Review – Gloomhaven Jaws of the Lion DLC

May 24, 2022 Pendragon

Thanks for the folks at Asmodee Digital and Flaming Fowl Studios, I’ve been taking a look through the recent Jaws of the Lion DCL reviews for Gloomhaven. As a big fan of turn-based titles and tabletop gaming in general, this one was of particular interest to me, as a top contemporary board game adaptation. We’ve got the usual full video and extended written review just here, alongside common-sense parent’s guide.

The Basics

Gloomhaven itself is a turn-based card game, converted to the new digital era after the original tabletop game successfully kickstarted to critical acclaim back in 2017. This title might not be entirely accurate to the board game, but with the slow nature and tactical card-based movement and combat it certainly manages to keep that board game feel.

The original Gloomhaven brought 17 unique mercenaries, two campaigns and a few hundred hours of gameplay. Jaws of the Lion is the titles first DLC, and brings 4 new mercenaries, 10 new enemy types and 25 new scenarios with a fresh narrative. The DLC is blended well into the main campaign. Jaws of the Lion missions are available fairly early in the title, even if you are starting a fresh playthrough, and new mercenaries are available from the very beginning.

Gloomhaven’s turn- and card-based systems work well to bring a board game feel to the screen

Parent’s Guide

Rating: Mostly Harmless

Gloomhaven is rated by PEGI at 12, but has no official ESRB rating at this time. From a parent’s point of view, there is nothing huge to add here, as the DLC doesn’t bring any further language, violence or concerns which differ from the base game. As a card-based combat game, there’s not much in the way of blood or gore to be too wary of. It’s not one which I’d worry about the Micro-Bandits playing, though with the slow card-based nature I don’t think it’s one they’ll be spending much time with.

Accessibility

Rating: Intense

While it’s easy to drop in and out, the scenarios can take some time, and there is a lot of tactical planning and thinking involved here. You’ll need to spend quite some time going over your cards within each round and plotting your movements and actions ahead of time, as well as considering enemy movement.

The ability to mix new and old mercenaries right from the very beginning is a nice touch

The Run Down

Visuals – Good: The visuals in Gloomhaven are ok, and while there could be some improvement it’s pretty much what we’d expect from a board game adaptation. Jaws of the Lion doesn’t add much to the visuals here, but the new enemies are nice to see.

Audio – Good: Audio is pretty decent, though I’ve noticed a little repetition in voice acting. The soundtrack works really well and effects are also well created.

Narrative – Outstanding: I really enjoy the narrative content in Gloomhaven and with an entirely new quest line the Jaws of the Lion DLC really does provide something new. Adapting the tabletop version to the digital era has gone well here, and the narrative and voice acting which powers it are both on point.

Replay – Outstanding: Jaws of the Lion adds a fair amount for the money here, with 25 new scenarios adding to what was already a few hundred hours of gameplay. It’s easy to jump back in and take new or different mercenaries in new and unexpected ways and while the story remains similar, the way you approach each scenario can differ substantially.

The Verdict

Pixel Bandits Gloooooooooom Level for the Jaws of the Lion DLC for Gloomhaven is Outstanding. Gloomhaven itself might not be for everybody but if like me you are a fan of tactical turn based action then it’s one which brings some unique gameplay. The Jaws of the Lion DLC itself brings a solid chunk of extra gameplay as well as new characters and enemies which can be blended seamlessly into the base game content as well. If you’re a fan of the main title, then Jaws of the Lion should 100% be your next stop.