Dark Souls: L'Ultimo Gigante

Pulling those tiny swords out of the giant’s flesh mid-game is way more satisfying than I expected; each one unlocks a new action. It’s got that brutal, punishing feel from the video games but in a way that works really well on the table.

The game board itself is massive and feels sturdy, which is great for all the cards and tokens you need to manage. The rulebook is surprisingly clear for a complex boss-battle game, making setup much faster than I expected.

The miniature for The Last Giant is hauntingly detailed, with those embedded swords and maimed stone flesh looking exactly like the art. Setup was a breeze and the tension in the prison-forest theme kept our whole group on edge for two hours. We’ve already replayed it three times this week.