"Possibly the best adventure game ever designed." - Tom Vasel High praise my friend, it's sitting on my counter right now can't wait to play this with my fam on Christmas.
Tom, you should have mentioned this is not in stores and is currently running a Kickstarter for it. From the Kickstarter "The cost of making this game is high, notably due to the quality of its components. Due to this a retail version of the game is almost unfeasible. However, we want the game to live and continue growing as well as allowing those that missed out on the first campaign and/or some of its contents to acquire them. This campaign is no doubt one of your last chances to take part in The 7th Continent adventure..."
The quote I just read under the FAQ says it will likely be available at a different price on their e-store. Is there a different quote that I'm missing?
@ Shawn You are both reading the same quote...it's been said several times that it won't be in stores, which is in the 1st half of that quote. It is my understanding that any extra copies after rewards are delivered, will be sold on their website (as per the 2nd half of the quote). Bear in mind however, the information we have now is that this will be the last printing... there is no guarantee you will find a copy on their website.
This was my exact feeling when I demoed it at Gen Con. "What's that? I want to go see that! What's up that cliff?" I was floored at how cool it was. I backed it the minute the kickstarter launced.
It has been a few years since Tom has shared his love for the 7th Continent. I would love to hear an update regarding how this game has aged for him. I have seen several reviews of people talking about the game losing its luster or about growing frustration to the point of no longer enjoying the game. Plus, Tom describes the game as a choose-your-own-adventure style game; however, others have pointed out that it's truly a survival game with very little story - current thoughts?
He mentioned it again in one of Dice Towers "best of..." in 2020 and how time "stands still" when he plays it. So he must still play and enjoy it as of last year anyway.
@@jasonminer9871 Honestly, I saw so many Dice Tower reviews last year that I would have no idea where to start looking. It was an off-hand comment and there were 3-4 reviewers in the video is the best I can remember.
@@andrewmoore194 no problem. I watched a few different ones. Whatever the case I imagine it still makes a high spot in Tom’s top 100 for 2020 which will speak to how much he still enjoys it.
Let’s play ‘How much influence does Tom Vasel have?’ :) This video’s been up for 15 minutes and the KS is at $2.4m I’ve been dithering over whether to back it, but this has me convinced. How many others will follow me?
It's odd, I feel like I should like this game but it just doesn't excite me. I just think that if I were going to play this I'd rather play a choose your adventure book or videogame. It seems like an excellent boardgame implementation of those, but one which offers nothing to me over the "originals"
That's totally fine. There's a lot of games that get tons of praise that I don't get excited about. I'm a huge sucker for story, even if it's my own making (i.e. CV, Battlestar Galactica), so I know I'll enjoy this.
This game wasnt even a blip on my radar and now I'm backing it. This will hurt my finances (I'm also backing resident evil 2. My poor wallet is crying tears of blood.
I backed it the first go around and have played several hours into the game. If you like old computer text adventures or even graphical point and click adventure games you'll probably also like this game. I very much get the same feeling from this game as I do from those old style games. I'm very happy that a kickstart-ed the original campaign and gladly kickstart-ed the second to get all the new expansion material. It's not a perfect game, but boy is it a real cool boardgaming experience. I'd definitely put this above Time Stories or any of the other games in this genre.
phillosmaster Do I have to build a contraption by putting together a stick of gum, some old pants, a steering wheel, and fairie tears? That's what I remember most from adventure games.
You do have a large variety of items that you find and can build to complete task. You also can cobble items together to save on inventory space so you do end up with some weird combo items sometimes. Though you don't usually combine items to solve puzzles. You do it to be more efficient. You do need certain quest items to trigger effects though so walking around and discovering quest items and using them to unlock stuff is in the game and does feel very point and click adventure gamey to me.
top games of 2017 he hasn't started yet, top 100 of all time, sure they've already made those lists, but he really does love this one, curious if he slips it into the top 100 as a .5 or something?
I have to disagree slightly with Tom's underlying assessment of the "core" of this game. I don't believe that this is a "story-telling" game at its core, but instead a "journey-taking"/survival game at its core. This, I believe, is a crucial detail because those searching for a game with a rich, deep story should probably avoid this game! The story is not given to you, but instead CREATED by you during your adventure with your friends. I think that is what Tom may have meant when he said that "story" is at this game's core, but I also think this distinction is vital to make, especially with so many looking into the Kickstarter right now!
Good comment; there definitely needs to be a distinction. the Choose your own adventure books referenced a lot around this game definitely have a singular story, but it's not as strong as a book in which a story has been written from start to finish. Part of the excitement and enjoyment is being involved in the basic story and shaping it into something of your own!
I know this is a fully spoiler-free review but SOME images of the game system would be nice. Show just a few random cards that don't go together or whatever. Most of your reviews show enough of how to play that I can get a sense of the flow of the game, but this review only made sense to me because I've watched other videos on the game. I'd guess that someone with less prior knowledge about the game might find the overview portion confusing. That said, I thought your commentary was helpful and to the point.
