Gloomhaven Review (Gassy)
This game is so fun. That being said, it is near unplayable. Unless these developers get this game in order, it is not worth purchasing this game. It is absolutely atrocious and I have never seen a more incomplete game. These developers can't even manage to properly allow a scenario to finish.
Issue #1: I am on PC and friends are on XBOX X. Anytime we go from Gloomhaven to a scenario, there are road scenarios that pop up and I am immediately kicked from the group. I am unable to re-join until the host is in the room and he has to select my objective for me.
Issue #2: As soon as I join the scenario after missing the road scenario, I pick my starting space in the scenario, I then pick my cards and I cannot "end selection" and the whole party has to leave the scenario and rejoin. (I know you may be thinking, "let the host take control of your character.") This does not work either.
Issue #3: When I am in the merchant tab and trying to buy or sell something, I can do it with no issue, but as soon as I buy or sell something, everything disappears to buy or sell. Not only does everything disappear, when I go to my inventory to equip a newly purchased item, I can no longer see my items to make changes or equip them. Also, all of my cards have disappeared after doing a transaction with the merchant. I cannot make changes to my cards or my inventory unless I leave the game and rejoin again.
Issue# 4: The developers did an update in the past week suggesting that online play had been patched to create a smoother online experience. What has changed? I can now sell and buy things in the merchant without them disappearing. Well then what is issue #4? We are now being forced to leave a scenario 9-10 times a scenario because a mercenary will take an action and then freeze up. To the operating player, it looks as if the mercenary has done their move, but to all other players, the merc is sitting as if they haven't even started their action. It got so bad that we all just decided to quit after the 10th freeze up.
In conclusion, My spat for years with Gloomhaven has been the ability to get it to the table. The digital copy is a great way to get Gloomhaven to the "table" more often. That being said, it is near impossible to even complete a scenario without having major hiccups along the way. Prior to the update, the game was frustrating, but manageable. This new update as of November 23rd has been an absolute disappointment and makes the game unplayable. I understand that games are released with errors and glitches at times, but this isn't even a finished/polished game. This is a game that should still be in development. I'm trying to understand why this is even available to play? The decision-makers at this company said, "Well, we gave publishers/creators a deadline for release, and even though we aren't finished, we are just going to release it with bugs and all." There is also a chance that quality control, alpha/beta testers are just lazy and didn't even check to see if their game worked. I guess gone are the days when we got a complete game. This is a massive disappointment and I would wait to purchase this until this is more polished. Keep an eye out for other reviews and patch notes. I may change my recommendation if the game is updated.