Arkham Horror—and games based on Lovecraftian horror in general—is a popular universe for board games, but the boundaries of what kind of games are being developed has expanded with the release of Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace from Artefacts Studio and Asmodee Digital.

The publisher, known for its digital adaptations of popular board games in the Asmodee family of tabletop publishers, worked with Artefacts Studio to create a game inspired by the Fantasy Flight Games franchise Arkham Horror. It’s another descent into the Cthulhu mythos from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft and it’s an original story from Fantasy Flight Interactive’s writing team.

Mother’s Embrace released on March 23rd and it’s available on Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. So, this is a deviation from the norm for Asmodee Digital, but the game is inspired by one of the most popular franchises in board games; fans of the series will have an opportunity to experience an original story rather than an adaptation.

However, will the impending madness be worth the time spent investigating in this 1920s narrative? Let’s see whether it’s right for you or wrong for you.

Overview

This is a narrative, turn-based game where players control iconic Arkham Horror protagonists and investigate a grisly murder that takes them from location to location as more of the mystery is revealed.

Gameplay involves simple interactions and combat is segmented into player and enemy turns, which alternate until one side is left standing.

For board game players coming over into the video game world, it will feel like a digital implementation of games like Mansions of Madness. For video game players, it will feel like a pared-down narrative adventure that incorporates the design element of tabletop games in a 3D visual rendering.

Theme

The story is the most important part of the game and it feels similar to video games like Call of Cthulhu and board games like Elder Sign. Something is wrong. Shadows loom over the world and people are dying. But it’s not the death that many are familiar with. It’s the grotesque and inscrutable death of people meddling with ancient and dark powers.

This time around, a professor of astronomy is dead. And it looks like she was murdered. Or ritually sacrificed. Something sinister happened. And the investigators, whoever you decide to bring along for the adventure (or misadventure?), must uncover the truth. Each revelation is more terrifying than the last and it all threatens to unsettle and unhinge the minds of anyone involved.

Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones lurk in the back of human minds and in the depths of the world, ready to emerge and wreak havoc.

As players encounter Lovecraftian horrors, madness is not far off. Sanity will slowly crumble, resulting in crippling weaknesses that further hasten traumatic and dangerous events. If you don’t make the right choices, dark days will return in the 1920s.

Accessibility

This is not a difficult game, mechanically. For tabletop fans who don’t play a lot of video games, there are few things to manage.

Movement is linear throughout the different locations and interactions are restricted to a single type of encounter: walk up to something and engage with it to either learn new information for the investigation or retrieve some item to help along the way.

Combat is turn-based so there are no real-time obstacles to overcome. On investigator turns, movements and attacks will be selected and then the enemies will recriprocate.

A logbook and inventory contain all the information you learn and the equipment that you collect.

And that’s about it. So not too much to juggle from a gaming perspective.

Then you have the diverse roster of investigators. People from all walks of life who are sucked into this nightmarish journey. That depth of available characters means that you can choose who and how you want to play more than some other games. It’s not unique when compared to other titles in the Arkham Horror franchise, but people new to the Lovecraftian universe may be impressed by that freedom.

Gameplay

The chapters of the game proceed in a similar fashion throughout the course of the narrative.

1. Choose the investigators to go and figure out what’s happening.

   1. Consider what each protagonist is good at and bad at.

   2. Gear up with the best items suited for the investigators.

2. Start at the new location.

   1. Pursue the initial objective.

3. Encounter problems along the way.

   1. Fight enemies that appear.

   2. Help people who need assistance.

   3. Discover new items and additional objectives.

4. Discover the main cause of the problems at the location or reveal a new truth.

   1. Resolve the situation.

5. Head back to recover between chapters and digest the story as it unfolds before starting over again.

That rhythm persists throughout Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace and it won’t take too long before you’re at the end of the game.

The investigation is balled up into environmental exploration. Players will walk around to find interaction points and those will typically require investigators to make a choice. The right choice grants information and sometimes items. The wrong choice advances the Mythos Clock which is the countdown to loss of sanity and a gradual slide into dark portents.

And then you’ve got the turn-based combat, which includes movement, melee and ranged fighting, spellcasting, healing, and other actions. There is an initiative or turn order that can be manipulated, but it always progresses in that order until one side is defeated. Players must learn how each protagonist fights and how best to use them in a violent clash with the many foes that will appear.

Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace can really be distilled down to those two gameplay experiences—exploration and combat. The story will slowly unravel (as will your mind) while these two events transpire.

Modes of Play

You’ve got the main story. That’s it. You can always play through it again and rely on other investigators, but you’d be experiencing a divergence in style of play rather than the substance of the narrative.

It’s a smaller game with fewer options in terms of replayability.

Innovation

Pricing

$20 is relatively cheap for both board games and video games. Granted, the level of replayability is low compared to other games, but if you’re looking for something different, then the original story of Mother’s Embrace might be an enticing option at the price point it’s at.

Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace is…