Game Info
Year
2024
Players
1-4
Age
14+
Playtime
90 min
Collection
Your Tier
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Description
A cooperative horror survival game in the Grim Hollow world combining tower defense with worker placement and bag building
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 10
This page: 10
Sentiment:
pos 5 ·
mix 3 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–10 of 10
Video DX1QOWhLpKE
BoardGameCo Analysis at 14:07 sentiment: positive
video_pk 121332 · mention_pk 348220
Click to watch at 14:07 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm going to try to film three videos today if I can.
- The problem is I direct as I go. My feet are directing the shot.
- The biggest problem is I don't want to push myself to film a game earlier than I'm ready to.
- The problem is you take on too much at once and it all becomes a blur as you try to keep up with just too many too many things, too many balls that you're juggling all at the same time.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video zO01ysmdwN8
Hungry Gamer Review at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 120554 · mention_pk 343608
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Satisfying bag building element.
- Benefit gained each time a token is drawn from the bag.
- Clever item cards with abilities usable on other turns.
- Lots of options for each character, making them feel powerful.
- Getting stronger as you take more damage through corruption is clever.
- Clever use of villagers by activating them with tokens.
- The unknown nature of threats is the best part of the game.
- Constant pressure and uncertainty of winning is fun.
- Simple but effective character building through character and class.
- Spellcasters and Relic expansions add enjoyable new ways to use tokens and build characters.
- Great game for conventions, always a hit.
- Satisfying table discussion and teamwork.
Cons
- Not as good solo as it is with multiple players.
- Variance between maps and scenarios is not huge.
- Range of 'bad guys' is not as broad as one might expect.
- Worker placement elements are optional and not baked in enough.
- Art on the standees is too dark and could 'pop' more.
Thematic elements
- Tower defense with hints of crisis management and worker placement.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bag Building — Players draw tokens from a bag to activate abilities. Tokens are added back to the bag over time, increasing options and powering up abilities.
- cooperative play — Players work together to achieve survival goals before the terror level gets too high or other game-ending conditions are met.
- crisis management — Hints of crisis management are mixed into the gameplay, suggesting a need to handle multiple escalating problems.
- Modular Board — The game uses scenario-based maps created with tiles, with different tiles being usable each game.
- Set Collection — Players can gain items, which are described as simple cards with abilities that can be used on other players' turns.
- tower defense — The game's core is described as tower defense, where players must defend against incoming threats.
- Variable player powers — Player abilities are based on the combination of character and class chosen, with different token colors activating different effects.
- Worker Placement — Some board spaces can be unlocked by spending tokens, turning them into worker placement spots that provide survival points needed to win.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a tower defense game with some hints of crisis management kind of mixed into it and some hints of worker placement also kind of mixed into all of it.
- The key stick of this game is you don't know what's out there because it's so dark.
- The more you get hurt the more powerful you become because as you get damaged you start to get corrupted.
- The shadows and the bad guys are unknown. That's the core of the game and that is the best part of the game.
- Constant pressure and there's almost always that vibe of am I going to be able to win this? I don't know and that's always fun to me.
- It's not as good an experience solo.
- The art on the standees it's just it's just dark. And I can get it, it's a dark world, everything's dark. I painted everything dark, but I want to see it pop a little bit more.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video mWFE8RW7zKQ
BoardGameCo Discussion at 6:47 sentiment: positive
video_pk 112593 · mention_pk 324184
Click to watch at 6:47 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- The reviewer did a review after playing it, and it went up this past Saturday.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Honestly, it really is an interesting deep dive that I almost want to do a full video on it because it kind of talks about the nature of how the industry has changed over the years or over how a distributor publisher relationship has changed over what it takes to make a game stand out and be popular and be received and the the unfortunate and fortunate reality. It kind of is both.
- Crowdfunding to a large extent is both a glorified pre-order, a marketing system, and a way to bring games to life. It's a little bit of everything.
- I will say I really enjoyed it. I thought they did a great job with the various uh, leverage and options you have to control things.
- Ironically, my least favorite part of it is the monolith itself.
- I think Drillers is excellent.
- I think the Hive expansion is really really well done, but I need to play it more because right now I'm still feeling stifled by whether I can do enough in the game.
- Oh my gosh, I think this might be my favorite way to play Tend, but that is said after game one.
- I think it's so good. I think it's a really, really good game. I love the puzzle of it, and I want to put it back on my table now.
- Get rid of games that you are not sure about. Every once in a while you will need to get one back. Don't worry about it. Is well worth it.
