Over the past couple of weeks, a different game has taken up a large chunk of my playtime, and that game is Armello. Created in 2012, Armello is a digital turn-based strategy game with four players in each match. In each game, the players are given the choice of quests which both add to your stats as well as give you an item that assists later on in the game. There is no 100% guarantee of getting these items as you have to choose a random section on the wheel that may contain the item. It presents players with four different ways of victories to steal the throne from the king of Armello. All of which require planning throughout the game to pull off and very rarely just pop up right at the end of the game without you trying for it. There is also a heavy RNG element, where all your fights and perils (difficulties placed by either the King or other players) are mostly determined by the roll of dice.

The RNG aspect of Armello is what makes the game stand out for me. Having had over fifty hours in the game already, there has never been a game that I have felt is similar to past ones. Sure the RNG does make it frustrating when things do not go your way and you find yourself fighting foes who rolled ten attacks while you only rolled three attacks and no defenses, ending in your demise for that fight. The addition of cards that allow you to have items to help in fights and perils as well as the play on other heroes makes the game feel like it is more in your control than just only hoping that the dice roll in your favour every time.

The different heroes in Armello are another great aspect within the game where it allows you to play for the different win conditions depending on the hero that you select. Some heroes prefer to fight while others prefer to keep their distance and work through their quests while waiting for their time out and denying others their chance at victory. This once again allows for the minimization of the RNG aspect where you can choose your playstyle based on the heroes that you play.

Overall this is another game that I feel is better to play with friends. Although it may just be the friends that I play Armello with the added element of trying to convince your friends not to get in the way of your quests or to try and kill you is very entertaining. Even if playing with friends that do get in your way which results in me having a terrible game where I’m spending more time in my spawn than anywhere else on the map, I much prefer that than having friends that help me the whole game for me to win or vice versa. It is a game, however, that can be played solo and is something that I would recommend doing from time to time as it gives a different aspect to the game.

Ultimately if you enjoy strategy games, messing over other players while also having the success of your game hinge on RNG elements, then Armello is the game for you. Also, something else to keep in mind that a single game of Armello does take quite a long time, so do not play it if you want a quick game. This is the kind of game that you play when you have a lot of time to burn and want something more relaxing while still being competitive compared to the likes of Overwatch, Counter-Strike, and Valorant.