Shadows in the Forest
Description
Turn off the lights! You are deep in a dark, ancient forest with only your lantern to guide you. Tall, looming trees cast shadows all around. Off in the distance you hear a faint rustling sound and your heart begins to race. Could the legend be true? Will you finally discover the creatures who hide in the forest shadows? A Unique Tabletop Adventure Shadows in the Forest is a thrilling, immersive play experience that brings a distinctive twist to game night – you play it in the dark! One player moves the LED lantern around in search of Shadowlings, mysterious creatures who avoid the light. The lantern illuminates the forest and trees, casting real shadows on the game board. The rest of the players work together, strategically moving their Shadowlings to stay out of the light.
2-7 Players
8+
Easy
Short
Review
Shadows in the Forest is like the junior version of “Betrayal at House on the Hill” playing to its strengths in asymmetrical gameplay. During our time with the game what we enjoyed most was the immersion of it all. We made sure the room was as dark as it could be and turned on atmospheric music with wind blowing and trees rustling. To its detriment though the gameplay of being either the Seeker or one of the Shadowlings can sway your enjoyment of the game.
The best way to describe it would be like playing hide and seek. If you ever played as a child (or an adult for that matter) you know the excitement of being a hider, or Shadowling in this case. The feeling of your heart racing as the seeker gets closer to your hiding spot. Trying your best to stealthy move as the Seeker (light) encroaches on you to find a new spot. The laughter as you realize you are caught and hope your friends can come unfreeze you. Except here, starting at different locations, your goal is to find all your friends and make it to one hiding spot without getting caught. The fun of quietly communicating with your team to try and move through the ever changing landscape is definitely the highlight of it all.
On the other hand, playing as the Seeker, your enjoyment levels start high, but slowly lower with each turn. Just like in real life hide and seek, going multiple turns without finding anyone can become frustrating. It's for this reason why I recommend using at least four or more shadowlings. Not only for the seeker but for those hiding as well. When you have players controlling 2 or more shadowlings at a time it keeps them from having to sit and watch if they are caught. This also gives the seeker a better chance of finding shadowlings, giving a sense of accomplishment sooner and keeping the drive of finding the others alive.
I would recommend players of all skill levels to give this one a shot. It provides some spooky fun for the family and worth going multiple rounds throughout the night. I can definitely see this being in our Halloween rotation going forward throughout the years.
Purchase the game on Amazon here.