Just as a curiosity, I believe the first use of numbers to indicate possible paths in an illustrated adventure was done in the French choose your own adventure style comic books from Makaka Editions. Chevaliers for example (available in English in Europe as Knights) is a comic book from 2012. Maybe more gamebook than CYOA but I think you get the point. EDIT: Published in the US by Van Ryder I believe.
Hi Tom I backed the 2nd Edition on KickStarter - can you advise - how many "bone dice & bag" do I need? How many playmats? How many cartographers notebooks? how many deluxe sleeves? would really appreciate your opinion. Cheers AM
林猷威 they are very different games.Arkham horror is more similar to a traditional ccg with goals set by cards that have story written on them. 7th continent is more of a explore/survival game where you’re managing risk by deciding how many cards to draw and what to keep...it has a very unique (but excellent) card/skill system.
I only recently got to play it for a 5h period. I at first felt rather limited in how the game worked and was scared it was going to be locked since it's the same layout. I was pleasantly surprised once we left the initial area, from there it becomes a lot more open. It convinced me to back the second kickstarter.
Really thankful for this kind of review. I’m looking into solo strategy games, and don’t like any gameplay spoiled, because I think that’s a big part of the magic of a first play through. Any recommendations on other solo games?
Nice review, Tom. Although when you mentioned the time I think maybe you were referring to play sessions being between 2-5 hours? As someone with small kids, I so appreciate the fact that my wife and I can play an hour or two and save/reload the game in mere minutes. Most, not all, of the curses take 10-15 hours + to defeat the first time. Really just an amazing game though that I hope will spawn more of its kind even if it will be awhile before we see anything like it.
It's actually a pretty light game seem you can save and come back. I usually play it in two hour chunks, and other players can join and drop at any point so it's something you can play if you are by yourself or if you are with friends. That I think is one of it's core strengths. That it's so approachable. Tom doesn't really tell you anything about how the game plays or what you actually do in fear that it may spoil, but I think it's fair to say that it's pretty much an adventure game in the same ilk as old computer text adventures or point and click adventures.
I got this game about a month ago, about 7 playthroughs of just the voracious godess, still havent beaten it hahah, but it's a blast every time and I get farther and farther each playthrough
Yes it is definitely worth sleeving at bare minimum the action deck if you are even remotely a sleever. The cards are very sturdy but can mark along the edges. I basically sleeved anything that is shuffled which is a few hundred cards and I don't regret it at all after dozens of hours of play.
love this game too! one thing you didnt mention what i like a lot is... as time goes by you find information from previous expeditions about the fauna of the island so you get a card that says: if youre standing on a tile with "this" bush you can do x action to eat or make fire and so on... this is such an awesome feature
This is really tough to review a game you can't even show. With 7th Continent, a simple glance at the game would be a spoil ! So, I am very happy that Tom did the job. 7th Continent really deserves to be on the top list and is probably one of the best games of the last few years. I missed the first Kickstarter launch, and I am soooo happy to be able to catch a copy of the game with this 2nd (and last) Kickstarter.
I do not consider this a board game. This is more an activity, and for that reason (and many others) i really don't like it. I really tried to like it, since i backed it, but i think it lacks so many things (40-50 hours gameplay, 1-2 players): 1. When you die (run out of curse cards) you need to do everything (or most of it) again. It is grindy in the way that sometimes you have to go through 1-2 hours of the same gameplay again to beat the game at your second attempt. If you fail the second time, you have to go through even more hours of the same gameplay etc. Why not play TIME Stories instead, where the backtrack for the most parts are no more than 10-15 min. 2. Curiosity makes you lose the game. Why? because you need to keep on track otherwise you run out of cards. So if you find this cool cavern or something else you really want to explore, you shouldn't. This really contradicts what a open world exploration game should look like imo. 3. Nothing is really that puzzly. There are small puzzles within the game and some "hints". But I don't see them as clever nor hard. This is one of the reasons why I see it more as an activity, because there is for the most part no real challenge, only pure exploration (and the "excitement" of what the next tile reveals). So the only "fun" mode to play, is where you cant die. Then argument 1 and 2 will be eliminated and you will have pure exploration left. That is just not fun for me. I want a game, not an activity.
OK, at work now and checking your review. I really, really like the emphasis you put in your assessment of the game :P - reassuring as I wasn't sure what you'd say. I've done my share of gamebooks too and so this looks interesting to me. Thanks Tom!
I like the idea that saving the game can change where you have explored before. It seems like it give you a sense that time is moving outside of the game being played.
This game looks awesome. I wish the company would print more or sell the game to someone who will instead of seeing how high the price will get on eBay
Whole game time you get FROM ALL EXPANSIONS AND BASE is only around 15~20h first scenario + 3~5h per scenario... YOU WILL NOT GET 100h gameplay unless you replay scenarios.
Sign up for the newsletter on the developer's website. Sometime around the end of June, early July they will put up a limited number of additional copies up on their website. Otherwise, this was a kickstarter only game and will never be reprinted. It is very rare, but well worth it.
