Beast Ashfall
I’m returning to the frosty Scandinavian north to uncover more secrets hidden by the Beast. This thrilling expansion will let us take on the roles of new monsters and new hunters. But those aren’t the only new features awaiting us.
I won’t hide the fact that I enjoy playing as the Beast the most. I love the thrill of hunting my target while trying to outmaneuver my friends. There’s something incredibly satisfying about attacking a defenseless villager and watching the surprise on my fellow players’ faces when they realize where I was really hiding.
Speaking of which, let’s move on to the first new feature offered by the Beast Ashfall expansion.
Secret Shortcuts
Our ability to move around the board has greatly improved. From now on, we can use secret shortcuts that allow us to traverse vast areas more efficiently. This improvement will benefit both beasts and hunters. These shortcuts will also allow us to summon creatures and perform other actions. Initially, this raised some questions about the rules, but let’s remember that this is just a prototype. In the full version of the manual, I’d like to see more illustrated examples of the actions I can perform using these teleports.
Another feature that will help hunters with movement is boats. Thanks to them, hunters will be able to move to other spaces, increasing their mobility. Interestingly, the beast or its minions can destroy them, and as you know, I love that kind of negative interaction.
Improving character mobility is a definite plus. Hunters will no longer complain that the beast has escaped them and they are unable to catch up to it.
Dracarys
Another new feature that will add variety to the gameplay is the introduction of new beasts.
My favorite element of this expansion is the massive dragon Rhagner. Much like the movie version of Smaug, he hoards grudges like gold coins in his vault. The more he accumulates, the more powerful his abilities become. However, this mechanic works both ways, as wounds inflicted by hunters cause the dragon to lose its accumulated resources, which weakens its effectiveness.
Additionally, Rhagner can breathe fire like Drogon, incinerating everything within range. He can also place fire tokens, allowing you to move all living units that were on that space. This lets you strategically position your targets and get into a better position to attack.
I had a great time playing as Rhagner. You can feel the power of his fiery breath, and the ability to attack from a distance and set everything ablaze was incredibly strong. I especially liked unlocking one ability that allowed me to instantly deal damage to everyone in a straight line, winning the game and scoring a triple kill. It’s precisely for such epic moments that I play these kinds of games.
Another monster from the expansion is Lydan and Yeltr. This well-coordinated duo actually feels like we’re facing two separate beasts. Because even though Yeltr is a summon, he has more health than they normally do and uses a very powerful AOE attack that strikes everyone around him. The damage we deal with this ability allows us to harvest health from enemies and spend it on special effects from Lydan’s ability cards.
When playing this pair, you have to be careful, because when Yeltr dies, Lydan takes 1 damage. This can be deadly, as my wife found out
In addition, at least one more boss will appear, but I can’t reveal anything else just yet…
I can tell you, though, that some new recruits will be joining our team of hunters.
The most interesting character is Nora. Thanks to her power, she can control animals, which allows her to search the area more efficiently and move around in a herd. Her best ability, however, is the sheep attack. Once, I finished off the Beast that way because it didn’t have time to hide, and the Super Sheep, just like in Worms, pounced on it and delivered the final blow. There should be an achievement for that.
Bram places barriers on the board that block paths for all characters. This limits the Beast’s escape routes and allows him to create corridors that make it easier to locate her. Quite useful.
I saved Draug for last. He’s a berserker who’s exceptionally hard to take down. Although it only takes two hits to defeat him, by spending a grudge token, he can rise from the dead. Resurrection moves him along the corruption track, which unlocks new, powerful abilities. Interestingly, if the beast isn’t eager to attack, Draug can help himself die on his own, using his own cards. Kind of a YOLO move.
Summary
The Beast Ashfall expansion has reawakened my primal instincts. Hunting down townsfolk and my friends using the new features has really brought out my predatory nature.
What I liked most were the climactic actions I could perform. Killing several targets with a single burst of fire or delivering the final blow with a sheep was simply epic.
The additional ways to move around the map increased the character’s mobility, which I also really liked.
Final verdict: Beast Ashfall new possibilities with a healthy dose of mischief. Exactly how I like it.
[Game provided by Studio Midhall]