- I will always pick a game that is accessible and easier to dive into over a game that requires a homework assignment to dive into.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video JdVa88ZsICY
The Dice Tower Review at 0:06 sentiment: positive
video_pk 111066 · mention_pk 319498
Click to watch at 0:06 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Core game reworked using community feedback
- Expansions rebuilt and consolidated
- All miniatures included in the core box
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- defending a village from monsters
- dark fantasy world
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bag Building — Using a bag of action chips to move, fight, command villagers, and secure vantage points around the village.
- Campaign play — Features new campaign arcs with decisions and losses carrying forward.
- cooperative play — A cooperative tower defense game for one to four players.
- Modular Board — Corruption can permanently destroy spaces of the map.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- In the dark fantasy world of Grim Hollow, something is moving through the forest and its eyes are set on your village.
- Can you survive the night?
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video fzYqtJfSlOw
Hungry Gamer Top List at 2:34 sentiment: positive
video_pk 110871 · mention_pk 319045
Click to watch at 2:34 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Very cool stuff
- Very cool tower defense, crisis managy-style game with some worker placement going on, bag building
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Tower defense, crisis management
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bag Building — Mentioned as having 'bag building'.
- crisis management — Mentioned as a 'crisis managy-style game'.
- tower defense — Described as a 'very cool tower defense' game.
- Worker Placement — Mentioned as having 'some worker placement going on'.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- As a reminder, if you have not watched one of these before, the way I pick the top five games of each month is what games did I sit down to play the most times. Not necessarily number of plays because a 15-minute game does not count the same as a 3-hour game.
- But, a very cool tower defense, crisis managy-style game with some work placement going on, bag building, very cool stuff.
- It just has that kind of brain burn. I really like it. I actually went out and got some little metal gears things, so I can bling out my copy cuz I like it that much. Super clever game.
- And it does some cool stuff, I think, with initiative. I really like the way the initiative works. I like the way the AI works. All very very clever stuff, and I'm looking forward to getting back to it.
- All it is All that game is is it is deck management. It's deck building really, but >> [sighs] >> you're just building the deck cuz you're just building this deck and hoping stuff comes out. And that's it. And it doesn't sound satisfying when I say that, but what a wonderful light quick game.
- It does some really cool stuff with the way you're placing your workers out, and you have to put a little more and you can put more workers out, which means you're going to get first crack at something, or fewer workers out, and maybe you'll get other stuff later. But if you're the only person there, you might get a little You might be able to do the action four times, and you're spending your points to do the things, and it's just a really clean, tight bag builder is what it is, but man, really, really good.
- It's kind of a mix of Mysterium and Betrayal at House on the Hill.
- And the cool thing about it is you pick an action tile, but you don't know what it's going to do to you because there's something else on the back. And so, I'm really curious how that plays.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Psn4UWYmOc8
BoardGameCo Review at 0:01 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 108852 · mention_pk 314307
Click to watch at 0:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Sheer variety of different things happening
- Excellent character building and customization through bag building and class/character combinations
- Fun transformation cards that make players feel more powerful
- Significant variety in objectives, items, scenarios, enemies, and effects
- Good difficulty ramping in scenarios and adjustable difficulty settings
- Appreciation for the tower defense genre and its application
- Spellcasters expansion recommended for increased replayability and character synergies
Cons
- Game is nearly always too short to fully grow into the character arc and explore upgrade paths
- Limited number of upgrades achieved compared to the potential
- Visibility of action boards can be a minor quality of life issue
- Player count affects the experience, with two players controlling two characters being ideal; four players feel like less is accomplished
- Random elements (shadow cascades, chip draws) can be punishing and disrupt strategy
- Potential to get stuck with a bad draw that doesn't align with current needs
Thematic elements
- tower defense
Comparison games
- Cthulhu Death May Die
- Kingdom Rush
- Elemental Uprising
- Zombicide Black Plague
- Leviathan Wilds
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players draw chips from their bag and assign them to actions on their character board.
- Bag Building — Players start with a bag of chips and build it up to customize the actions they draw and have available.
- character customization — Players start with a character and class that customize their abilities, and further customization comes from bag building.
- cooperative play — Players work together to achieve objectives and prevent the fear track from reaching its maximum before the survival track.
- scenario-based — The game is structured with scenarios that can alter rules and increase difficulty.
- Tableau Building — Players build up their character by adding chips to their bag, influencing stats and available actions.
- tower defense — Players defend a village against encroaching shadows and monsters, a core thematic element.
- Variable player powers — Characters and classes provide unique abilities and starting configurations.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- But, unfortunately, because you don't fully lean into how much you can actually build up your character, the best part of this game is handicapped by the length and structure of this game
- My favorite part about the game, the upgrade system and the way it integrates with your characters and the variety of your characters, is also an element that I never fully get to explore.