The price of this game my hold up. $80 for the core game made up almost entirely of cards. I have a hard time believing it's too difficult to bring to retail.
It seems pricey, but $80 for about 1200 cards and a handful of figs is not that much for a game that will give you dozens of playing time. Arkham Horror is $40 for 250 cards and Star Wars TCG $30 for 150 cards.
What you aren't taking into account is that these cards are nearly all 100% unique. The detail on them is staggering and thus production costs are just too high to print tons of copies in advance. Pit that against Dominion or Legendary. Both great games entirely made of cards but the number of unique cards is SIGNIFICANTLY fewer.
Well, it's a ton of art. Far more than any other game out there. That deserves to be compensated for. Having said that, it doesn't cost much and it does offer replay-ability.
Nicholas Coates Considering the developers themselves have said repeatedly that is does in fact have a production costs so high they are unable to bring it to retail at a marketable price, I'll take their word for the cost of the product. You don't think they would jump at the chance to make money if they could with how many years they've spent on this?
Unfortunately, I just finished watching Tom's #260-101 and Tom/Zee/Sam's Top 100 and no 7th Continent anywhere for anyone of them. Yet #47 on BGG. Hmmm?!?
Wow! Great video Tom! Thank you. Please advise though. I play games with my kids. Is there any adult content here that I will be uncomfortable having them see?
I own it and have played a good ways through the first curse (probably about 8 hours). There are some scenes of injuries and I did come across a couple dead bodies. The gore so far while not horrific I guess could cross the line if you are worried about that sort of thing. Large open wounds, exposed bones and that sort of thing. I've not come across anything sexually explicit yet in the game.Though keep in mind I haven't seen all the cards in the game since the island is quite huge and each curse only has you traverse a subset of the entire environment. Tom probably hasn't either. Also Tom doesn't have all the expansions from the original campaign (he's only got the 3 extra curse decks same as me) let alone the new ones from the second campaign. If I were you I'd send the developers a quick email asking them.
Without specific spoilers, can someone tell me what kind of genre this game is? I HATE horror/zombies/demons/Cthulu. Is this game going to encounter that kind of stuff? I'm a bit nervous by the fact that Dr. Frankenstein and H.P. Lovecraft are characters. I love adventure and fantasy, fairy magic is fine, but if it's sorcery and old gods... I wouldn't be interested. I actually got rid of my T.I.M.E. Stories because every story (I tried several) had that element that made me uncomfortable. Anyone know?
Its not horror we dont like hp lovecraft, there is no arkham horror stuff in there :) some monsters but more like normal dragon style like (no spoiler ) :)
The gameplay loop of draw a number of cards to see if you succeed seems like it could get really old after a while, which is what is keeping me away from this game for now. I like the decisions you can make regarding working together, using items, getting to keep a card you draw, etc., but I worry that it will start to feel "samey" considering the length of the game. For a two hour game, I'd be in 100%, but for a game that could take upwards of 20 hours? Someone talk me off my fence sitting.
It's possible that the game could lose it's charm after a while, but I think there is real feeling of excitement after drawing a new card. This is especially so if you're exploring a dangerous area, or are getting low on cards to the point that you risk dying. It's this constant surprise factor that I think keeps the game from growing stale over time.
If ÿøû’ve ever played D&D then ÿøû know even though ÿøû always roll dice, it never gets old cause the draw of D&D is the roll playing. The same for the action deck system. It’s a simple resource management system combined with a skill system. But the REAL draw of the 7th Continent is the exploration of the island and the puzzle solving. The mechanics never felt stale because it was never intrusive. You’ll get (and this is a conservative estimate for playing solo) ~50 hours out of the game to play through all the curses once. Even after it’s still fun to go through a curse you’ve already played to try and find stuff you haven’t seen before. I don’t know how often you get other games to your table...but for me this is way more play time then I’ve gotten out of anything else. And that’s just the base game itself. I don’t usually recommend expansions for a game ÿøû haven’t played, but with the limitation on availability ÿøû might consider some of them. Regardless ÿøû are getting a full game, but the expansions would just give ÿøû more places/curses to work through. tl;dr - buy the fucking game
While it's a relatively simple system the optimization puzzle really allows for infinitely interesting decisions to be made honestly. You never quite have enough room to keep everything you want to and since you can only keep 1 card per action no matter how many you draw those decisions are constant.
It really doesn't get old. It's a very neat system. If I do this, I will use some of my energy (using the cards up). Use too much energy, you will die. Finding food etc puts cards BACK into the draw pile simulating you getting more health. It's VERY clever. I've yet to find the end of the first story, but I'm really enjoying exploring the different areas of the map each try.
So many of the top games releasing are Kickstarters, and not available for people coming in late. Very disappointing to hear about how great something is, that you can't even buy.
