters - the replayability of this game is off the charts!”
    • “With its deep gameplay, immersive world-building, and endless replayability, it's a must-have for any fan of tabletop RPGs.”
    • “There's a ton of replayability and things seem to play different depending on party composition and wealth/reputation level.”
    • “My only complaint that actually lessened my replayability is that unlike the tabletop version, enchantments do not persist through retirements in campaign mode.”
    • “The game currently lacks much emergent gameplay and replayability.”
    • “Lack of enemy and mission variety is probably the biggest issue in terms of replayability for me so far - if there are more enemies that just haven't shown up yet, then in my opinion the progression is simply too slow because I'm already bored to death of archers, skeletons, and cultists.”
  • music95 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the game's tone, while others find it repetitive and lacking in variety. Many users noted that the soundtrack can become monotonous over extended play sessions, leading them to mute it in favor of their own playlists. Overall, while the music is functional and contributes to the experience, it is often described as needing improvement and more diversity.

    • “The graphics, voice-over, sound design all tie well with the game, and although lacking a bit extra music, it is great.”
    • “The music fits really well and seeing the monsters and character animated is a pleasure.”
    • “The music adds to the mood without driving you crazy.”
    • “Music is sub-par and puts me to sleep; graphics are good for what they are, but all the strategic depth is there.”
    • “Playing out the same fight over and over again to what sounds like a 15-second loop of music is torture.”
    • “The music especially is a bit weak.”
  • atmosphere34 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, enhanced by impressive graphics, haunting music, and well-designed characters. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a rich, atmospheric experience reminiscent of classic fantasy gaming, with detailed environments and engaging sound design that draw players into its world. While some note that the pacing can feel slow and certain gameplay elements may detract from the atmosphere, the overall consensus is that the game successfully captures the essence of its tabletop predecessor, offering a visually stunning and tactically rich experience.

    • “Its a thumbs up because the underlying game of Gloomhaven is excellent, full of content and really atmospheric with crunchy tactics.”
    • “The dark and atmospheric dungeons, with a consistent and pleasing art style, bring the world of Gloomhaven to life.”
    • “I have the physical game and though I really love the atmosphere and role-playing aspects of the game, it always felt like a bit of a chore.”
    • “The sounds and music create a captivating, yet grim atmosphere.”
    • “The ability to do multiple quests quickly takes away some of the 'atmosphere' that exists when you play the board game and actually read the booklet (D&D style).”
  • humor25 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdities and playful mechanics, such as characters getting tired after minimal movement and nonsensical treasure collection processes. Players appreciate the witty dialogues, amusing flavor texts, and the hilarity that arises from both gameplay mishaps and interactions with friends. While some humor may fall flat, the overall experience is enhanced by the game's ridiculous elements and the camaraderie it fosters among players.

    • “The fact your character gets tired and goes home after walking like 20 feet is hilariously bad.”
    • “Hilariously, treasure you *do* collect in dungeons gets added to the merchant's stall, but you don't get it and then you still need to buy it from the man, which is complete nonsense in any logical sense but likely a necessity for the designers to maintain the oppressive feel of the game.”
    • “Plus the tiny little jokes on characters just makes me giggle ('rock person has a disadvantage that you can't read his facial expressions', something that is entirely pointless for the game itself), but that's simply me and my childish humor.”
  • character development17 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the depth and satisfaction it brings, particularly in the context of card selection and tactical gameplay. However, some reviews note that character progression can feel slow and lacks significant changes, especially compared to other tactical games. Overall, while the game offers a rich environment for character development, it may not fully meet expectations for those seeking a more robust narrative or faster progression.

    • “Gloomhaven is a perfect port of the original board game with the addition of guildmaster mode, which provides a new way to experience exploring the world with far more dialogue and character development than what the original campaign possessed.”
    • “It's a deep tactical strategy game with character development, a rich lore-driven world where your actions and decisions have meaning.”
    • “This is a dungeon crawl that is centered around character development through card selection, and puzzle solving by in-depth analysis of your team and the monsters' actions.”
    • “There is a through-line, leads you follow and mysteries here and there, but there isn't really any sort of character development or overarching plot, at least so far, 40 hours in.”
    • “The gameplay is like Fire Emblem or XCOM mixed with a card game, but it lacks the character development of those; instead, you get these generic characters that only get one card per level in an 8-level progression loop.”
    • “It can get a little repetitive, which is why a long session isn't recommended, because character development is very slow, and even when you gain a level you don't see a quantum change in the way that a character plays, but you can ease that a bit by swapping mercenaries in and out.”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The monetization model of the game has drawn criticism for being perceived as a cash grab, with players feeling misled by advertising that doesn't clearly convey the game's nature. While there are no microtransactions, players are pressured to purchase DLC to avoid constant advertisements, and the game balance and mechanics have been deemed inferior to the tabletop version. However, some appreciate the in-game currency system that allows for gradual upgrades without additional costs.

    • “The cards simply represent your set of available actions, and from one mission to the next, you might swap out one or two cards at most, or buy (with in-game money, no microtransactions!) an upgrade to an action on a card to evolve/enhance your deck in a slow, manageable way.”
    • “Not sure what more you can ask for nowadays with all the cash grab garbage that comes out.”
    • “The game balance is awful compared to the tabletop; the enchanting has been destroyed thanks to the enchantments no longer carrying on to future characters. Just please don't support this yet another lazy cash grab.”
    • “And if you don't want eternal advertisements posted on the main menu of the game, you have to buy their DLC whether you actually want it or not.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players find the emotional depth of the campaign mode compelling, as characters remember past interactions and decisions, leading to poignant moments that can evoke strong feelings. The digital format enhances this experience by streamlining gameplay, allowing for more impactful emotional resolutions without the lengthy setup and cleanup associated with the physical version.

    • “The story in campaign mode is wholesome in the sense that characters you played and sent to retirement and interacted with reappear later in short encounters and remember and are influenced by your past actions.”
    • “So painful I cried.”
    • “Many a times we've ended a scenario on the last possible turn, with the emotional gratification that comes along with it.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

Buy Gloomhaven

Play time

33hMedian play time
62hAverage play time
12-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 62 analyzed playthroughs

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