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If players survive 13 chapter cards, they then face the boss card. This is a much more difficult combat encounter. Five bosses are included in the game and each has a special perk that changes the way combat works. For example, the players might be forced to only use explosive weapons or be required to only engage in close combat for the encounter. After all player actions are fully resolved, and after resolving return fire from the enemy, if all chapter dice have been removed the enemy has been defeated and combat ends.
When Close Combat begins, all members of the crew choose one action each and then execute them simultaneously. Along the way, players will gather loot cards. These are usually helpful items such as weapons, healing devices, and other objects that can be used throughout the game. However, each character can only hold four items, and some count for two slots instead of one. Players will need to decide which to keep and which to drop. As these immersive chapter cards are revealed one by one, the game takes on the form of a shared storybook experience, with the players making decisions about what to do each chapter before using a combination of dice and item cards to complete the task before them. The goal of the game is to complete every chapter, and then defeat the final boss. To win, you must keep each member of the crew alive - if any player is killed the game ends immediately! The Basic function of each drone has a fixed outcome, but the Advanced function requires you to roll the TECH DIE to determine the outcome – and be warned, these drones are known to malfunction and the results are not always positive! Although it is definitely part of the B-movie sci fi madness that is the Dark Sector there is a definite tonal shift. Although in saying that the art of the new cards is beautiful and a refreshing difference from the previous artworks. I think it comes down completely to personal preference whether you enjoy the theme or not but even if you do not care for the time travel shenanigans there are still several encounters that stay on theme and can be mixed in straight out of the box.
Review Summary
Escape the Dark Sector is a good game, but it can be repetitive and hard to understand sometimes. If you really enjoyed playing Escape the Dark Castle, then this game might be for you, but if this is your first time with either of these games, the fantasy version is easier to engage. Away from the purely mechanical improvements, the arc of the story you will experience has also seen some refinement. In Dark Castle you just dealt a bunch of chapter cards at random and worked your way through them. This meant you could easily come a cropper early on in a difficult encounter before you had a chance to gear up properly. In Dark Sector the chapter cards have been split up into Act 1, 2, and 3. Act 1 encounters are relatively easy, hurting you less, and allowing you to gear up before you get into the real challenges in Acts 2 and 3. There is a great feeling of progression as you work your way towards the boss, and the chapter cards just feel a bit more interesting than in the previous game. Escape The Dark Sector (hereafter: Sector) is a cooperative, sci-fi themed adventure game for one to four players. This 2020 release is the second, stand-alone instalment, in the ‘Escape The Dark’ series of games from Themeborne Ltd. Sector follows the publisher’s debut title, Escape The Dark Castle (hereafter: Castle), released in 2017.
The other trait that Sector inherits from Castle, is its emphasises on storytelling to drive gameplay. A play through of Sector is styled like the progression through a story, told in three parts. It is a story that the players will influence as they progress, and that will differ in each play through. As soon as you get to your first combat in Dark Sector you will realise that you have a lot more agency in this game than you did in Dark Castle. The introduction of ranged weapons means that most of the time when you get in a fight you can choose to get right into melee or fire off some shots before rushing in. There are three things in life that I love, apart from my children of course: science-fiction, evocative art, and solitaire games. The idea then to be able to combine these individual elements into a holy trinity is an alluring proposition to say the least. This is the premise for Escape the Dark Sector, the spiritual sequel to Escape the Dark Castle from publisher Themeborne. Designed by Alex Crispin, Thomas Pike, and James Shelton this space themed game design caught my interest for two reasons: the artwork and the promise of a heavy emphasis on story, two things that makes me purr like a kitten. Let us take a closer look to see if Escape the Dark Sector manages to deliver on these vows.Like that of its predecessor, the artwork and graphic design throughout Sector is presented in a striking, stark, monochrome. This distinctive style is evocative of the artwork in the aforementioned fantasy books from the 80’s. As a design choice it serves the game well, enriching the theme. It also provides a welcoming, warm shot of nostalgia. Like me, you might enjoy the apparent nods to various sci-fi franchises, nestled in the game’s artwork. The actions available to members of the crew during Ranged Combat are SHOOT and FLANK, along with all Standard Combat Actions • Shoot You may take one item from the inventory of one other crewmember. That crewmember may still perform one action this round, so long as the action does not involve use of the item being taken. Whenever new item cards are drawn into the item pool, crewmembers can exchange items with each other.
Instead of a castle, players are now in a space station, in which they are imprisoned. Like the previous game, this is a story game, similar to a Choose Your Own Adventure book. The goal is for the players to reach their ship, the Equinox, by surviving a series of encounters. This cooperative game supports 1-4 players and is 20-60 minutes long. Gameplay Overview: After activating either function, you must turn over the drone card to its Drone Recharging side as usual to end your action.A word of warning: despite its simple nature, this devious game will often defeat you! If you fail, try again. You’ll have fun exploring the space station every time, regardless of the outcome. Like that of its predecessor, the artwork and graphic design throughout Sector is presented in a striking, stark, monochrome. This distinctive style is evocative of the artwork in the aforementioned fantasy books from the 80's. As a design choice it serves the game well, enriching the theme. It also provides a welcoming, warm shot of nostalgia. Like me, you might enjoy the apparent nods to various sci-fi franchises, nestled in the game’s artwork.
Escape the Dark Sector is a simple sci-fi adventure game with a focus on atmosphere, storytelling, and player cooperation. It takes about 2 minutes to set up, lasts around 45 minutes, and no two games are ever the same. The players win if all of the chapter cards are completed, and they reach The Equinox. However, if even one player dies, the game ends and all the players lose. This game is all about budgeting your health to make sure you can survive each and every card. Strategizing who draws each card is a good idea because the player who draws the card usually takes the most damage. Each story card has a random encounter for players to deal with. The more symbols at the bottom, the harder the encounter. Game Experience:Escape the Dark Sector plays over a series of chapter cards. Each card has an encounter on it, and the players must decide who will flip each card. The player who flips the card will be the primary target for the main effect of the encounter. As in Dark Castle, Dark Sector sees players attempting to find their way out of a terrible prison by turning over a series of chapter cards, making both decisions and dice rolls to progress to the next encounter between them and freedom. This symbol means you must roll an additional chapter die for each member of the crew and add them to the row. For example, with two members of the crew you would roll two additional chapter dice when you see this symbol. Escape the Dark Sector is designed to be as good with one player as it is with four. To play a solo game, simply choose any two members of the crew and begin the game as normal. You will make all the decisions and dice rolls yourself. There is just one thing to note: When Ranged Combat begins, all members of the crew are assumed to dive into cover where they are safe from enemy fire. Then, you must choose one Ranged Combat action for each member of the crew before simultaneously carrying them out. Ranged Combat Actions
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