In the online age, the joys of local shared gaming experiences are diminishing. Even having kids isn’t a guarantee of a local play revival, as they soon discovered the delights and dreadful truths of online gaming. It makes those rare occurrences a game pushes it front and center, intentionally or not, a much more magical experience.
Recently, Hazelight’s excellent Split Fiction and its spiritual predecessor, It Takes Two, made a smart move in allowing one copy of the co-op-designed experience to be playable with friends who didn’t own it. So you can go around to a friend’s place, play it on the couch (other seating options are available), and then continue your playthrough online if you wish without the commitment of another purchase. But if that leaves a good impression, then it could become a personal purchase, allowing you to play with someone else—a modern approach to embracing the cooperative experience.
It’s almost the same for Secret Door’s turn-based co-op RPG Sunderfolk. You may only have one copy, but your friends can join you at home or online thanks to the integration of a mobile app, all with just a single copy of the game.
Sunderfolk: Going Sunder
Sunderfolk is billed as a shared turn-based tactical RPG where your phone or tablet becomes the controller. Sure, we’ve had plenty of glib party games try things like this before, to varying levels of success (remember PlayStation’s short-lived focus on mobile-led PS4 games?). However, the modern co-op touch, coupled with accessible gameplay, makes this a more serious, far less cynical attempt at utilizing the tech.
The blueprint of Sunderfolk is clearly the tabletop RPG experience. The collective joy of playing a role-playing game with friends and/or family in the same room together. Plenty of RPGs in the current era have been reblurring the lines between tabletop and video games, but Sunderfolk is a lot closer to the act of having a Game Night than most.
The game is set in a vibrant fantasy world, viewed from an isometric angle, and is built on a hexagonal floor plan for movement. Combat lets each player take their turn utilizing the skills and abilities of the Arcanist, Bard, Beserker, Pyromancer, Ranger, and Rogue classes.
The mobile app, which each player in a party of up to four will need to download, holds your action cards, inventory, rulebook, and more. Each player has cards linked to their class and can scroll through them on their phone before selecting one by flicking it up their screen and watching it appear on the game screen, ready to do its job.
The game seems to pace and progress things nicely, too. As I got used to how it all worked and got a handle on the combat, new challenges emerged, pushing me to go beyond the basics. Naturally, I’m more likely to get the rhythm of it sooner than a more casual player, but so far, Sunderfolk has found a good balance in terms of accessibility and mastery.
When I say Sunderfolk is accessible, I do mean that in the sense of anyone vaguely familiar with how tabletop RPGs and video games work. It’d be hard to water things down any further without detracting from either side of that experience, so don’t expect it to be a Christmas party game where anyone can join in without feeling like an outcast.
I also quite like that it’s not just battles. The game also features a village called Arden, where players return between quests. Here, they can help build up the village, upgrade the vendors, interact with the locals, and get their hands on new items and equipment. It’s not an expansive addition, but it provides a nice bit of downtime between the battles.
Sunderfolk is off to a strong start, and is a welcome bridging game between two distinct worlds with shared D.N.A. that hopefully has the legs to grow into something even more ambitious.
Sunderfolk is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
