Familiar Tales

ABOUT THE GOOD

PLOT

 The plot of "Familiars" is without exaggeration very charming. I will not spoil it; I will only say that you play as four charming familiars, who one fine day fell to the duty of protecting a little girl. While this game doesn't have as many funny moments as The Lost Seas (also a Plaid Hat Games game, I just love it!), Familiars is closer to Disney / Pixar / Studio Ghibli in spirit. In the course of the game, relationships are gradually built between the characters, and the plot unfolds relatively slowly, which allows you to fully enjoy the surrounding world and setting.

 The plot is rather a saga; there is a feeling that a lot of time passes in the new chapters, and the characters develop - especially the children who grow up. In addition, during the game, the plot will branch out depending on what important decision you make.

 Each of the four familiars is a full-fledged individual. They are reminiscent of the sidekicks to the Disney heroes we all know and love so well, only now they have become the heroes of their own story. The plot of the game will pay a lot of attention to each of the familiars.

 You are probably interested in the question, can "Familiars" come to a group of adults? Yes, they can. My company really liked the plot, and I personally liked the solo games. Although marketing and reviewers say the game is perfect for a younger audience, that doesn't mean it's all pink ponies and rainbows. There are darker, tense moments in the plot.

 Of course, the quality of the storyline is a very subjective criterion, and you may not like the same thing as me. If you prefer serious dark stories, then this game is definitely not for you; although "Familiars" has serious moments, overall it is a light fairy tale. I can't go into too much detail without spoilers, so I'll just add that it's basically like a Pixar or Studio Ghibli movie, just a little more mature.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

 In most decks that emphasize plot, you have to read quite a bit. The problem is that the final impressions depend very much on who is reading aloud to others. To be honest, I'm not much of a speaker, like most of my desk friends. Therefore, I cannot help but note how much the voice acting helps the plot.

 The voice acting in "Familiars" is simply wonderful. The narrator, familiars and other characters are all excellently voiced with rare exceptions. The voice acting not only makes familiars more alive, but also helps to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a fairy-tale world. Thanks to the voice acting and the well-developed plot, players are fascinated by the story of "Familiars" and never get bored.

ILLUSTRATIONS AND GAME FIELD-BOOK

 I love spiral bound playground books for a number of reasons:

1. This leads to a great variety of locations.
2. This allows players to enjoy the pictures in detail and immerse themselves even more in the atmosphere of the game.
3. This makes layout much easier. Having played dungeon crawlers like "Gloomy Harbor" and Descent, they know very well that trying to find the appropriate map tiles for the scenario is a headache.
4. Unique rules can be introduced in each scenario with progressively increasing complexity.

 I wish more dungeon crawlers and storyboards took this approach. It provides much more variety than a standard set of tiles and takes up much less table space.

 The illustrations here are made in bright warm colors, in tune with the atmosphere of each of the scenarios. As soon as you open the first page of the field book, you will immediately feel the atmosphere of the game thanks to the bright pictures.

 It is probably worth mentioning the miniatures. They are high quality, beautifully detailed and unpainted - so table runners with painting experience can get an extra buff by painting them.

ABOUT THE BAD

REPLAYABILITY

 Although the plot of "Familiars" branches out in several places, in general it remains practically the same, so replayability is low. On the one hand, this is a minus, on the other hand, there are a lot of scenarios, so you will still spend a lot of hours playing the game.

 There are no legacy elements (such as sticking stickers or destroying components), so the campaign can be replayed. However, "Familiars" is a shallow game in terms of mechanics, so playing in some new style will not work. The variety of events, plot solutions and enemies is also small.

 In addition, you can't play individual scenarios here, just like you can't skip several scenarios in order to get to the "most interesting": the development of many scenarios depends on whether you have previously encountered certain events / items / keywords.

DOWNTIME

 In addition, you can't play individual scenarios here, just like you can't skip several scenarios in order to get to the "most interesting": the development of many scenarios depends on whether you have previously encountered certain events / items / keywords.

 As a rule, in cooperatives, downtime is not such a serious problem, since you are constantly discussing your plans with your friends, and the actions of your friends are also interesting. However, downtime is still a problem, especially if you have scattered people in your group.

