We are always interested in a new game for family game night, and I am always interested in anything that comes with a Disney theme. So our whole family was excited to take a spin with a new cooperative game from Ravensburger and Disney, Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition) is currently available for pre-order at Target.com and will be available at Target and hobby stores from July 21st.
The game is a cooperative role playing game in which four players work together as crystallized versions of Disney and Pixar heroines to defeat shadow villains, and the dark vortex. The first thing that intrigued me about this game was the heroines that had been chosen as the first set of base characters. It is important to note that the good guys in this game are all female characters, and that I mention this as the first set of characters, as game play quickly revealed that this game will lend itself to many an expansion pack. Moana, Violet Parr, Maid Marian, and Belle are our starting characters. My entire family was shocked that their book loving matriarch did not choose Belle to play as, but while she would be my first choice in most games, when given the choice of the plucky Maid Marian, I will choose the fair vixen every time. Walt Disney’s Robin Hood is one of my favorite Disney movies, and contains some of the best music.
Our heroines are summoned into the realm as crystal versions of themselves. Each bringing a unique set of skills that they must use independently and together to restore the Realm of Light. The Realm has been infested by means of a dark vortex with shadows of infamous Disney Villains and not so infamous villains, I’m looking at you Rhinoceros guard number 2.
The Realm is like none we have seen in Disney worlds before, though it contains key aspects of generic Fairy Tales. The map we are playing on does not belong to one single Disney universe, and the terminology is more reminiscent of Once Upon a Time than anything else. Familiar Disney characters and items are encountered while each player takes on their own quest.
To win, the players must each complete their random quest, defeat all the shadows, and defeat the Vortex before the “clock” runs out. It can be a very collaborative board game, requiring discussion and negotiation as you work to complete all the tasks together. Each player has the freedom to decide the team’s moves on their turn, but a hearty discussion is the touchstone of the game. In this regard, it plays a lot like Forbidden Island, except you don’t have to gather together at a helicopter by the end of the game. The ways in which you work together, plan moves, and self sacrifice, reminded all of us of that game. It can be easily overwhelmed by a strong personality, and my 14 year old probably determined far more than his 25% of the actions we took.
On our first go round, we played with two adults, our 8 year old, and our 14 year old, and the game received a very mixed bag of reviews. I can say up front that I did not like the game. I was ready to be done after about two turns, and spent the final few turns lying on the couch reading my book. For my style of game play, there was far too much going on, and so I could not engage with any one aspect without beings sideswiped by another. It’s just not my cup of tea. My 8 year old however, loved it. She loved the theming, the stories, working together, taking turns after the darkness fell, the interplay of dark and light. I could keep listing things, but the list would never end. She didn’t just enjoy the heroine aspect, it was the whole package that she connected with. My 14 year old enjoyed it immensely for about half the game, before turning into the Incredible Hulk like character that he becomes during most games. When it doesn’t go his way, or we aren’t doing what he wants, or we have different ideas about what the rules mean, he just pops. He yells, he rages against the man, he sometimes punches the couch. And yet at no point did he want to stop playing, and of course he claimed full credit for our eventual victory. His biggest takeaway from our many vibrant discussions was that the instruction book was not detailed enough and did not go into enough nuance on game play. I would have to agree with that, but you could also easily develop many house rules a la Monopoly. The other adult playing, enjoyed the game play, and the theming, but would probably have preferred different teammates!
The game comes with a Beginners game, an Advanced game, and a Two Player version, and I do really appreciate the options for variety like that within one game. We played the Beginners game, and while everyone else enjoyed it, I thought there were too many moving pieces and actions for it to be any kind of cohesive fun, for me that is. I would not have called it a beginner game It is definitely not one that I would bring out with guests or grandparents. My 14 year old felt that it played and felt like a cardboard version of a video game, a thought my husband echoed, but felt that a lot of tabletop games feel that was at the moment. In many ways it did not need to be Disney themed, and could have been any kind of fictional characters. I have seen it referred to as an RPG, but for the two gamers in our house that are heavily invested in Dungeons and Dragons the only real resemblance to their preferred RPG was the application of characters with special skills.
The physical game itself was a mixed bag. The artwork was impeccable and I loved everything about the stylistic license taken with the characters. The cardboard tile pieces were well constructed, and the storage bags for each individual character were an inspired idea that I hope other games adopt. However the character pieces themselves were flimsy, and will not last, while the map of the realm was not made with strong enough cardboard and did not lay flat enough. It was about ⅔ the thickness of a Carcassonne tile, if I’m being generous. Actually the map itself made me desperately crave a Disney version of Carcassonne, which is my favorite game. But most specifically a Walt Disney World version of Carcassonne, where you can build the park maps in a wonderful jumbled up cacophony of Disney attractions. Or a Disney Ticket to Ride with all the different modes of transportation as options.
Would I recommend this to friend;, absolutely. Would I recommend this to all my friends; no. It’s an odd review to give to say that I just did not enjoy the game, but three of my four fellow players did and I do know many others among my gaming circle who would enjoy this thoroughly. So while it may not suit me, it definitely suits most of my family.
The game is recommended for 1 to 4 players ages 8 and up and has an MSRP of $29.99. Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition) will go on sale at Target and hobby stores nationwide on July 21. GeekMom received an advanced copy of this game for review purposes. Keep an eye on GeekDad for a more comprehensive look at the rules and game play.
Click through to read all of "Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls (Disney Edition)" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!