{"id":19863,"date":"2022-05-29T14:59:50","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T18:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pley2win.com\/featured-news\/gloomhaven-jaws-of-the-lion-pc-review-lightning-struck-twice\/"},"modified":"2022-05-29T14:59:50","modified_gmt":"2022-05-29T18:59:50","slug":"gloomhaven-jaws-of-the-lion-pc-review-lightning-struck-twice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=19863","title":{"rendered":"Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion PC review: Lightning struck twice"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion <\/em>is a peculiar package. It\u2019s the first DLC for a PC version of a hit tabletop dungeon-crawler, and it\u2019s based on the stand-alone cardboard sequel of the same name. It\u2019s also unconventional in that it\u2019s less concerned with making this dungeon-crawling universe approachable \u2014 as was the purpose of last year\u2019s fantastic digital adaptation \u2014 and more concerned with integrating a compelling sub-story within said adaptation. And in most ways, it has succeeded.<\/p>\n

As a tabletop product, Jaws of the Lion<\/em> has proven every bit as successful as the game that started it all. It rectified all of the major hurdles plaguing the monstrosity that is the Gloomhaven<\/em> core experience, doing away with dozens of modular map tiles and lengthy setup. Instead, it has players work through a spiral-bound scenario book with dungeons printed on its pages. Its story is also much shorter than Gloomhaven<\/em>\u2019s, affording participants the opportunity to actually finish the campaign. The narrative even includes tutorial chapters to ease players into the game and overcome the native design complexity. Finally, it\u2019s a much cheaper and appealing package that can easily be found at mass market stores.<\/p>\n

All of this makes for a fantastic board game experience. But it\u2019s not these strengths that translate seamlessly to the digital adaptation. Instead, Jaws of the Lion<\/em> succeeds with an altogether different purpose.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flaming Fowl Studios\/Asmodee Digital<\/cite><\/p>\n

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Gloomhaven<\/em> on PC already smoothed out all of the wrinkles of its tabletop cousin. Cutting down on setup time is one of the primary benefits of playing the video game as opposed to the physical version, and the extended length of the campaign is also a boon when you can easily save your progress and pull the entire thing back out with a mere double-click. What\u2019s more, Flaming Fowl Studios provided a very effective tutorial in the base game that onboards new players quickly. And of course, the PC edition of Gloomhaven<\/em> is less than half the cost of the board game.<\/p>\n

With all of the fixes Gloomhaven<\/em>\u2019s <\/em>digital adaptation made to the original formula, the door was open for Jaws of the Lion<\/em> to not improve on a rickety foundation but, rather, just add more<\/em>. More of everything. There are new characters, new events, new items, and an entirely new storyline. As an injection of new content, it\u2019s actually quite powerful.<\/p>\n

The most significant asset are the new characters. There are four total, but two of them \u2014 the Hatchet and Red Guard \u2014 are the very best Gloomhaven <\/em>has offered to date. The former is a distinctive aggressor, able to inflict large amounts of damage at both range and up close. His tempo is interesting, as the core attack loop consists of throwing his lethal \u201cfavorite\u201d ax and then retrieving it from his foes\u2019 felled carcasses. It\u2019s a pretty straightforward class in terms of strategy, but it\u2019s full of momentous assaults and diverse offense.<\/p>\n

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Image: Flaming Fowl Studios\/Asmodee Digital<\/cite><\/p>\n

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The Red Guard is an exceptional option, as they\u2019re able to adequately fulfill so many different niches while never becoming an ineffective jack-of-all-trades. Generally speaking, they\u2019re a tank of sorts, able to consistently shield and buff their own defenses. But the Red Guard is also able to dish out heavy pain and even offer some crowd control. Of any of these four new classes, they are most able to hoof it as a lone wolf and wade into danger with little caution.<\/p>\n

The other two classes are interesting in their own rights, even if they\u2019re not quite as unique as their fellow party members. The Demolitionist is able to blow apart obstacles and inflict high amounts of melee damage on foes. The limitation, however, is that he only has nine cards in his deck and can become exhausted rather quickly. The Voidwarden, on the other hand, is a very flexible support class, able to provide a bevy of debuffs and curses on the opposing group. She is more esoteric than the others, but is stylish nonetheless.<\/p>\n