Nomad Games’ version includes solo play, 4-player online co-op, and a Quest Editor for creating and sharing your own dungeons.
So many memories came back the second I read the email about this very much welcome return of HeroQuest. The Amiga version is one of those games that has always remained very much in my memory, so the prospect of a new digital version of the board game is very much to be welcomed. And this one has a very particular feature: Four heroes go into a dungeon, and one friend gets to make their lives a misery.
Nomad Games and publisher Balor Games have just announced HeroQuest: Digital Edition, the official digital adaptation of the tabletop dungeon crawler, revealed at The MIX Fall Showcase. There’s a co-op adventuring component as well as a seat for a fifth friend who would rather be the one making the party’s life a misery.
The mode supports a number of ways of going about the quests. You can have the whole four-hero party under your command as a solo player, or you can go online with up to four people co-oping. A fifth player can take on the role of Zargon, the Dread Sorcerer attempting to take over the Realm. That makes it a 5-player game, but only 4 of those players need to be all that interested in getting everyone home safely.
On the heroic side we have the usual suspects back again (Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, and Wizard) to go up against Zargon’s forces.
It’s turn-based with a lot of dice rolling involved, and the description of the battle makes it clear what each character’s strengths are and how important it is to position your fellowship carefully. Luck will play its part of course but the key to success is in the coordination of your party.
The other thing to watch is the Quest Editor, which allows the community to create their own adventures. There’s built-in mod.io integration, so you can access community quests as well, which in itself is a very good route to expanding the game beyond what’s included and probably this is the real selling point of the announcement.
The human-controlled villain is one thing, but the ability to create adventures for your group is what could actually see you coming back.
HeroQuest: Digital Edition is set for PC via Steam in 2027. Wishlisting is available now and a closed beta playtest is due very soon. There is no launch date or beta schedule given in the announcement. Balor’s official game page also has a link to registration for future playtest opportunities for those interested.
