- Publisher : Lucky Duck Games
- Designer(s) : Tim Burrell-Saward, Isaac Childres, Noah Cohen, Rob Daviau
- Artist(s) : JJ Ariosa, James Bousema, Tim Burrell-Saward, Lindsay Daviau
- Players : 1–4
- Playing time : 100–120 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.67
What's this?
Return to Dark Tower is a cooperative (or competitive) board game that modernizes a great classic from the 80s.
The heart of the game is based on an imposing electronic tower that interacts with the players by generating events, releasing curses and influencing the course of the game. Your mission: to face formidable enemies, complete quests and, finally, defeat the lord of the Dark Tower.
How do you play?
Each player embodies a hero with unique abilities and starts the game with a personal board, some resources
➡️ Start of the round
The active player can perform the banner action indicated on his hero board.
He applies the effects of the active cards and events.
➡️ Middle of the round
The player can in any order:
Move: He can advance a certain number of squares and spend energy to double his distance.
➡️ Perform a heroic action:
Purify: Remove skulls from a building.
Fight an enemy: Engage in combat against a monster present on his square.
Complete a quest: Complete a specific mission to advance in the game.
Perform a reinforcement action: If the hero is on a building, he can use the effect of the latter to obtain resources or activate special skills.
➡️ End of the round
The player must throw a skull into the Tower. If the Tower reacts (rotation, falling skulls, events), he applies the consequences.
The Tower can activate events affecting the heroes and the environment.
➡️ How to win?
To win the game, players must:
Achieve the main objective of the chosen scenario.
Face and defeat the final opponent
Additional information:
Resources: Warriors, spirit, potions and equipment are essential to defeat enemies and solve quests.
Enemies: Evil creatures appear regularly and must be fought before they become too powerful.
Corruption: Three corruptions result in immediate defeat.
Is it good?
Return to Dark Tower is a reissue of the 80s board game, The Dark Tower. This new version integrates an electronic tower connected via Bluetooth to a mobile application, offering an immersive and unique experience in the genre.
The gameplay is accessible: just follow the steps described on your character sheet. The actions are fluid and clear, which makes the game easy to learn.
In cooperative mode, players join forces to collect resources, purify buildings, fight monsters and complete quests, all guided by the mobile application.
This application, a true master of the game, offers quests, enemies to face and above all, brings its share of chaos with random events. Skulls falling from the tower, unexpected rotations, opening doors… So many surprises that spice up the game!
Your mission: manage this chaos while trying to complete your main quest in order to face the final boss.
The app also offers a random dungeon creation mode, where players will have to explore different rooms to reach their final goal. A great way to renew the gaming experience!
Many treasure cards, equipment and potions with various effects provide the necessary advantages to defeat monsters and complete quests.
However, all these qualities have a drawback: the price. You will have to pay around €170 to enjoy this experience. Another point to note: the lack of narration. The game only offers a few basic sentences, which does not make it a narrative game.
In summary, Return to Dark Tower successfully integrates technology with its tower and offers a unique cooperative experience. The game is easy to access, fluid in its mechanisms and offers rich and varied content. Despite its high price and the lack of narration, it will delight fans of innovative and immersive board games.
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Review Return to Dark Tower
Positives
- The innovative use of the electronic tower, which adds immersion and chaos
- A unique experience
- A well-made application
- A simple but effective gameplay
- A great replay value
Negatives
- High price
- A little lack of narration
Breakdown
- Components and illustrations 9.5
- Mechanics 7.5
- Thematic 8.0
- Replayability 8.5
- Handling 9.0
- Interaction 8.5
- Originality 8.5
