Dark Souls: The Board Game The Sunless City review – Praise the Sun together

We’ve spent many hours exploring Anor Londo as a tabletop game with Dark Souls: The Board Game The Sunless City. How does it stack up against the game itself?

While Dark Souls is legendary for its rock-solid gameplay, the bleak yet beautiful world of Lordran tends to stick with players long after they “Linked the Flame” or turned their back on its fading embers.

Anor Londo, “The Sunless City” is the capital of Lordran and the seat of its gods/royal family. It’s also a city that sees a lot of political intrigue, tragedy, and epic boss fights. Out of all the locations in Dark Souls, it’s the one most suited to a tense board game. It captures the struggles and desperate clashes The Sunless City is known for.

When first unboxing The Sunless City Core Set, I was instantly stunned by the quality and detail on display. From the models of classic characters such as Ornstein and Smough or the mighty Titanite Demon to the gorgeously designed board, everything included in the box is beautifully crafted. It truly feels like a fitting tribute to the Dark Souls world it represents.

Those who are content to simply collect the board game will find a lot to love, but those who wish to battle over the legacy of the First Flame on the tabletop will also be well served.

Key details

• Developer: Steamforged Games
• Price: $79
• Players: 1-3

Prepare to Die – again

The board game mirrors the video game in ways that will delight fans of the Dark Souls trilogy. However, it could terrify you all over again, depending on how your journey went.

The aim is to select your character; either the Herald, the Pyromancer, or the Warrior, each with different skills and abilities. Then you’ll have to navigate the dangers of the Sunless City, before an epic showdown with the guardians of the throne room, Ornstein and Smough – a duo who are considered the hardest boss battle in Dark Souls by many.

Along the way, players will need to fight off undead soldiers, Titanite Demons, and pesky Mimics. If you know, you know with that last one.

While it’s possible to summon other players to back you up in the Dark Souls games, at least for a brief time, exploring Lordran is often a solitary experience.

This is not the case with Dark Souls: The Board Game. Here, teamwork is rewarded and encouraged, the more you work together to overcome the odds, the better your chances of survival will be.

As fans of Souls games will know, should you die, you’ll respawn at the last bonfire you rested at but without all of the Souls you had collected. The enemies you defeated will also have returned, leading you to battle them once more.

This gameplay loop is mirrored in the board game. Should one player die, then the whole party will need to return to the bonfire checkpoint and enemies will be resurrected. You’ll find that there’s a lot more planning involved. Much like in the games, it pays to tackle obstacles as a team and overcome them together.

Of course, like the video game, bonfires can also be used to become stronger. However, to prevent you from getting overpowered, they can only be used so many times. This creates a fun risk versus reward system where players will need to collectively agree when to “level up”, or do they press on and risk it for a greater reward later?

Playing it safe may not pay off in the long run, but at the same time, you may need to spend your Souls to be ready for the next battle.

While this resembles Dark Souls it’s also a unique system designed with the board game in mind. It’s also one that pays homage to the source material while creating its own fun experience.

Praise the Fun

Like the Dark Souls trilogy, it’s an addictive and engaging gameplay loop that will get players immersed as they agonize and debate over what’s the best course of action. Also, like any game that originated in the mind of Hidetaka Miyazaki, death is to be expected. So don’t beat yourselves up when it inevitably happens.

Out of the several games I played, only one of us was an experienced and passionate Dark Souls fan. The second player had only a passing interest and a small amount of knowledge but had never played a Souls game, while our third player had no understanding of what Dark Souls was.

Yet all three of us had fun. In fact, the two non-Souls fans are looking forward to experiencing Dark Souls: The Board Game The Sunless City again. The point here is, don’t be afraid to give this game a try if your Souls knowledge is limited, there’s still lots of fun to be had.

Experienced board game players and longtime Dark Souls fans will find it the most rewarding though. That’s because it’s fun to notice all the little nuances, references, and nods to elements from the video game series.

This board game has been crafted with Dark Souls fans in mind, and this core set lovingly pays tribute to the franchise. Those not familiar with board games of this scale may find it a little intimidating at first, but once you’ve played for a little while it’ll soon become second nature.

While some players will choose to keep the models as they are, those who enjoy painting models (like Warhammer, etc) may also relish the opportunity to paint the miniatures provided. I’m much looking forward to bringing the Titanite Demon, Ornstein, and Smough to life with paint, adding another fun wrinkle to owning the set.

The Verdict – 5/5

It would be tough to recommend Dark Souls: The Board Game to those who know nothing about the series unless there’s someone there to guide them through it, but fans will almost certainly get the most out of this extraordinary package.

For those who love the Dark Souls universe and board games based on video games or movie worlds, then you’re in for a real treat. Just as ever in a Souls game, be prepared to die.

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