Fair enough, even without the component drop and absolutely no content showed at all. Publisher did put on some setup and rules video. I don't think that one would be spoiled to much by watching them (ua-cam.com/users/seriouspoulp ). Yet, since when does Tom review a game which is not, and probably will not ever be available on the shelf? Did I miss that the "we'll only review games that are out on the market" statement is no longer a thing?
koomo801 he did... he pointed out what ppl might find frustrating and the type of game it is so ppl can use their brains and see if they like that sort of game
Tom, as much as I appreciate your thoughts on a game, I come to your reviews just because a game shows up in the BGG Hotness list, and I am disappointed that you don't show us even a little about the components and how to play, since I will not buy a game without seeing that. So for this review and Gloomhaven, you were not my one stop shop for a review, as you've been for most every other game you have reviewed.
aalever do you know about the 7th continent classic edition? It’s a version of the game that has less content in it and less special stuff (e.g. miniatures) in it that will be selling from serious poulp’s online shop (not quite sure if it will come out to retail) but you can preorder it now so there you go (personally I’m so happy about this!)
I'm one of those that weren't that impressed by this game after playing it. Not for me!! Falls into that "Alpha-player-mode" and usually one guy decides what the group should do, and if you go by yourself or maybe 2, bad things always happen and you can't do anything but wait for the rest of the group to come to you, or you die..... I'm glad I didn't back this on KS!
Did he basically manage to sell this game so effectively, by not showing you anything in the game, not talking about any specific mechanics, and not really telling you anything about what's in the game?
Some kind of games are just better as a video game, rpg and adventure games for sure. Board games shine at social interaction, that human component that video games lack.
The rulebook is atrocious. I've been at this for almost 2 hours and haven't figured out basic gameplay. The rulebook jumps around and omits very basic things that leaves a person guessing. I finally explored my first foggy card and haven't a clue how to resolve what it says. I'm supposed to discard cards, but I have no cards in my hand; was I supposed to start woth cards in my hand?? After the "setup" that did not tell you what common and advanced skills are, it just jumps in to describing actions without explaining the action deck. I'm sure this game is great once I get going but when it is quicker to figure out Gloomhaven than your game, you have designed a bad rulebook. I'm putting this game away and may just play something much less confusing.
Skipped the component drop? Calling you out on that bra! Weak! Also it's Ks only FYI and it's apropos that you're suddenly doing a review for this since it's in a second KS. Weird. Hmm...
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
This game has so much continent in it.
The 7th Content-nent?
Yeah...! 7 of them! :P
Hahahahaha
3 years later and it's still funny HAHA
LOL I heard it too :)
"Possibly the best adventure game ever designed." - Tom Vasel
High praise my friend, it's sitting on my counter right now can't wait to play this with my fam on Christmas.
Tom, you should have mentioned this is not in stores and is currently running a Kickstarter for it. From the Kickstarter
"The cost of making this game is high, notably due to the quality of its components. Due to this a retail version of the game is almost unfeasible.
However, we want the game to live and continue growing as well as allowing those that missed out on the first campaign and/or some of its contents to acquire them.
This campaign is no doubt one of your last chances to take part in The 7th Continent adventure..."
The quote I just read under the FAQ says it will likely be available at a different price on their e-store. Is there a different quote that I'm missing?
I'll probably go all in this campaign since I missed first one... and than most likely Joan of Arc :D ... after that I'm done
Shawn Hawkey "Remaining copies of the game will be sold later on Serious Poulp’s e-shop at a different price." Key word is "remaining".
@ Shawn You are both reading the same quote...it's been said several times that it won't be in stores, which is in the 1st half of that quote. It is my understanding that any extra copies after rewards are delivered, will be sold on their website (as per the 2nd half of the quote). Bear in mind however, the information we have now is that this will be the last printing... there is no guarantee you will find a copy on their website.
Dorian Kong You are correct. Thank you for repointing out everything I had pointed out =D
i like the part where you insinuate Frankenstein is non-fiction.
im pretty sure he said "known-fictional" :P
what are Sam's and Zee's thoughts on it?
This was my exact feeling when I demoed it at Gen Con. "What's that? I want to go see that! What's up that cliff?" I was floored at how cool it was. I backed it the minute the kickstarter launced.
I would also like to know what Sam and Zee thought of it. If Zee even thought it was ok I'm sure ill love it, as he hates anything over a hour long.
It has been a few years since Tom has shared his love for the 7th Continent. I would love to hear an update regarding how this game has aged for him. I have seen several reviews of people talking about the game losing its luster or about growing frustration to the point of no longer enjoying the game. Plus, Tom describes the game as a choose-your-own-adventure style game; however, others have pointed out that it's truly a survival game with very little story - current thoughts?
He mentioned it again in one of Dice Towers "best of..." in 2020 and how time "stands still" when he plays it. So he must still play and enjoy it as of last year anyway.
@@andrewmoore194 is this just the best of 2020 dice tower video he mentions it? Tried to find the specific one you’re referring to unsuccessfully.
