Gloomhaven
"In Gloomhaven, you play as a team of mercenaries on their own personal quests to go conquer a world of gloomy and wicked decadence. Choose your group members wisely, because in the turmoil of battle you can only rely on your wits, skills and spells to fight your way through the putrid dungeons and forgotten ruins. In this rogue-like dungeon-crawling adaptation of the famous board game, you will journey through terrifying randomly generated dungeons, fight against increasingly horrific and powerful foes…or die trying. "
What it feels like
The ruthless, horrific tone of battle and unflinching darkness suffuses the experience without looking away from brutality. Tactical combat where mistakes feel costly and death is permanent creates sustained edge-of-seat pressure.
What it's about
A gloomy, wicked world of putrid dungeons and decadence defines the setting's dark tone and atmosphere. Mercenaries undertake personal quests to conquer the world and shape the region's fate, echoing heroic adventure.
How it plays
Grid-based tactical turn-based combat on a tile system is the definitive core mechanic—mercenaries position and act on a grid. Turn-based action is fundamental; players and enemies alternate discrete turns in tactical encounters. Each mercenary builds and plays from a hand of ability cards, with cards spent and recovered—a card pool is progressively curated.
How it looks and sounds
The Steam tags confirm isometric perspective, and the tactical grid-based combat naturally employs this view.
How it's structured
The core campaign can be played solo, with the description emphasizing leading your band of mercenaries through the experience. Progress is fundamentally a descent through successive randomly-generated dungeon floors and chambers in a roguelike structure. Full online co-op is explicitly listed as a feature, allowing mercenary teams to cooperate remotely through missions.
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