ABOUT THE AMBIGUOUS

GAME MECHANICS

 In terms of mechanics and depth, the game is very lighthearted. It's a cross between a dungeon crawler and deckbuilding, but it's much simpler than most of its relatives in both genres, both in terms of difficulty to master and victory.

 For those not in the know: deckbuilder is a genre of decks where you have a specific set of cards. As the game progresses, you buy more powerful cards. Each turn you draw cards into your hand, play them, then repeat.

 Dungeon crawler is a genre of board games in which you move figures around the map (usually a dungeon), fight monsters and use skills. Most often, you also roll dice that determine the success of your actions.

 "Familiars" took the mechanics of both genres and simplified them. The result is a great game for newcomers to the tabletop world, as well as for casuals and kids. The downside is that fans of mechanically deep games, in which you need to analyze, calculate chances and think strategically, have nothing to do here.

 Personally, I prefer story boards that are easy to win; I don't like it when you spend many hours on a game, then lose and start all over again. This was my main gripe with Plaid Hats Games' previous game, The Forgotten Seas, where the difficulty jumped dramatically in places and was easy to lose, leaving some losing games feeling less than pleasant.

PREFERABLE TO PLAY WITH FOUR

 Although Familiars scales for 1-3 players, the scaling doesn't work well for me. According to the rules, you combine the decks, including the missing member cards, so that when playing solo, you have one big deck.

 But when playing solo, it is much more difficult to customize the deck for yourself, since it must take into account all 4 familiars. When playing with four people, it is much easier: each player can create a deck that matches the spirit of his character and at the same time matches his play style. For example, you can make Burzilla a walking tank/warrior by adding more strength/defense focused cards to his deck, or you can make him a gentle giant by adding more support cards. However, in general, the space for customization is small compared to other deck builders.

 Because the difficulty of Familiars is low, regardless of the number of players, you won't feel like the odds are against you. It's just that with a small number of players, you won't be able to fully enjoy the game mechanics. Therefore, I strongly recommend playing with four people. So you can choose the appropriate deck and items for your character.

APPLICATION

 I usually can't stand add-ons. I play a lot of computer games, and board games are a great way to spend time with friends and family. When I think about the push for an app, I have a picture of people buried in their smartphones, tons of bugs, and the developers of the game abandoning the app as soon as sales drop. But don't worry: Familiar is nothing like it.

 Plaid Hat Games is the only company that has convinced me of the viability of board games with an app: first with Lost Seas and now with Familiars. Everything is arranged simply: you enter the code of the location you are going to on the site, and the site will instruct you on what to do and how to lay out the game.

 Since it's a website instead of an app in "Familiars", this eliminates incompatibility issues (almost all modern phones can open a regular website). Unlike other boards with an application, here it is not a way to stand out, but a way to improve your game.

 However, I recommend using a tablet or device with a large screen instead of a smartphone: it's easier to follow the instructions and navigate the app.

 Personally, I prefer that the app does not require too much time: introduce events into the game, facilitate the layout, but do not touch the actual gameplay. The gameplay of "Familiars" takes place on the field and not on the screen, which I am very happy about.

 A few times there were bugs (the background music or the narrator's voice disappeared), but these are insignificant little things that will be fixed soon.

LOOOONNNGGG CAMPAIGN

 The campaign is really long. Each scenario takes about an hour, each era has 10+ scenarios, a total of three eras, so at least 30 hours of gameplay are waiting for you. Therefore, it is desirable that you have a group of 4 players ready to meet regularly.

 Personally, I don't like long campaigns because of organizational problems, and I often forget the plot and rules if there is a long time gap between games. It ruins an otherwise great gaming experience.

 In general, a long campaign can be both a plus and a minus - depending on your preferences. If you don't have a group ready to meet regularly, and if you're not ready to play solo, you won't be able to fully enjoy Familiars.

 On the other hand, this game is much easier to put together and take apart than most games with a campaign mode.

WHO WILL LIKE FAMILIAR

CASUAL PLAYERS AND FAMILIES

 Familiars is ideal for those who are new to the tabletop world and want to try a game with a campaign mode: there are many mechanics typical of more complex games, which helps to familiarize yourself with common rules and mechanics.

 I can also recommend the game to family groups and groups with children; in this case, it is much easier to organize regular meetings at the table.

 Just don't forget that the campaign is long and it is desirable to have one permanent group.