@@jasonminer9871 Honestly, I saw so many Dice Tower reviews last year that I would have no idea where to start looking. It was an off-hand comment and there were 3-4 reviewers in the video is the best I can remember.
@@andrewmoore194 no problem. I watched a few different ones. Whatever the case I imagine it still makes a high spot in Tom’s top 100 for 2020 which will speak to how much he still enjoys it.
Let’s play ‘How much influence does Tom Vasel have?’ :)
This video’s been up for 15 minutes and the KS is at $2.4m
I’ve been dithering over whether to back it, but this has me convinced. How many others will follow me?
It's odd, I feel like I should like this game but it just doesn't excite me. I just think that if I were going to play this I'd rather play a choose your adventure book or videogame. It seems like an excellent boardgame implementation of those, but one which offers nothing to me over the "originals"
That's totally fine. There's a lot of games that get tons of praise that I don't get excited about. I'm a huge sucker for story, even if it's my own making (i.e. CV, Battlestar Galactica), so I know I'll enjoy this.
It was ticking along at a fast pace before this review came out, it has been smashing through stretch goals.
This game wasnt even a blip on my radar and now I'm backing it. This will hurt my finances (I'm also backing resident evil 2. My poor wallet is crying tears of blood.
I just backed.
Any chance we'll the get thoughts from the other guys on this game as well?
I backed it the first go around and have played several hours into the game. If you like old computer text adventures or even graphical point and click adventure games you'll probably also like this game. I very much get the same feeling from this game as I do from those old style games. I'm very happy that a kickstart-ed the original campaign and gladly kickstart-ed the second to get all the new expansion material. It's not a perfect game, but boy is it a real cool boardgaming experience. I'd definitely put this above Time Stories or any of the other games in this genre.
phillosmaster Do I have to build a contraption by putting together a stick of gum, some old pants, a steering wheel, and fairie tears? That's what I remember most from adventure games.
You do have a large variety of items that you find and can build to complete task. You also can cobble items together to save on inventory space so you do end up with some weird combo items sometimes. Though you don't usually combine items to solve puzzles. You do it to be more efficient. You do need certain quest items to trigger effects though so walking around and discovering quest items and using them to unlock stuff is in the game and does feel very point and click adventure gamey to me.
curious if this or gloomhaven is rated higher in this years top 10
I think he have not played this before he finished the top 100.
top games of 2017 he hasn't started yet, top 100 of all time, sure they've already made those lists, but he really does love this one, curious if he slips it into the top 100 as a .5 or something?
I believe they already said that no new games would be added to the top 100 that weren't reviewed before the lists were made.
I have to disagree slightly with Tom's underlying assessment of the "core" of this game. I don't believe that this is a "story-telling" game at its core, but instead a "journey-taking"/survival game at its core. This, I believe, is a crucial detail because those searching for a game with a rich, deep story should probably avoid this game! The story is not given to you, but instead CREATED by you during your adventure with your friends. I think that is what Tom may have meant when he said that "story" is at this game's core, but I also think this distinction is vital to make, especially with so many looking into the Kickstarter right now!
Rahdo talks about this same thing in his review.
Good comment; there definitely needs to be a distinction. the Choose your own adventure books referenced a lot around this game definitely have a singular story, but it's not as strong as a book in which a story has been written from start to finish. Part of the excitement and enjoyment is being involved in the basic story and shaping it into something of your own!
Great presentation. Just backed on Kickstarter!!
I know this is a fully spoiler-free review but SOME images of the game system would be nice. Show just a few random cards that don't go together or whatever. Most of your reviews show enough of how to play that I can get a sense of the flow of the game, but this review only made sense to me because I've watched other videos on the game. I'd guess that someone with less prior knowledge about the game might find the overview portion confusing.
That said, I thought your commentary was helpful and to the point.
Just as a curiosity, I believe the first use of numbers to indicate possible paths in an illustrated adventure was done in the French choose your own adventure style comic books from Makaka Editions. Chevaliers for example (available in English in Europe as Knights) is a comic book from 2012. Maybe more gamebook than CYOA but I think you get the point. EDIT: Published in the US by Van Ryder I believe.
Hi Tom I backed the 2nd Edition on KickStarter - can you advise - how many "bone dice & bag" do I need? How many playmats? How many cartographers notebooks? how many deluxe sleeves? would really appreciate your opinion. Cheers AM
Could someone compare 7th Continent and Arkham Horror: LCG ?
林猷威 they are very different games.Arkham horror is more similar to a traditional ccg with goals set by cards that have story written on them. 7th continent is more of a explore/survival game where you’re managing risk by deciding how many cards to draw and what to keep...it has a very unique (but excellent) card/skill system.
I only recently got to play it for a 5h period. I at first felt rather limited in how the game worked and was scared it was going to be locked since it's the same layout. I was pleasantly surprised once we left the initial area, from there it becomes a lot more open. It convinced me to back the second kickstarter.
I'd love to see a play through of the first 30 minutes or so to minimise spoilers. Does anyone know if there is one?
