Frosthaven is a dark fantasy tactical RPG developed by Snapshot Games Inc. and published by Arc Games, bringing Isaac Childres’ sizeable tabletop adventure to PC. As a spiritual successor to Gloomhaven, it sends a group of mercenaries into a hostile northern wilderness, where survival means more than defeating whatever monsters happen to cross their path. The titular outpost is struggling to endure the harsh climate, dwindling resources and constant threats from the surrounding regions, leaving the party to protect its inhabitants while gradually rebuilding the settlement. The narrative follows a familiar fantasy-adventure formula, but its combination of personal character journeys, branching missions and the larger mystery surrounding the frozen frontier provides enough incentive to keep pushing forward. The narration also gives important events a little more personality, helping the campaign feel like a cohesive adventure rather than simply a sequence of tactical encounters. Nevertheless, the story rarely threatens to overshadow the gameplay, and players looking for particularly sophisticated character writing or an immediately gripping plot may find the narrative less compelling than the strategic systems supporting it.
The combat is where Frosthaven makes its strongest impression, offering a demanding tactical experience built around an unusual card-based action system. Players assemble a party of up to four mercenaries, choosing from six starting classes that each have their own abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Rather than relying on conventional action points, every character selects two ability cards per round, using the upper section of one and the lower section of the other. These cards determine everything from movement and attacks to healing, summons and other specialised abilities, while their initiative values influence the order in which combatants act. Consequently, a seemingly straightforward encounter can quickly become a puzzle involving positioning, enemy behavior, ability combinations and the timing of individual actions. A powerful attack might be less useful than an opportunity to move into a better position before an opponent strikes, while supporting another character can prove more valuable than maximising personal damage. This makes every round a series of meaningful decisions, particularly when the party must coordinate its abilities to overcome groups of enemies or protect vulnerable objectives.
What makes these encounters particularly interesting is the way Frosthaven turns resource management into a central part of its combat. Ability cards are not an inexhaustible supply of attacks and movements: using certain powerful actions permanently removes cards from the available pool for that scenario, while resting to recover discarded cards also comes at a cost. Once a character runs out of usable cards, exhaustion removes them from the encounter entirely. Players therefore have to consider not only what an action accomplishes immediately, but also how much longer the character can remain effective. The attack modifier system introduces another layer of uncertainty, as random modifiers can substantially increase or reduce the damage dealt. This can produce exhilarating victories when a carefully constructed strategy comes together, but it can also undermine an otherwise sensible plan through an unfortunate draw. That tension is part of the design rather than an incidental distraction, although the randomness can certainly frustrate players who prefer their success to depend exclusively on tactical execution. Combined with distinctive class mechanics, character upgrades, equipment and the pursuit of better ability combinations, the system provides considerable depth for those willing to learn its intricacies.
The campaign also extends beyond the battlefield through the management and reconstruction of Frosthaven itself. Completing missions provides resources that can be invested in buildings, upgrades and equipment, gradually unlocking additional features and improving the party’s long-term prospects. Road and outpost events introduce decisions that can bring useful rewards or create fresh problems, with seasonal circumstances adding another consideration to the settlement’s survival. Character progression is similarly tied to the broader campaign, as personal quests eventually allow mercenaries to retire and make room for new recruits, while unlocking further possibilities for the settlement. This creates a satisfying relationship between individual missions and the overall adventure: victories are not merely about clearing a map, but also about making the next expedition more manageable. The breadth of available content, including optional missions and additional character classes, gives players plenty to work towards over an extended campaign. However, the various interlocking systems demand considerable attention, and players can spend as much time weighing resource costs and evaluating upgrades as they do planning their next battle. Those who enjoy long-term progression will appreciate this additional layer, while others may find the outpost management interrupts the momentum of the main adventure.