FOR LOVERS OF COOPERATIVES

 Well, everything is obvious here: if you like cooperatives, then you will like "Familiars".

 If you are suddenly worried about whether there is a lack of cooperation here, don't worry. Familiars has many mechanics that encourage players to interact and help each other: support cards, solving tasks together on the field, and shared story solutions.

 But if you want hardcore co-op, better look for another game.

FOR SOLO PLAYERS (WITH SOME CONDITIONS)

 I must warn you that the game does not support "true solo": you cannot play as one character, you will have to control all four. As I mentioned, it looks weird mechanically: you're just collecting cards into one big deck, so you can't customize the deck to fit your favorite familiar and give it your own style. In addition, many cards from the familiar's deck are designed to combine with each other. Personally, I found it very annoying that I would drop cards that were clearly intended for one familiar when I activated another, so the official solo mode didn't work for me (especially given the weak customization). I enjoyed playing with a separate deck of each character much more. True, in this mode there is much more fuss.

 If you are going to play solo, I advise you to try the official mode, a game for two and a game for four and find out for yourself what suits you best.

FOR LOVERS OF A TABLE WITH A PLOT

 "Familiars" is an excellent example of a well-developed story board. While there's quite a lot of focus on the plot, the quality of the plot varies greatly: some games have you read a few cards at the beginning and end of the game, while others have long plot branches woven into the gameplay. "Familiars" refer to others.

 Probably, many table players are delighted by the prospect of plunging into a long epic story at the table. If you feel like this, then I highly recommend "Familiars".

WHO DOESN'T LIKE THE GAME

FOR LOVERS OF COMPLEX GAMES

 Many tabletop players like the presence of clever mechanics, strategy and challenge. "Familiars" is almost the complete opposite of all this.

 The game cannot be called stupid and primitive - the mechanics are deliberately simplified - but the emphasis here is on the plot, and there are no complex mechanics here. Every now and then you'll find yourself in tough situations where the stakes are high... but that doesn't compare to the really tough mobs.

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A REGULAR COMPANY

 "Familiars" do not belong to games that can be divided into one party and put away for a long time. Like most campaign games, they require you to complete the adventure. Over time, the games become more exciting and the stakes increase. If you've only played the first couple of scenarios or you're taking long breaks, you're missing out on the most interesting part of Familiars.

IF YOU ARE NOT ATTRACTED BY THE SETTING

 The main advantage (and at the same time the main weakness) of "Familiars" is the emphasis on the plot. If you like it, if you like the characters and the created world, then the game will become a real hit for you and you will not pay attention to its small flaws. Otherwise, the game will be a disappointment to you: if the plot does not seem interesting enough, frivolous mechanics will not be able to compensate for it in any way.

IF YOU HAVE AN ALPHA PLAYER IN YOUR GROUP

 An alpha player is someone who tells other players what to do. I bring up the alpha player problem in all of my co-op reviews because no game fully addresses it.

 Personally, I think it's more of a group problem than the games themselves. Yes, fans of Perfume Island, for example, say the game solved the alpha player problem by making it too brain-teasing for an alpha, but that solution can't be applied to every push. There are also boards that force the player to hide some information from their companions, but it always seemed too far fetched.

 In short, if there is an obvious alpha among you, keep that in mind.

DOES THE GAME BRING A FAN

 As I said at the very beginning, "Familiars" is very charming. They deliver a lot of fanfare if you like the setting. Both very tense scenarios and plot moments await you, as well as touching and tender ones.

 Older players may be drawn to the atmosphere of nostalgia and escapism, while younger players may be drawn to the spirit of adventure.

 I played through the campaign twice, once with a group trying hard to get the best ending, and once solo. In solo, I didn't play particularly optimally and I didn't mind losing from time to time, so I can safely say that regardless of the success of your actions, you will have an interesting ending, and not just "you win/lose". I'd be happy to go into details, but I don't want to spoil it.

 I really liked the touching relationship between the familiars and the girl. Delving into their personal stories was no less interesting than going through action-packed scenarios, fighting villains and overcoming dangers. Meetings with NPCs - I asked myself every time whether they were friends or enemies - were also gratifying; thanks to this, the surrounding world becomes more alive.

 In general, for those who liked the setting, "Familiars" will be an exciting saga-odyssey. Great adventure, interesting world and lively characters.