- For me, that's the biggest element in this game that holds it back.
- The Spellcasters expansion, I definitely recommend picking that up if you like this game.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video X63DtvKczxY
BoardGameCo News at 10:11
video_pk 108861 · mention_pk 314355
Click to watch at 10:11 · YouTube ↗
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think this game is objectively bad, but I also objectively have fun playing it.
- The biggest flaw of Excalibur is I don't think the first four-fifths of the game matter. I think the only thing that matters is the last two to three turns in the game.
- The problem with playing so many games is you always want to keep the good ones, but then you play the better ones and you want to keep the better ones and you realize you should probably shouldn't keep the good ones. But then you play the best ones and you realize you probably shouldn't keep the better ones or the good ones. You should only keep and play the best ones.
- It's the Lego of skirmish space battles.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video Q71Fy81DZmc
Hungry Gamer Analysis at 4:35 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 83654 · mention_pk 309537
Click to watch at 4:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Oo, that looks tasty.
- And whoever gets the most points will get first pick of all the amazing prizes that we talked about in the previous video.
- Old King's Crown knocked out.
- Jerry Hawthorne will be crushed.
- Beatric has always been a fan of Ivy Games.
- Aberration has had quite the run and not what was expected as Dan it.
- Definitely a surprise. I thought she was heading towards Aridia.
- Clearly after her midternament nap.
- Clearly allowing Beatatric to be multiple cards in your game is the path to victory.
- It legitimately makes Beatatric really, really happy.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video uZMiQry01bE
Hungry Gamer Discussion at 24:20 sentiment: other
video_pk 83424 · mention_pk 304467
Click to watch at 24:20 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
hopeful
Pros
- Cool looking
- Player gets more powerful as they take damage
Cons
- Creepy and gross theme not for everyone
Thematic elements
- Heroes fighting approaching shadows, corruption
- Dark world
Comparison games
- Flamecraft
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bag builder — Aberration is a tower defense game where a bunch of different heroes that you can play and it's a bag builder at the same time.
- Corruption mechanic — as you take damage you slowly get corrupted and being corrupted is bad because you know you're being corrupted but also like when you're fighting and suddenly you got a tentacle maybe that's pretty good you know you can use that thing
- tower defense — Aberration is a tower defense game where a bunch of different heroes that you can play and it's a bag builder at the same time.
- Worker Placement — And there's also some worker placement going on. There's some little meuples that you can kind of move around and get more meuples
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- That game makes me happy every single time.
- I enjoy what's going on because the little stories and the stories are just my kind of kind of weird and whimsical and silly.
- I have a lot of joy teaching that game and so it was the most joyful to say, listen, I love these newspapers and we put the um my favorite critic is the Chimera because it brings two critics.
- It's definitely a top five game for me. I will never not play it.
- I want to say that if Mark Dainty, Luke Lori, and Will Brown had not had not gone through this procedure to bring recall to a table, there is no way I would have picked this game up.
- Kudos to whoever like the rule book is 16 pages.
- This game blew me away.
- I mean just smashed it and it was like two days before the con and I was like well here we go. And I loved it.
- It's just a joy. It's always a joy to get to the table and playing with the new expansion content was a lot of fun.
- The amazing thing that happens with games is how much they grow over time and how much fun I had playing on TTS. That is not a fun medium, people!
- This is not I mean it is it is a baguer and it is uh probably up there with the weight of people have been debating if Andromeda's Edge is heavier or Whisperwood's heavier.
- It has turned out to be uh the best moment of the year. Uh I I just appreciate that that gaming time with some friends.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video _ceDvAUIKkQ
Hungry Gamer Other at 11:09 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 80760 · mention_pk 309445
Click to watch at 11:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- does some interesting cool stuff
- I think I really like
- I like enough that I painted it
- one that I keep coming back to
- had a really nice time playing it
Cons
- I still haven't really decided how I feel about this game
- It's a weird bizarre game
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bag Building — It's a bag builder.
- cooperative play — Cooperative tower defense bag builder game.
- Tableau Building — It's kind of a tableau builder.
- tower defense — Mostly it's just tower defense.
- Worker Placement — You have these worker placement spots all around the board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It is so hard to get to the table because, in my players going, all five players need to understand the game or it will fall apart.
- HOW DO YOU KEEP GETTING AWAY from me?
- The best game I played at KublaCon Prime 2026 is Red Dragon Inn Battle for Greyport.
- If you are a fan of a cooperative deck building game that my favorite thing I always say is you get more cards, but you always get a card.
- I love it so much I played it twice at one con.
- I still say it is the one to go to in the Bay Area, bar none.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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