Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining romp into unspeakable horror (Lose 1 Sanity Point Now), March 17, 2006
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars
I liked this game quite a bit. I will say it's only loosely based on Lovecraft's themes. But then again, if it were accurate, it wouldn't be much of a game. TURN ONE: Draw Encounter Card. "Oh, you've run across an unnameable horror. Lose all Sanity points. Go directly to Arkham Asylum. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. Do not do anything for the rest of the game."
No, thankfully, it's a little more upbeat.
The game isn't perfect. It's rules, while not actually all that complicated, are easy to get wrong the first one or two times you play. And it takes a little longer to play than I normally like. Also, I almost always use house rules (less Clue tokens to seal a gate, spending less time in the Otherworlds, etc.) But as a sort of fantasy adventure game where the players work against the game, it works pretty well. I enjoy it mostly for its storytelling aspects, and the fact that the game has so many items, characters, and monsters that you'd have to play several times to see them all.
The biggest flaw is a bit of randomness in the gameplay. At times, it can seem like the players are just wandering around, but usually I always feel like I'm working toward something. It's neat having a character with different strengths and weaknesses, and facing a variety of monsters. And each Ancient One affects the basic aspects of gameplay enough to be interesting.
The components are of amazing quality. Thick cardboard chits with full color, great illustrated character and Ancient One sheets. The monster tokens are a bit small, but still nicely illustrated.
A fun game. Not to be taken too seriously, but worthwhile for a bit of weird atmosphere. (NOW LOSE ANOTHER SANITY POINT AND GO BACK TO ARKHAM ASYLUM FOR READING THIS REVIEW THAT MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW)
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best board game ever made, May 8, 2007
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
I bought this game when it came out. Since then, i have purchased the Black Pharaoh and Dunwich expansions, and we (a group of 5 of us) easily say this is one of our favorite board games ever. The game assumes that you already know something about Lovecraft and the Cthulu Mythos, although if you don't, it does not mean you can't enjoy the game. It just means you might not really understand why a Hound of Tindalos drives you so insane, or what exactly an Elder Thing is.
The unique aspect of the game is its cooperative play. With 2-8 players (with 4-5 being the sweet spot) you work together to defeat one of many Great Old Ones that are intent on destroying Arkham and possibly the entire world. Each game changes the GOO you fight, and there are multiple investigators to pick from, so you aren't playing the same hero each time either. Add to this mix hundreds of common item cards, unique items, spells, and encounters for dozens of locations, and you have a game with practically unlimited replayability.
The object of the game is to move around the board, either fighting or evading monsters that spawn from gates, while collecting clues and having encounters. You can try to seal the gates and prevent monsters from coming through them, but if you don't act fast enough, the GOO will eventually awaken and it comes down to a final combat that is sometimes impossible to win.
One thing dissenters say about this game is that you have to manage lots of "fiddly" bits. And true, you have a ton of playing pieces to arrange and manage throughout the game: your health, Sanity, clues, cards, skill sliders. But once you get into rhythm of the game it all comes naturally (although it will take around 3-5 games to get used to it).
[...]
Note however, that the game becomes increasingly harder with each expansion you add. As of this writing, The King in Yellow comes out this month, and it is going to add a whole new level of difficulty to an already hard game. But the key to AH is this:
THE FUN IS NOT IN THE WINNING.
It is just in the playing, even if you lose horribly (and you will) it is fun seeing just HOW bad you lose. Sometimes the game seems to be alive and is plotting against your every move.
Ok, that's enough ranting. I can't say enough good things about Arkham Horror. Buy the base game, and then slowly integrate the expansions to keep the options coming. It only gets better.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Play the game that hates you and wants to eat your soul!, February 15, 2008
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars
Arkham Horror is extraordinarily complex, and can be a very long game, but it's a ton of fun. Investigators search Arkham and the realms beyond for clues, weapons, and other tools to fight the Ancient Ones. What makes it such a great game is that the mechanics make it a constantly-shifting battle. The investigators can have one thing planned, and everyone knows what their part is going to be, and then suddenly a new effect occurs, entirely shifting the dynamics of what's going on in the game. Teamwork, communication between the players, collaboration, and strategic planning are all vital to the group's success.
Another great feature of this game is that it can be played solo--an option I recommend for first-timers, before introducing it to a group. I solo'd the game before introducing it to my game group, and it was very, very helpful. As I mentioned, there are a LOT of mechanics at work in this game, and it helps to play through it a time or two to get used to what's going on. Ultimately, it's great to play with 4-5 people.
The biggest potential drawback for more casual gamers is that it's a very, very long game. 5-6 hours is probably a fairly accurate estimate of how long an actual game will take. However, the game does a pretty solid job of capturing the feel of Lovecraft's works, and for those hours, you'll feel like you're really battling for your life. Each time my game group plays this game, we come away exhausted, but also exhilarated.
I strongly recommend this game for fans of Lovecraft, horror games, and cooperative strategy games in general.
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