But it just drops the ball and becomes yet another dead end. That whole moment was ripe with the opportunity for a stunning M Night Shamalamadingdong twist with the introduction of a hidden society that’s been secretly working against you from the start. After the bravura reveal of the black light it becomes nothing more than a cunning misdirection to stop you noticing that actually it’s not really doing anything. The Society subplot is an aggravating example. With the reveals of first Patmos, the Pirate Kings crib and then Arados which introduces the Society what feels like should be these cool momentous events just sort of happen and then evaporate never truly going anywhere. Throughout the campaign, we are teased with the Pirate King and his mischief and the dark and mysterious forces that used to control these lands. So the story, above everything else the story was what I believed would deliver SeaFall’s redemption.
Seafall power of the ancients tv#
And worse still if production was then handed over to the Syfy channel to finish things off with a TV budget and a staff writer who’d been on a toilet break during the previous two flicks if this was a film production the director undoubtedly would have been Alan Smithee. Imagine for a moment Peter Jackson hot from directing the first two Lord of the Rings instalments decided instead of wrapping up proceedings in a final flurry of Oscar nominations instead went and put the kettle on. You’re convinced it’s preparing the foundations with which to deliver a grand operatic tale of redemption and jaw-dropping reveals replete with heart-stopping cliffhangers up until the point it doesn’t. SeaFall teases us constantly but it so often feels like your stealing glances at some sprawling epic adventure from the window of a passing train. There’s unarguably a huge amount of content here to be discovered but so little of it amazes. That initial elation of unlocking all this new stuff is tainted by the faint whiff of recently expired feline. This method of delivery is both a blessing and a boon for as the campaign progresses and each new box smears its goodness over the existing game like so much crunchy peanut butter the contents of the subsequent boxes starts to resemble Schrodinger’s moggy. Whereas in Pandemic each box felt like a thunderclap of new content SeaFall’s legacy moments permeate into the status quo loading each turn and decision with the possibility of changing the game state in some way. As with Risk and Pandemic, SeaFall has those marvellous boxes each a tantalising prospect of new and exciting developments however its in how it chooses to utilise them that differs from its illustrious predecessors. The one area that the game does deliver is the abundance of the Legacy experience. Which makes the fact that while SeaFall does indeed contain all of these things it’s a crushing disappointment to discover that it never manages to truly capitalise on any of them. Paired with the legacy system that actively encourages stickering boards, ripping up cards and writing on things it’s a heady mix and an idea ripe with exciting possibilities.Īnd upon first encountering the contents of this voluminous box you’d be pretty optimistic that the journey you are about to take would be exactly that. Set during the age of sail it follows you as you nurture your province of bumbling merchants as they venture out into uncharted waters, happening upon mysterious islands and high adventure slowly uncovering the mystery of the lost civilisations that came before you. Subsequently, I’ve been doing much soul searching following the emotional roller-coaster that is playing SeaFall, so this review comes at you as part therapy session where I will try to reconcile my differences and work out where this zigged when it should have zagged.įor those of you unaware of SeaFall then let me sum that up as briskly as I can. Skip forward to this past Friday and our campaign came to an abrupt close on its fourteenth game.
The glace cherry on the top of this Hype Cake was Pandemic Legacy that had transformed a dry clinical experience into a gripping breakneck thriller that left us clamouring for more. I’d recently rekindled my board game love affair having just completed Risk Legacy and the prospect of another Legacy game especially one built from the ground up had me slathering in anticipation. SeaFall was absolutely and unequivocally my most anticipated game since first teased by Rob Daviau some four years ago. Be warned these rarely trodden paths are treacherous and filled with the most heinous spoilers…OK look if you don’t want your SeaFall campaign to be ruined don’t click the bloody things, just so we’re clear. A warning to passing travellers for your safety contained below within the secret passages is a deeper look into our SeaFall experience.
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