Leviathan Wilds by Moon Crab Games is back on Kickstarter with the campaign hitting its $$10,000 goal in nine minutes, placing it amongst some of the fastest-funded projects on the platform. At the time of writing, Leviathan Wilds, a cooperative, boss-battling board game that features a solo mode, has been backed by more than 1,950 people and has amassed over $101,000, giving it a much stronger start.
When Meeples Herald launched last year, Leviathan Wilds was one of the first news stories we did, and the team is happy to see Moon Crab Games returning with the project. Admittedly, much has changed over the past year with designer Justin Kemppainen, known to you from Imperial Assault and many more titles, restarting the project in a new crisper format.
Last year’s attempt was cut short by what the Fantasy Flight Games and Z-Man Games veteran thought was a project that was not up to standard. This new gem is inspired by Breadth of Wild and it features an interesting playbook that is opened and leafed through to move the action.
In the game, 1-4 players will focus on climbing the body of a stone giant, using customizable and adjustable decks. The story, though, has a beautiful intent. Players set out to heal the ailing leviathans who suffer from crystal protrusions and all sorts of other wounds. As you try, though, the leviathans will issue a natural defensive response as they are not quite on the same page with you.
This adds a mortal challenge to your gameplay. Players get to pick from seven unique classes and pre-set characters, and then proceed to use a range of abilities and skills to accomplish the goal of helping each leviathan. Players will climb upwards, but also jump and glide when the opportunity arises to save time and energy.
Then again, players need to pace themselves lest they lose their grip. In a word, rock climbing is a living, ailing thing that is never easy. The Kickstarter campaign is set to run through June 1, and it comes at a $55 price tag for the standard game box, which is pretty decent. The fact Moon Crab decided to relaunch the campaign after they have spent time thinking and tweaking the core design is also indicative of the desire to get this right from the start.
Moon Crab Games aspires to get things done right. The team behind the newly-fledged studio is also responsible for such board gaming blockbusters as Pandemic Legacy, Citadels, Cryo, Descent: Journeys into the Dark, and more. As to the new game, the studio promises challenging, captivating and ultimately approachable gameplay that can be explored in its entirety without issues.