Snapshot Games` Frosthaven Digital, the video game adaptation of the popular tabletop game, is set to launch. Unlike titles such as Baldur`s Gate 3 or Cyberpunk 2077, which reinterpret their tabletop origins (Dungeons & Dragons and Cyberpunk RED, respectively) to create unique experiences, Frosthaven Digital directly mirrors the board game. This digital rendition removes the necessity for physical gatherings, making it a boon for players who primarily connect online, and simplifies introducing the game to friends without logistical hurdles.
Gloomhaven Digital`s 2021 release was well-received, building anticipation for Frosthaven`s digital transition. However, a significant concern lingered among fans: the lack of a comprehensive undo feature. In physical tabletop games, correcting mistakes is straightforward; in video games, it requires a specific option. Gloomhaven Digital only permitted restarting an entire encounter, not simply redoing a turn or an action. This limitation led to considerable frustration, as misclicks could easily ruin a turn. Fans eagerly awaited Frosthaven Digital`s approach to this issue, and thankfully, it addresses the concern directly.
Frosthaven game director Hristo Petkov confirmed the inclusion of the highly requested undo feature, stating, “Undo was the most requested feature for Gloomhaven. It didn`t exist in Gloomhaven Digital, and according to our engineers, it was impossible [for Frosthaven Digital]. But yeah, we did it.”
For those unfamiliar, Frosthaven is a dark fantasy RPG where players embody adventurers navigating the snow-laden town of Frosthaven. Each character class possesses unique objectives and abilities, represented by cards. Combat unfolds in turns, with players using two cards per turn to dictate their character`s actions and moving across a hexagonal grid. Missions also offer loot that can be brought back to town to construct new buildings or improve existing infrastructure, unlocking additional storylines and perks.
Between scenarios, teams can rest to regain spent cards, though the number of cards recovered diminishes over time. Once a character`s entire deck is permanently depleted, they retire and become a non-player character in town. Players then select a new character class, acquire their ability cards, and continue the adventure, slowly building the legends of these diverse explorers who arrive in Frosthaven. While characters can also perish, most typically retire before succumbing to death.
Each session of the game typically lasts two to four hours, and a full story campaign, if played weekly, could easily take a few years to complete. This board game demands a substantial commitment, which Frosthaven Digital aims to alleviate through virtual play without physical setup, similar to Gloomhaven Digital`s convenience. However, the digital format isn`t a flawless replacement, as Gloomhaven Digital demonstrated with new issues to overcome, such as the aforementioned inability to undo simple mistakes.
Petkov elaborated on the difficulty of implementing the undo mechanic: “Normally, it shouldn`t be [too hard] to do something like [an undo mechanic], but we used the code base of Gloomhaven as a starting point. And [Flaming Fowl Studios`] code base wasn`t really suited at all for this. So it basically was rewriting the whole thing. And one of our programmers found a way around it, but it wasn`t easy. It took months upon months of work.”
This undo feature is still in development and experimental, so Snapshot Games will be observing its performance during the upcoming early access release to ensure it aligns with fan expectations. Based on Petkov`s description, the feature sounds incredibly promising, suggesting it will likely remain a core component in the full version of the game.
Regarding the comprehensive undo functionality, Petkov explained: “You can enable it in the options [in early access], because there might still be some bugs related to it. It is pretty well tested—probably no problems with it—but we didn`t want to put it in as the default for the beginning of early access. But this is quite amazing—it`s not just an undo [for your last turn]. Let`s say you are on turn five and in the middle of the round—you can actually undo every action to the beginning of battle. You can undo every single action [at any time]. It is pretty amazing. It works wonders. It was one of the biggest things we needed to do when we started.”
Like Gloomhaven Digital, Frosthaven Digital aims to be a highly authentic reimagining of the original board game. However, Snapshot Games is going further with its adaptation, implementing features that do not exist in the physical board game but are designed to create a superior video game experience.
CEO Julian Gollop commented, “Some of the changes that are made are cases where it`s quite awkward or difficult to adapt the board game. Usually, this is [our] approach and [Frosthaven creator] Isaac [Childres] is generally quite accommodating to this, because he realizes we have to make some adaptations.”
Petkov also detailed new introductory content: “We have a new tutorial that is three missions, and then we have a four-mission campaign that is the `Road to Frosthaven,` that is basically created in cooperation with our designers and Isaac. And the goal for this new campaign is actually to get people who know the board game [or have] played Gloomhaven a little bit [up to speed] on the new things for Frosthaven. They`re completely new scenarios to the game.”
Frosthaven Digital will also feature various difficulty modes, allowing players to customize the challenge. Petkov explained, “Frosthaven is pretty hard. So we created a new difficulty that is basically breaking the rules of the board game. …It allows you, when you rest—no matter if it`s a short or long rest—to not lose cards. It makes it much easier. …And you have double health—that also helps. From our observations, people who try this difficulty, they don`t know about the game. They try the difficulty and they play at least four or five scenarios like this, and then when they feel more comfortable with the game, they can switch the difficulty and go to normal difficulty.”
A particularly exciting aspect for players will be the visual realization of long-established characters. Petkov and Gollop noted that while major characters in Frosthaven already have illustrations, many minor, everyday citizens have never received unique tokens or appeared in artwork for the physical game. In Frosthaven Digital, these previously unseen characters are being brought to life for the first time with new 3D models.
Petkov elaborated further: “A lot of the main characters, we have illustrations for them. Some of the main bosses, we have illustrations for them. But there are quite a lot of characters and environments from the board game that are just described. They`re not in the board game, because in the board game, you use placeholder tokens for them—you use a guard token for the blacksmith. All of these are actually created [in Frosthaven Digital], reimagined with new 3D models.”
Following a small Steam Next Fest demo, Frosthaven Digital will enter early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store on July 31. The early access version will include eight playable character classes (two of which need to be unlocked) and approximately 40-50 hours of missions. The full game is anticipated to offer 17 playable character classes and significantly more content. Petkov stated, “Frosthaven Digital has about 50% more content than Gloomhaven, and about double the complexity. So it [will be] easily over 200 hours.”
While Gloomhaven Digital eventually made its way to Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch a few years after its PC launch, no such console plans have been announced for Frosthaven Digital yet, though the possibility remains open.