So, I’ve been doing a few of these #XdaysYchallenges over on instagram recently. I’ve been telling myself that I’d use them as an excuse to write some bits over here but I haven’t ever got around to doing it. Work is hard and you don’t get much chance to do fun stuff when you live with an angry 9 month old.

But, the baby is asleep and I’ve just posted day one of the 7 days 7 dice challenge so as the stars have aligned a bit I thought that I’d write a little bit about the game I’ve chosen for today, as it is one of my all time favourites.

7th Continent

7th Continent by Serious Poulp was probably the first Kickstarter that I properly threw myself into. Both times it was there. The base game of 7th continent sees you and your friends cursed and marooned on a distant island. You will have a clue on how to lift the curse, and a deck of cards that is full of actions and items to craft. This deck acts as your timer for the game, take too long and you may find yourself succumbing to the curse that dumped you on the island in the first place.

You will be able to explore the island and resolve events and encounters. You can pretty much do anything and go anywhere providing you can pass the skill checks required. This notion of forging your own path across the continent while being stalked by a curse reminded me of the old fighting fantasy books I used to read as a child.

Once it finally arrived, I got it to the table as soon as I could and we lost. I tried again a few nights later and we lost again. What I hadn’t appreciated at first is how important the survival aspects of the game were. You see, hunting lets you put cards back into your deck, which gives you more time to try and lift the curse that has befallen you. But hunting grounds can only be used once each session. This means to play the game well you need to play in smaller chunks. Ideally you find resources, move into the next area, find a safe place to camp and call it a day. Then next session your hunting spots may have more food for you to try and find. Once you realise this, the game becomes a little more forgiving and you can really start to lose yourself in the fantastic setting.

I do have to admit that although I own the expansion, I’ve not actually had a chance to play it yet. I’m not 100% sure that I’ve finished all of the curses in the base game to be honest with you. I’m certain there is some kind of time travel one I haven’t tried yet. I will get to it though and I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it. The balloon and boat mechanics evoke a kind of Jules Verne feeling to me, and I’ve always enjoyed those early adventure books.

This game is massive and ambitious. Perhaps it suffers a little on the replay value front as the curses themselves are fairly linear but that hasn’t stopped me enjoying this game. I am looking forward to see what this studio can do when they come back to Kickstarter later this year with 7th Citadel. I’m sure it will be epic!