Golden Bell Studios Unbroken: a Solo Game of Survival and Revenge , Black

Altema games has delivered something special with Unbroken. A harsh single-player game of dungeon survival, its mixture of resource management and steep diffculty may romance the many fans of Dark Souls or Darkest Dungeon, two best-selling video game series that I feel draws the closest comparisons. Not many board games come to mind that capture the brand of intense, nail-biting gameplay that draws upon twin feelings of vengeance and hopelessness. Setup is so fast and almost effortless that after a few games, it'll be second nature. It's abstract take on dungeon crawling greatly reduces the randomness seen in many board games, making every player choice more deliberate and defined. Death comes quickly in almost every playthrough, more often through a difficult decision between Encounter cards than the random attack of a monster. Magically, Unbroken makes this experience fun. Incidentally, Unbroken may be the perfect companion game for our current lives in solitude. The unintentional timing of this release couldn't be more perfect. The death of your traveling companions, the struggle for survival, the tinge of despair, all resonate stronger today than when I imagine this game was concetptualized. You are alone, both inside the game and, as Unbroken was designed as a solo adventure, through the metagame. Survive, fight, escape. Fail, rinse, repeat. Every decision is yours and yours alone. Physically, the Unbroken game assets themselves are beautiful, with a few nitpicks. Unboxing it was a treat. Everything is lovingly placed inside the small box. Under the well-made rules manual, there was something I hadn't expected: a two-sided poster that I don't remember seeing mentioned in other reviews. One side has a collection of the heroes and "boss" monsters from the game. The other is a detailed hand-drawn dungeon map, with notations from whatever unfortunate soul trapped therein. It is a welcome touch. The lush, dark artwork is presented on fairly thin cardstock; I would have liked to see them thicker, but we'll see how they hold up to the many games I plan to play through. The small Altema fox token is a personal favorite, as is the felt Unbroken drawstring bag included to hold the pieces in. After a few games, however, I found myself not needing the flowchat that the fox token was included for, so he now remains inside the asset bag, sadly alone and unseen. The double "display" boards (a Kickstarter stretch goal) use wooden sliders and are cleverly implmented, although my boards had a fair bit of flash around the edges and in the tracks that had to be trimmed out. Nothing major to complain about, mind you, but simply things to be aware of. Also tucked away is an achievement sheet, something else I haven't heard about. A quick look tells me that I'll be in the dungeon for quite some time if I plan to tick off all of the boxes. Some are much easier than others, and it gives Unbroken more goals outside of simple escape. The included score sheet pad also teases victory, if you can survive; you made it out, but how much better, how much more efficiently can you do it next time? In the end, I recommend Unbroken for fans of horror games, solo play, and difficult games in general, in any medium. It's fun in a way few games are, and for many unique reasons. I haven't won a game yet, through many playthroughs, but I know that when I do, that vicroty will be glorious.

This is probably the greatest physical solo game experience I have ever had. This game is easy to learn, complex enough to keep your interest after several playthroughs, highly strategic, and a nail-biter in terms of intensity. If I had to offer any criticism, it would be the way the flavor text is presented. The flavor text adds a lot to this game. Instead of just overcoming an obstacle, you can look back on you adventure with memories such as 'Wow, I pried open a rusty bear trap and fashioned a knife from the spikes!" The issue is, the flavor text on every card is extensive and very small, whereas the mechanics (icons) are very large. This encourages the player to just glance at the icons and draw another card, rather than actually straining to read the interesting text revolving around each situation. Another issue might be the reliance on random chance--no matter how good your strategy is, a few bad card draws can ruin it. I personally don't see this as an issue because just about every game out there has some element of chance, and not knowing what you might find next only adds to your need to manage resources. I like close games where you can't guarantee you're going to win every time, even when you already know how to play really well. This game captures that perfectly. If you're looking to sail through with minimal effort or don't react well to frustration, this game is not for you! Overall, I feel that designing this game specifically FOR one player is what really makes it shine. Too many games out there have 'solo mode' tacked on as a variant, either with rules that don't fit well into that dynamic, or are straight up cop-outs like 'just take all the other player's turns yourself'! You really feel the dismal lonliness in this game, and it adds that much better to the theme. Anyway, good show, I love it. And for those who are wondering, yes, the retail version comes with all the original kickstarter add-ons. I'm told this had something to do with a fiasco in the way the game was distributed that has given people a very negative view of the publisher, but I encourage you not to let this drama prevent you from supporting this game. None of what happened was the developer's fault--at the very least they deserve recognition for the achievement of this game (plus hey, you get all the add-ons).

