Eldritch Horror: My Game Review

So, we got a chance to play the new game based on the Cthulhu mythos, Eldritch Horror.  This game is like the younger sister of Arkham Horror, the cooperative game based on H.P. Lovecraft’s world.  I love Arkham Horror.  I have all of the expansions and very much enjoy that game.  As a cooperative game, Arkham Horror is much like a table top role playing game, where your characters develop through the game and the game is programed to kick the snot out of you.  I say all of this because Eldritch Horror has a lot to live up to.  I’ll cut to the chase for those who are ADD.  This game rocks.  It gives a much better story development through the game than Arkham Horror.

Components:

As it is with most Fantasy Flight games, the components are top notch. 

The game board is big enough, but there’s enough room for easy game play.  I really like this board and don’t believe that future expansions should expand the board at all.  Where the components fall down is in the number of encounter cards in the base game.  Fantasy Flight needs to come out with a card expansion sooner than later.  The limited number of encounter cards at each location decreases the replay value of the game considerably (until the card expansion hits… I hope).

Game Play:

Arkham Horror has become a very fiddly game.  There are a lot of rules and with about 6 expansions, Arkham Horror is a bit long in the tooth.  However, even the base game of Arkham Horror has a rather complex rule set.  Eldritch Horror has streamlined the rules quite a bit.  The game is still complex and story driven, but Eldritch Horror flows much better than Arkham Horror.

Rather than running around town closing and sealing gates, Eldritch Horror revolves around solving 3 mysteries associated with the Great Old One that the investigators must face.  Also, to gain a clue, you need to have a clue encounter that is associated with your great old one.  These mechanics are much more thematic in Eldritch Horror than in Arkham Horror.

Rules and Complexity:

The game is still sufficiently complex for those who are used to playing Arkham Horror, however, the rules are much more streamlined.  The rule book is short at 12 pages.  They also include a reference book that accompanies the rules.  I am of two minds about this approach.  I am glad that they are including a reference book, but the book doesn’t cover every question that you might have, so you end up flipping between both books.  All in all, if you play Arkham Horror, this game will be easy to pick up.  If you are new to gaming, and want to challenge yourself with a cooperative game with role playing overtones, than I believe that the rules are clear enough for anyone who wants to get into this type of game.  I would definitely recommend this over Arkham Horror for that segment of the population.

Closing Thoughts:

Eldritch Horror is the hot younger sister of Arkham Horror.  I really enjoy this game and find it superior in game play to Arkham.  However, the relatively small population of encounter cards makes me hope that the card expansion to this game comes sooner than later.