Really thankful for this kind of review. I’m looking into solo strategy games, and don’t like any gameplay spoiled, because I think that’s a big part of the magic of a first play through. Any recommendations on other solo games?
Marvel Champions.
Nice review, Tom. Although when you mentioned the time I think maybe you were referring to play sessions being between 2-5 hours? As someone with small kids, I so appreciate the fact that my wife and I can play an hour or two and save/reload the game in mere minutes.
Most, not all, of the curses take 10-15 hours + to defeat the first time. Really just an amazing game though that I hope will spawn more of its kind even if it will be awhile before we see anything like it.
It seems like a game I have no time to play, but bc of all the buzz, the FOMO is strong on this one.
It's actually a pretty light game seem you can save and come back. I usually play it in two hour chunks, and other players can join and drop at any point so it's something you can play if you are by yourself or if you are with friends. That I think is one of it's core strengths. That it's so approachable. Tom doesn't really tell you anything about how the game plays or what you actually do in fear that it may spoil, but I think it's fair to say that it's pretty much an adventure game in the same ilk as old computer text adventures or point and click adventures.
Same....hmmmm......
I got this game about a month ago, about 7 playthroughs of just the voracious godess, still havent beaten it hahah, but it's a blast every time and I get farther and farther each playthrough
Tom, can you tell me how the card quality is and is it worth sleeving the action cards?
Yes it is definitely worth sleeving at bare minimum the action deck if you are even remotely a sleever. The cards are very sturdy but can mark along the edges. I basically sleeved anything that is shuffled which is a few hundred cards and I don't regret it at all after dozens of hours of play.
Do the maps repeat themselves? or is it random each time you play?
If it is repeatable....how many maps are there?
How much does this game normally cost?
14:51 is awesome. I really, really, really love the pause and Tom's wholehearted confession... ;P
love this game too!
one
thing you didnt mention what i like a lot is...
as time goes by you find information from previous expeditions about the fauna of the island
so you get a card that says: if youre standing on a tile with "this" bush you can do x action to eat or make fire and so on... this is such an awesome feature
This is really tough to review a game you can't even show. With 7th Continent, a simple glance at the game would be a spoil ! So, I am very happy that Tom did the job.
7th Continent really deserves to be on the top list and is probably one of the best games of the last few years.
I missed the first Kickstarter launch, and I am soooo happy to be able to catch a copy of the game with this 2nd (and last) Kickstarter.
Interesting contrast with the No Pun Intended review. I wonder if he played it as much as them?
Mikolaj Witkowski okay so a lot less than NPI. They were pretty disappointed after first ten hours.
Mikolaj Witkowski Didn't he say he'd played 4 different curses, not 4 times?
Just got the game and was intimidated by the sheer scale but this video made me really excited to crack it and start playing! Thanks for the tips!
First time I backed a game in Kickstarter. This game totally got me.
I'm so glad I KS'ed the game. I haven't had time to play it, hopefully next week though. I love me some exploration and storytelling.
I do not consider this a board game. This is more an activity, and for that reason (and many others) i really don't like it. I really tried to like it, since i backed it, but i think it lacks so many things (40-50 hours gameplay, 1-2 players):
1. When you die (run out of curse cards) you need to do everything (or most of it) again. It is grindy in the way that sometimes you have to go through 1-2 hours of the same gameplay again to beat the game at your second attempt. If you fail the second time, you have to go through even more hours of the same gameplay etc. Why not play TIME Stories instead, where the backtrack for the most parts are no more than 10-15 min.
2. Curiosity makes you lose the game. Why? because you need to keep on track otherwise you run out of cards. So if you find this cool cavern or something else you really want to explore, you shouldn't. This really contradicts what a open world exploration game should look like imo.
3. Nothing is really that puzzly. There are small puzzles within the game and some "hints". But I don't see them as clever nor hard. This is one of the reasons why I see it more as an activity, because there is for the most part no real challenge, only pure exploration (and the "excitement" of what the next tile reveals).
So the only "fun" mode to play, is where you cant die. Then argument 1 and 2 will be eliminated and you will have pure exploration left. That is just not fun for me. I want a game, not an activity.
5-1000 minutes, is pretty broad... I'm sure it's amazing :)
Just ordered a copy. Thanks Mr. T
OK, at work now and checking your review. I really, really like the emphasis you put in your assessment of the game :P - reassuring as I wasn't sure what you'd say. I've done my share of gamebooks too and so this looks interesting to me. Thanks Tom!
the time is actually 5:15
I like the idea that saving the game can change where you have explored before. It seems like it give you a sense that time is moving outside of the game being played.
This game looks awesome. I wish the company would print more or sell the game to someone who will instead of seeing how high the price will get on eBay
they are taking pre-orders now on their website for another print
Aaron Whittington ...it’s available from the companys website currently. I suspect it will sell out fairly quick.
Whole game time you get FROM ALL EXPANSIONS AND BASE is only around 15~20h first scenario + 3~5h per scenario... YOU WILL NOT GET 100h gameplay unless you replay scenarios.