There is a lot of depth to some of the decisions you make going through, while staying simple in mechanics. A large part of the strategy is dealing with uncertainty, or spending resources to remove it. A run can be made or broken in a die roll or two, however that chance might have been avoided by spending additional resources earlier to better prepare for the roll, or have the chance to modify it. Overall enjoyable, but can be frustrating at times. However even if a run ends in failure from a bad roll or bad strategy, it is quick to reset and try again.

I feel this game has gotten a lot of negative reviews based on issues involving Kickstarter instead of actual game-play and/or experience. Im very sorry people are upset about those issues, but they do NOT effect the game design or play and should not influence the rating of the game. Rate Kickstarter and affiliates. That said, i personally love the game! The mechanics are easy enough to pick up, the rules are a little confusing but the developer really goes out of the way to explain them and it shows by including a well written rule book, a couple cards that walk you through the game step by step with an "out of the box" play through and video link to watch it being played. This is a recourse management game, if your not into those type or your looking for a dice rolling action packed hack and slash, it may be a little dull for you. Its very similar to D&D. You make choices and relish or suffer from the decisions you've made. One play through, i worked and planned hard to survive. defeated the first boss of the dungeon barely with my bare hands. I had collected enough metal, wood, sacrificed enough effort and time to build an axe. Slayed the level three boss but then died of starvation....Brilliant! You truly feel the struggle to survive and the weight of every decision in the game. Flavor text on each card paint a great picture of each current choices. Your charterer may gain skills build weapons and fight monsters. Whats not to enjoy!? The game once learned can be played rather quickly and fluid. I can finish a game in 20-30 without playing like a chore. My now favorite Solo/lite/travel game. Previously being One Deck Dungeon. Which reminds me, the character cards can be flipped over for gender preference. Something i would have changed about ODD if i could have, as for me it totally destroys character immersion, since i have no desire to be a girl. Yet anyway. Nice to know the options there however i may wish to self-identify. The game comes in a sturdy box and contains well made components. Also has a detailed background story of the world your playing in along with charter history. I would highly recommend giving this game a try.

This game should not be this good or fun. Too be honest with you I didn’t think while buying this game I was going to enjoy it this much! If you are looking for a single player sit down for 30 min and play a quick battle game this is seriously it. It’s quick and easy to set up and you can get to playing in 5 min if that. Go through build the character you choose to play as up with different weapons maybe get luck and get some armor and work you way into battling the end level boss before pushing forward. Seriously if you want a good sit down and have some fun card game this is it. Do yourself a favor and spend the 30 bucks or whatever it is. You will get your money back the first night of game play.

I don't want to be mean with the creators. But this game is great the first 3 times. I kinda regret this purchase as I only play it like 5 times and never wanted to touch it again.

I'm so glad I finally ignored the negative reviews and tried this game. I wasn't part of the kick starter. Most likely you weren't either. Their beef is with the publisher. I can't speak for the lore (I'm a mechanic junkie who has no time for immersing myself in a world). It's there, just didn't read any of it. My pleasure comes from the game mechanics. The game play felt like One Deck Dungeon stepped into Mage Knight. Resource management and dynamic abilities boiled down to their essence. I opened it 3 days ago and I've played 7 games (only won 3). It lacks the leveling up or starting bonus type mechanics some rogue likes offer between games but doesn't seem to lack for it. Upgrading your weapon and preparing for the next battle is frantic and very satisfying (or frustrating). Each play thru is varied and the asymmetric hero abilities impact the game in very different ways (in case the mention of Mage Knight turns off Tom Vassal types :))

Before I got Unbroken I played One Deck Dungeon for my solo dungeon crawling fun. Honestly, Unbroken is the superior game in my opinion. I do like dice rolling so ODD has that going for it, but in every other way Unbroken is more enjoyable. Easy to learn, fast to play and just difficult enough to make you come back for more. I’ve played it at least 10 times now and it’s just as fun as the first time. I am looking forward to an expansion for more variety in boss fights but it’s a great purchase.