With the funding goal reached in three minutes and still twenty-six days left in the Dark Souls board game Kickstarter it seems like the question won’t be will the game get funded, but what else will be added to it?
At time of writing, the game’s Kickstarter page sits at $915,590 USD which astute readers might realize is slightly more than the initial $70,832 USD that British developers Steamforged Games wanted for the project.
Now that the main game has been funded all that’s left is to see what Steamforge Games will add. So far stretch goals include more character, enemy, and item cards, along with more bosses and behavior cards. Here are all of the stretch goal rewards that have been announced so far.
- Pyromancer Player Character
- Dancer Behavior Cards
- Cleric Player Character
- 5 Executioner Behavior Cards
- Sorcerer Player Character
- Thief Player Character
- 5 Legendary Weapon Treasure Cards
- Mercenary Player Character
- 5 Lothric Encounter Cards
- The Pursuer Boss
- 5 Anor Londo Encounter Cards
- Deprived Player Character
- 5 Item Treasure Cards
- 3 Firebomb Hollows
- 3 Dancer Heat Up Cards
- 5 Gravestone Models
- 3 Executioner Damaged Cards
- 3 Silver Knight Lancers
- Sir Alonne Boss
- 4 Barrel Models
- Bonfire Model
- 4 Treasure Chest Models
- 4 Large Barrel Models
- Spin Dials for Core Game Mini Bosses
- Smelter Demon Model
- 5 Smelter Demon Behavior Cards
- 3 Alonne Sword Knight Models
- 5 Legendary Weapon Treasure Cards
- 3 Ironclad Soldiers
- 5 Item Treasure Cards
- 5 Spell Equipment Cards
- 5 Iron Keep Encounter Cards
- 3 Alonne Katana Bow Knights
- ???
According to the Kickstarter page, there will be two versions of the game one backer version and one retail version. The backer version of the game will have the core game plus include every stretch goal announced for free and the retail version (open exclusively to retailers) will have the core version of the game (see what’s included in the core version below). With each backer adding to the overall total, thus unlocking more stretch goals for everyone. Along with the normal stretch goals, backers can also unlock special add-on boss packs which backers can choose to add to their game once the Kickstarter is over, for an additional cost.
The game itself is a dungeon crawler that can be played solo or with four other people and promises to be just as challenging as its source material. Players wander around a map filled with randomly place loot and enemies each with a randomized AI pattern (that’s what those behavior cards are for). The game rewards clever players and punishes “button-mashers”, just like the real thing.
Instead of traditional grid based movement, players will traverse the map by moving from node to node, a method that encourages strategic play.
The hardest part about the game would be capturing the spirit of the game and its combat, but it looks like Steamforged nailed it. Players start off with a set pool of health and stamina, along with one Estus Flask. Combat is largely open to the player, who is able to choose when and where to attack which is important when fighting a boss, since some moves can leave them open for bonus damage depending what attack is randomly chosen.
You can see the combat in action in this boss demo against The Dancer of The Boreal Valley (a DSIII boss fight) in the video below.
So far public reception has been quite positive, with most players saying it feels exactly like the original game.
Right now the tentative release date for the game is April 2017 and will cost roughly $113 USD. Dark Souls: The Board Game will be available in English, German, Italian, French, and Spanish.