| #50 | Pathfinder Adventures |
|---|---|
| guessed by | The_Liquid_Laser |
| platform | Android |
| release year | 2016 |
| developer/publisher | Obsidian Entertainment/Asmodee Digital/Paizo |
| genre | turn-based strategy/tactics card game/RPG |
| links | Pathfinder Wiki, trailer, Moby games |
I always think mobile is a valid gaming platform. And so I thought some day a mobile game will make my TOP 50. But so far they just didn't make the cut (although Hearthstone was a honorable mention). Now I have one mobile game in my list, even if only on #50.
So what is this game? Well, it is based on Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying rules and their adventure paths. These Pen&Paper rules are adapted for a cooperative card game, which in turn is implemented as video game here. And the game delivers in mirroring the complexity of a Pen&Paper roleplaying game.
You can choose between different heroes to fill your party and take on adventures. The heroes have stats that can be improved when they finish certain adventures. They also each have their own stack of cards, consisting of different types of cards. For instance the fighter has a lot of weapon cards, while the wizard has many spell cards. An adventure consists of multiple locations, each having their own location cards. The heroes uncover these cards and find either loot or obstacles. If they meet obstacles, they can use their cards to activate skills to overcome the obstacle. Depending on the card and on the attribute and skill values of the character you have different dice rolls. To finish an adventure you have to find and defeat a boss card before the turn-counter runs out.
That is initially kinda complicated, but the multitude of options make for an interesting game. Depending on the hero and the obstacles, things can go very different ways. The presentation is done mostly through static background images with light animations and some effects for playing the cards or using skills. Nothing super fancy, but it does work
Overall it is a pretty well done brainteasing game. It can be quite hard and luck is a component - after all the order of the cards is random and that can sometime be pretty bad. But you can always try again, and even if you fail on an adventure at first you will manage it eventually.
If you don't want to play it on mobile, it is also available on PC by now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uBFv-TUABY&ab_channel=ObsidianEntertainment
