Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest

The only reason I bought Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest is because it’s by the same people that made Legend of Grimrock. (I’d do anything for those guys.) Druidstone is not Grimrock—which I knew going in. It’s a puzzly tactical RPG that takes place in a Tolkienesque fantasy forest; a competent-built challenge with a fun aesthetic.

Triangle Strategy / トライアングルストラテジー

Normally I’m not a fan of strategy RPGs, but the stars aligned for me and Triangle Strategy. I played the demo when it first came out, and it piqued my interest. It seemed to have more JRPG trappings than Fire Emblem, and the lack of permadeath eliminated the main source of stress I had when I tried Fire Emblem. This year I was in the mood for a Switch RPG that required some thinking but could also be easily picked up and put down, so on a semi-whim I bought Triangle Strategy, and now, over 100 hours later, here I am.

Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven is a dungeon-crawling fantasy board game. First released in 2017, it revolutionized the genre and was hailed as one of the best co-op board games of all time thanks to its intricate mechanics, deep customization, wealth of secrets to unlock, and branching story. In 2019, Flaming Fowl Studios released a digital version (in early access, which was completed in 2021), which I played, so I can now confirm that the accolades Gloomhaven received are undoubtedly well-earned. While the digital version massively streamlined many points of the experience, it also introduced a few annoyances.

Children of Zodiarcs

I don’t usually like SRPGs, but an SRPG card game? Sign me up!

...Maybe I should have trusted my preferences more.