Have you figured out what the smoke monster is?
Where can you buy this game? I see it’s on Amazon for $520!,!
Sign up for the newsletter on the developer's website. Sometime around the end of June, early July they will put up a limited number of additional copies up on their website. Otherwise, this was a kickstarter only game and will never be reprinted. It is very rare, but well worth it.
on serious poulp website for now you can get the ks edition. A more basic edition will launch on their site in Q4
Tom... I was on the fence, but now it looks like I'll be spending over $100 on this.
The price of this game my hold up. $80 for the core game made up almost entirely of cards. I have a hard time believing it's too difficult to bring to retail.
It seems pricey, but $80 for about 1200 cards and a handful of figs is not that much for a game that will give you dozens of playing time. Arkham Horror is $40 for 250 cards and Star Wars TCG $30 for 150 cards.
$80 is not the 1200 cards. On their current KS, for $80 you get 962 cards/4 curses. If you want 1200 cards/6 curses, the pledge is $129.
What you aren't taking into account is that these cards are nearly all 100% unique. The detail on them is staggering and thus production costs are just too high to print tons of copies in advance. Pit that against Dominion or Legendary. Both great games entirely made of cards but the number of unique cards is SIGNIFICANTLY fewer.
Well, it's a ton of art. Far more than any other game out there. That deserves to be compensated for. Having said that, it doesn't cost much and it does offer replay-ability.
Nicholas Coates Considering the developers themselves have said repeatedly that is does in fact have a production costs so high they are unable to bring it to retail at a marketable price, I'll take their word for the cost of the product. You don't think they would jump at the chance to make money if they could with how many years they've spent on this?
Tom doesn't say it, but he gave this game a 10. And from what I hear in this review, he loves 7th Continent more than Gloomhaven. :)
Unfortunately, I just finished watching Tom's #260-101 and Tom/Zee/Sam's Top 100 and no 7th Continent anywhere for anyone of them. Yet #47 on BGG. Hmmm?!?
I wonder if I could play it with my kids ... It would really be fun.
This game sounds excellent and right up my alley. However, the cost, place space, and play time means I won't be getting it.
Wow! Great video Tom! Thank you. Please advise though. I play games with my kids. Is there any adult content here that I will be uncomfortable having them see?
I own it and have played a good ways through the first curse (probably about 8 hours). There are some scenes of injuries and I did come across a couple dead bodies. The gore so far while not horrific I guess could cross the line if you are worried about that sort of thing. Large open wounds, exposed bones and that sort of thing. I've not come across anything sexually explicit yet in the game.Though keep in mind I haven't seen all the cards in the game since the island is quite huge and each curse only has you traverse a subset of the entire environment. Tom probably hasn't either. Also Tom doesn't have all the expansions from the original campaign (he's only got the 3 extra curse decks same as me) let alone the new ones from the second campaign. If I were you I'd send the developers a quick email asking them.
Without specific spoilers, can someone tell me what kind of genre this game is? I HATE horror/zombies/demons/Cthulu. Is this game going to encounter that kind of stuff? I'm a bit nervous by the fact that Dr. Frankenstein and H.P. Lovecraft are characters. I love adventure and fantasy, fairy magic is fine, but if it's sorcery and old gods... I wouldn't be interested. I actually got rid of my T.I.M.E. Stories because every story (I tried several) had that element that made me uncomfortable. Anyone know?
Its not horror we dont like hp lovecraft, there is no arkham horror stuff in there :) some monsters but more like normal dragon style like (no spoiler ) :)
Now I'm backing two kickstarters this month. Resident Evil and this. CURSE YOU TOM VASEEEEELL
The gameplay loop of draw a number of cards to see if you succeed seems like it could get really old after a while, which is what is keeping me away from this game for now. I like the decisions you can make regarding working together, using items, getting to keep a card you draw, etc., but I worry that it will start to feel "samey" considering the length of the game. For a two hour game, I'd be in 100%, but for a game that could take upwards of 20 hours? Someone talk me off my fence sitting.
It's possible that the game could lose it's charm after a while, but I think there is real feeling of excitement after drawing a new card. This is especially so if you're exploring a dangerous area, or are getting low on cards to the point that you risk dying. It's this constant surprise factor that I think keeps the game from growing stale over time.
If ÿøû’ve ever played D&D then ÿøû know even though ÿøû always roll dice, it never gets old cause the draw of D&D is the roll playing. The same for the action deck system. It’s a simple resource management system combined with a skill system. But the REAL draw of the 7th Continent is the exploration of the island and the puzzle solving. The mechanics never felt stale because it was never intrusive.