For all its tactical sophistication, Frosthaven does not always make its complexity easy to understand. The digital adaptation removes much of the physical board game’s administrative burden, automatically resolving enemy behavior and other rules that would otherwise require constant manual handling. This is a welcome improvement, allowing players to concentrate on their decisions instead of managing piles of cards, tokens and reference material. However, automating the rules does not necessarily make those rules easier to learn. The opening guidance introduces the fundamentals, but understanding the finer details of each class, its cards and the numerous combat interactions takes time and experimentation. The interface compounds the problem by presenting a considerable amount of information across menus, card descriptions and status indicators, sometimes requiring several steps to find the information needed to make an informed decision. That friction is especially noticeable when learning an unfamiliar character or evaluating a complicated ability. The controls themselves are based around selecting cards, navigating menus and issuing commands with a mouse, making the fundamental actions relatively straightforward. The difficulty lies less in operating the game than in understanding its terminology and anticipating the consequences of each choice. Experienced players of the tabletop game or Gloomhaven will have a substantial advantage, while newcomers may struggle to understand why an apparently reasonable decision has gone wrong.
The pacing can also be unforgiving. Frosthaven offers adjustable difficulty settings, but even with the opportunity to tailor the challenge, encounters can demand considerable patience and careful preparation. A poorly planned turn may have consequences several rounds later, and running out of cards can leave a character unable to contribute just when the party needs them most. Some scenarios compound this pressure by combining large groups of enemies with additional objectives, creating a demanding opening experience for players who have yet to master the mechanics. The deliberate pace is not inherently a problem; tactical combat benefits from giving players time to consider their options. However, extended encounters, lengthy movement between enemies and objectives, and the need to repeatedly inspect abilities can make the experience feel slower than its underlying strategy warrants. Mistakes are particularly frustrating when the game offers limited opportunities to correct a decision once a turn has been completed. The satisfaction of finally overcoming a difficult encounter is undeniable, but the journey towards that victory can involve more repetition and administrative friction than necessary. Online co-op for two to four players helps make the experience more sociable, allowing friends to coordinate their party and tackle the campaign together, although the complexity and length of individual sessions still require a considerable time commitment.
Visually, Frosthaven successfully translates much of the tabletop game’s identity into a fully animated digital environment. The isometric battlefields retain the recognisable hex-based layout, while character models, enemy designs, spell effects and varied environments give the encounters more life than their physical counterparts can offer. Watching abilities unfold through animations adds impact to particularly effective attacks, and the different character classes have enough visual identity to help distinguish their approaches to combat. The presentation is generally functional and attractive, although the environments and models do not always offer the variety or visual refinement needed to make the world consistently memorable. More importantly, the interface can undermine the presentation by crowding the screen with information. Given how much attention players already need to devote to cards, initiative values, status effects and available actions, a clearer visual hierarchy would make a meaningful difference. The audio fares well, with sound effects lending weight to attacks and abilities, while the narrator’s delivery helps establish the atmosphere between encounters and during story events. The soundtrack is less distinctive, serving its purpose without frequently becoming a memorable part of the adventure. Taken together, the audiovisual presentation supports the tactical experience effectively, even if it rarely compensates for the interface’s shortcomings.
Ultimately, Frosthaven is a substantial and rewarding tactical RPG whose greatest strengths are also responsible for its most significant weaknesses. Its card-driven combat demands foresight rather than reflexes, its distinct character classes encourage experimentation, and its outpost management gives the campaign a compelling sense of long-term progression. The digital format also makes an enormous tabletop adventure considerably more convenient, particularly for players who want to enjoy the campaign online without the logistical demands of organising a physical session. Yet the adaptation remains intimidating for newcomers, and its dense interface, uneven onboarding and occasionally laborious pacing make it harder to recommend without reservations. The challenge itself is rarely the problem; the difficulty comes when players are expected to master complicated systems before the game has adequately explained them. Those already familiar with Frosthaven or Gloomhaven will find a great deal to appreciate, while newcomers who enjoy methodical, punishing strategy should also find a rewarding experience if they are prepared to invest the necessary time. For everyone else, the learning curve may prove as formidable as the frozen wilderness the mercenaries have been sent to conquer.
Score: 7.8/10