MeinMMO-Demon Cortyn has dared to try Sunderfolk. There were many prejudices, and all were unfounded. The game is perfect.
Several days ago, I had a visitor and wisely considered which game we could play together while in the same room. Since it was discounted in the PlayStation store at the time and I had heard a lot of good things about it beforehand, I decided on Sunderfolk. Just try it out. You only live once. At night, it’s colder than outside.
I know why Sunderfolk has scared off many people. When you read, “The game is not played with a gamepad, but with a tablet or smartphone as the controller”, most gamers immediately switch off and think to themselves: “kk thx bye, mobile trash”.
I know this because I thought the same way. But honestly: I was so wrong. It works because even though the game is controlled via a mobile device, it is not a mobile game.
I was mistaken, and in a big way. Sunderfolk works – and it works exceptionally well. Let me explain.
What is Sunderfolk, anyway?
Sunderfolk is played on a large screen – comfortably in a round on the couch, with 2 to 4 people. Here, not everyone needs a gamepad; a mobile device is sufficient.
Each person takes on the role of an animal hero with special abilities. Here are a few examples:
- The raven can collect mana to unleash powerful spells. Area damage, illusions, or even teleporting enemies or allies to save them from danger – or to throw them right into it.
- The weasel acts like a typical rogue. It deals bonus damage when it starts the round without direct contact with another character and is thus “in stealth”. It can also strike multiple times per round and can even move between strikes.
- The mouse carries a huge two-handed sword and loves to charge to the front. It pushes enemies back, can impose weakening effects on several of them, and make itself more resistant to damage – truly a tank.
The game is played on a hexagon field, which you might know from tabletop games. Only one character can stand on each field, and typically characters can attack on adjacent fields.
Which abilities you possess depends on your respective class (that is, the animal you chose) and the selection of abilities you have personally made.
Abilities usually have multiple effects that are handled sequentially. So for example:
- Move 3 fields.
- Attack an enemy in front of you for 5 damage.
- Heal yourself by 2 health points for each adjacent enemy.
- Push all enemies around you back one field.
You do not have to use all steps of an ability. If you do not want to move, you can skip that step – the same goes for attacking or other effects.
Which abilities you want to use or where you move your character is decided through the display of your mobile device. It works flawlessly and is quite intuitive.
Story – Functional but Adequate
The narrative of Sunderfolk is structured like a pen & paper. You have a narrator who guides you through the story and also speaks several characters simultaneously – just like in pen & paper, where the game master voices all NPCs himself.
The game switches back and forth between combat missions and small story sequences. These are usually only a few minutes long, but provide enough framework to keep you entertained. It is a rather shallow story, which can sometimes be predictable – but it is perfect for introducing newcomers to gaming or pen & paper.
The characters and residents of the village all have their own story, which you will only learn about if you talk to them. However, frequent gifts await you that can make you stronger. Especially cool: You can often name items, people, or circumstances in the game and personalize it.
Yes, I admit, it was a bit silly when I renamed the great new sales strategy of the merchant to Predatory Capitalism
(because it’s about animals … you get it) But at least I had to grin every time it came up afterward.
This simple opportunity for involvement is excellent. Sunderfolk requires no accounts, no registration. You download the app on your smartphone or tablet, scan the QR code on the screen – and off you go. It is delightfully refreshingly simple and literally a matter of seconds.
Both the game and the app are also available with German voice acting, but we played the English version.
Gameplay that Encourages Communication
What I find particularly impressive is how much people talk while playing Sunderfolk – all by itself. This is a clever part of the game design. While you are reading through abilities on your own screen or scanning the battlefield for details, only one character can perform an action at a time.
This means that when I decide I want to attack – I simply do. I pull up my desired ability card and take my turn. Others can only act after I am finished. Of course, one can be selfish and always pull first, but that often turns out to be a mistake.
Conversations develop naturally, with strategies, in a way like:
- “Hey, if you storm this ogre and push it back, I can use my rescue jump to get to you, so we can kill it and open the chest at the same time.”
- “Or I could teleport into the enemies first and pull them together with my pull, so that you can then use your area attack and set fire around us.”
- “Your bard could give me speed first so I can run further and our warrior can then advance to me to push the two enemies right over the edge into the abyss.”
Sure, one can act selfishly alone and wordlessly – but that is not what the game is designed for. Sunderfolk naturally encourages conversations, and the group as a whole feels good when they have overcome a challenge.
Even outside of battles, it works remarkably well. After a battle, you always have 5-10 minutes in the village of the game. Here, anyone can have a few private conversations with NPCs and gather information they can share with others – or not.
At the same time, you work together to develop the village further, to unlock new merchants or bonuses, such as improved cards or the ability to use stronger relics that provide advantages in battle.
Sunderfolk – A Gem that Convincingly Hooks You Once You Dive In
For me, Sunderfolk is one of those games where I regret not having bought it at launch to support the developers. My prejudices dismissed the game too quickly, even though it is truly a gem that both gamers and non-gamers can enjoy together.
Although neither the story nor the gameplay is particularly complex, the game offers numerous strategies and simply brings back the vibe of a shared game night. It reminds me of the earlier gaming days when you played Mario Kart in split-screen, talking and laughing along the way.
Only with the difference that in Sunderfolk, you act cooperatively and through the small private screen in hand, you constantly receive information that others do not have – which encourages even more conversations.
I will definitely play it again in the coming months and try to make it appealing to my family – that has worked for Split Fiction in the past.