You’ll get (and this is a conservative estimate for playing solo) ~50 hours out of the game to play through all the curses once. Even after it’s still fun to go through a curse you’ve already played to try and find stuff you haven’t seen before. I don’t know how often you get other games to your table...but for me this is way more play time then I’ve gotten out of anything else. And that’s just the base game itself. I don’t usually recommend expansions for a game ÿøû haven’t played, but with the limitation on availability ÿøû might consider some of them. Regardless ÿøû are getting a full game, but the expansions would just give ÿøû more places/curses to work through.
tl;dr - buy the fucking game
While it's a relatively simple system the optimization puzzle really allows for infinitely interesting decisions to be made honestly. You never quite have enough room to keep everything you want to and since you can only keep 1 card per action no matter how many you draw those decisions are constant.
It really doesn't get old. It's a very neat system. If I do this, I will use some of my energy (using the cards up). Use too much energy, you will die. Finding food etc puts cards BACK into the draw pile simulating you getting more health. It's VERY clever. I've yet to find the end of the first story, but I'm really enjoying exploring the different areas of the map each try.
Unfilteredgamer dot com is giving away a full copy of the game. If you want to get it and missed out on the campaign you can try to win it!
I've lost ever game...sounds like dark souls the board game.
So many of the top games releasing are Kickstarters, and not available for people coming in late. Very disappointing to hear about how great something is, that you can't even buy.
Don't forget, you get paranoid if you fell the test with someone
Relevant: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1926712971/the-7th-continent-what-goes-up-must-come-down/description
I'll wait for it to hit retail.
lol
It's out now!!
Great review Tom. Hopefully people will stop asking you to compare it to Gloomhaven on the Q&A.
Fair enough, even without the component drop and absolutely no content showed at all. Publisher did put on some setup and rules video. I don't think that one would be spoiled to much by watching them (ua-cam.com/users/seriouspoulp ). Yet, since when does Tom review a game which is not, and probably will not ever be available on the shelf? Did I miss that the "we'll only review games that are out on the market" statement is no longer a thing?
He has reviewed games that are not available before.
Doma Agape so its no longer a thing. Thats ok. Just curious. Thx for replying 😊
It can't be for everyone, so I'm disappointed you didn't include thoughts about who might not like it. (I'm a 2nd Ed KS backer, fwiw)
koomo801 he did... he pointed out what ppl might find frustrating and the type of game it is so ppl can use their brains and see if they like that sort of game
Did Tom just admit to playing a game solo?!?
He admitted that he played many, many games of Gloomhaven by himself so there is already a precedent.
I knew this would get your Seal of Excellence when I saw you backing the expansion on Kickstarter yesterday :-)
Tom, as much as I appreciate your thoughts on a game, I come to your reviews just because a game shows up in the BGG Hotness list, and I am disappointed that you don't show us even a little about the components and how to play, since I will not buy a game without seeing that. So for this review and Gloomhaven, you were not my one stop shop for a review, as you've been for most every other game you have reviewed.
If only it was retailing :'(
aalever do you know about the 7th continent classic edition? It’s a version of the game that has less content in it and less special stuff (e.g. miniatures) in it that will be selling from serious poulp’s online shop (not quite sure if it will come out to retail) but you can preorder it now so there you go (personally I’m so happy about this!)
@@gabrielwood \o/
I'm one of those that weren't that impressed by this game after playing it.
Not for me!!
Falls into that "Alpha-player-mode" and usually one guy decides what the group should do, and if you go by yourself or maybe 2, bad things always happen and you can't do anything but wait for the rest of the group to come to you, or you die.....
I'm glad I didn't back this on KS!
Did he basically manage to sell this game so effectively, by not showing you anything in the game, not talking about any specific mechanics, and not really telling you anything about what's in the game?
you said "excellent" but you didn't say "into my collection"
Well, once he's done playing, he's done playing.
Some kind of games are just better as a video game, rpg and adventure games for sure. Board games shine at social interaction, that human component that video games lack.
I bet this game will be not in Tom's 100 games of all time :)
I know right? It doesn't seem like this game really resonates with Tom at all. 5:15
Or because he played it after his top 100 list had already been made. 😒
he said "I really really really love this game..."
Not a single image of the game itself? Come on man.
The rulebook is atrocious. I've been at this for almost 2 hours and haven't figured out basic gameplay. The rulebook jumps around and omits very basic things that leaves a person guessing. I finally explored my first foggy card and haven't a clue how to resolve what it says. I'm supposed to discard cards, but I have no cards in my hand; was I supposed to start woth cards in my hand?? After the "setup" that did not tell you what common and advanced skills are, it just jumps in to describing actions without explaining the action deck. I'm sure this game is great once I get going but when it is quicker to figure out Gloomhaven than your game, you have designed a bad rulebook. I'm putting this game away and may just play something much less confusing.
3 or 4 hours to play? I can sit still long enough for that. I’ll skip this one.
Really boring review without any type of anything about what is inside the box. Too bad.
Skipped the component drop? Calling you out on that bra! Weak! Also it's Ks only FYI and it's apropos that you're suddenly doing a review for this since it's in a second KS. Weird. Hmm...
not showing the box content and the pieces detracts fromt eh actual review...all those "avoiding spoilers" nonsence is just annoying