Why I sold… The 7th Continent

Since I started this blog, I have played and reviewed many new-to-me games. Some I like, some I don’t. At the end of the day though, a review is just an opinion. And those can change. Some games just don’t hold up when the shine wears off. I am starting a new series where I will take a second look at games that I initially liked (loved, even) – but not anymore. Why is that? And why might someone else still enjoy that game? Read along as I tell you about my reasoning to sell… The 7th Continent.

What I said about The 7th Continent

Here’s what I had to say about this game in the conclusion of my initial review:

Time goes by very quickly whenever I sit down to play The 7th Continent because I get sucked in the game; trying to lift my curse and thinking of what paths to take. Thanks to its easy save system I can basically play whenever I have a spare moment, while my handy-dandy satchel keeps all of my findings neatly together so I knew where I left off. I don’t like the Kickstarter exclusivity of the game but I’m happy they’re doing a trimmed down Classic Edition as well as opening up the web store this month. Don’t get in my way while I snag up the expansions I’m missing – this game is here to stay.

Still not able to let it go, I wrote a second piece about the game for my Addendum series:

This game has been a tremendous journey of continuous discovery for me. It’s always a surprise what I will find next. Right now I’m just getting to know the continent, since I usually die before I come close to lifting my curse. The 7th Continent will keep me satisfied for years to come. What will I encounter next – who knows?

As you can see, I was very enamored with this game right from the get-go, obliging me to write the Addendum in addition to the regular review.

It shows how high my anticipation for the game was, and how much I wanted to like – and love – it. The game wasn’t cheap, so I should really try to like it.

But, in the words of singer-songwriter Joost Zweegers AKA Novastar: Where did we go wrong?

A small interlude about Kickstarter

Let me reformulate the above: the game was well received by many others, so I should really try to like it. Part of the buzz-machine that is Kickstarter is hype. Game designers want you to get enthusiastic about a game that’s a long ways from fulfillment and that you can only play as a PnP or as a demo on a convention – if you’re lucky.

People see a game and see how great it is – or rather, how great it can be. They share their enthusiasm and the Hype Train departs Kickstarter Central Station. When so many people talk about a game, sure it must be great?

Another part of Kickstarter is FOMO – the fear of missing out. Back it now or never get the game at all. The pessimistic way of describing Kickstarter boardgames is that it forces you to make an informed decision when you don’t have all the information at hand. I wouldn’t call myself a victim here, but I sure learned my lesson.

What I think about the game now

The best way to start this is to look at what I initially didn’t like about the game:

• hard to find some things in the rulebook
• not a fan of the Kickstarter exclusivity and limited availability
• price point is pretty high (although it’s in proportion with what you get and how long that keeps you satisfied)

To be fair, the above points aren’t really gameplay-related, except maybe the thing about the rulebook. (Let’s be honest: not being able to quickly find the answer to your question can really impede your experience.)

The game has lots of great elements. There’s exploration; the thrill of discovering a hidden continent. You start with little to no idea of where yoiu should be going, so it’s up to you to discover that. You might stumble upon a trail that leads you to a hunting spot. (You’re gonna need to find efficient ways to gather food or you’ll die for sure.) You might find clues for your current curse, or information you should stow away for when you play another curse.

But why didn’t I like it?

The game rarely felt like a whole. One moment you’re exploring, the next solving a puzzle, or tracking down a lead or crafting items. But I never felt like an adventurer doing all those things. I was just wandering around, playing subgames, and dying in the end.

The game wants you to hunt, find food, and keep your life force healthy. It needs you to do so. So much so, that not finding food is a recipe (heh) for disaster. I did not like this one bit – I wanted to explore and feel like Indy or Lara, not fighting off starvation.

Besides that – or rather I should see ‘on top of that’ – the game felt a lot like trial-and-error to me. Imagine you’re at a crossroads; how do you know if you should pick A or B? If you pick the wrong one and are lucky enough it doesn’t kill you, you still need to have enough food left to retrace your steps.

Or, as it was during my plays: make a not to not pick A again, restart the game, and try again. Yes – I know the expansion had an immortal mode, bit that’s kind of defeating the purpose.

You might like it if…

Does all of this mean that The 7th Continent is a bad game? Not at all. It sure is a good game, but being a good game doesn’t mean that it will be liked or loved by everyone. Here are the positives from my review:

• a continent’s worth of content to be discovered
• truly a videogame-style RPG in boardgame form
• each curse provides a different path
• optional elements you could encounter in multiple games
• true sense of discovery: what will I encounter next?
• handy save system: easy to pack up and pull out, and a nice way to ‘reset’ random encounters and fog cards
• easy rules overhead don’t take away from your game immersion
• so much eye for detail in the whole game design

As you can see there is much to like, and lots of things I initially adored. To me it started to feel like some disjointed mechanics that lacked theme and therefore prevented me from losing myself in the game. If you are okay with a little thematic disconnect, you can still really get lost in exploration, trial-and-error (with notekeeping and all), puzzles, and some clever mechanics and secrets to uncover.

Conclusion

My experience with The 7th Continent turned out to be a disjointed and often times frustrating affair with thematically dry mechanics. The game rarely matched my expectations. Again – that’s not a strike against the game as much as it is a note-to-self to do better research and to manage my own expectations better.

I’m glad I was able to sell my collection to someone who hopefully has a better time with the game than I did. I hope I can join someone in their Tainted Grail-pledge when the pledge manager reopens at the end of this year – now that looks like a game that has a lot of elements I wished The 7th Continent had.

We’ll see.

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