Sunderfolk gave me the DnD multiplayer experience Baldur’s Gate 3 couldn’t

I wanted to love Baldur’s Gate 3’s multiplayer. In theory, there’s nothing better than cozying up with your partner after a week at work, creating yet another wood elf, and diving back into Larian’s sprawling interpretation of Faerûn. But, at times, BG3 can be anything but relaxing – fights can last up to an hour, and a single misstep may spell disaster. While I love and laud its complexity, sometimes you want a simpler fantasy romp that still scratches that DnD itch. Dreamhaven’s upcoming RPG, Sunderfolk, does just that.

Sunderfolk is set in Arden, a gorgeous little animal village sheltering beneath the colossal Brightstone, a magical substance that gives life to the world. Everything’s pretty good down here – aside from the odd noisy tavern patron, of course – and your adventures have earned you status as the town’s resident heroes. As you sit down at the bar after a solid day of exploring, there’s a scuffle outside. Here? In Arden? What could possibly go wrong?

Ogres, that’s what. A whole crew of them has attacked the RPG‘s quaint little hamlet, set to blow up the town’s bridge with explosives. As you beat them to a pulp, one of them fires a corrupting arrow at the Brightstone, chipping it. From that moment onwards, your mission is clear: repair the Brightstone, save the townspeople, and fend off the tides of evil. In many ways, Sunderfolk feels like it’s straight out of DnD’s fifth edition handbook – and that’s the point.

Much like Baldur’s Gate 3, our journey is fully narrated, and while Amelia Tyler is hard to match, Overwatch 2 and Avowed’s Anjali Bhimani gives it a fresh spin. Where Tyler’s voiceover is flawless, almost soothing, Bhimani leans more into messy, human storytelling: she puts on silly voices and cracks fun jokes, making everything feel raw and a little rough around the edges, just like DnD should be. It means that, from the onset, there’s a sense of coziness that I just didn’t get with Baldur’s Gate 3 – Larian’s epic is a polished fantasy RPG experience, while Sunderfolk encapsulates the silliness of a good DnD table.

That’s amplified by the fact that, while the game itself plays out on your screen, all of the action takes place on mobile. You’ll move your characters using your phone, draw Fate Cards (more on that later), choose locations to visit and missions to undertake. There are no controllers here: all you need is a QR code, a comfortable chair, and some worthy companions.

The app itself is easy to navigate, and it’s very much designed as an introduction to DnD-style gameplay. While it is more of a novelty, it promotes that ‘game night feel’ and makes everything more approachable.

You feel that levity in Sunderfolk’s characterization, too. There are no humans and elves here; instead, you play as bipedal, cartoon animals based on your class. I immediately try out the otter rogue as it’s the closest to my playstyle, but end up settling on a bat bard who casts cute pink spells. I regret nothing.

My partner, however, had a somewhat rougher experience. Initially picking up Arcanist, a feathered wizard, our glass cannon, high-DPS wizard/rogue party immediately struggled without some form of frontline. Thankfully, we weren’t too far into the game, meaning we could jump into a second campaign without losing much, but it does feel like you’ll need a Berserker to complete a good number of Sunderfolk’s combat encounters.

Unlike BG3, Sunderfolk is a mission-based game. You select your adventure from a pool, head on out into the wilds, complete your task, and return home. From there, you can improve Arden, progress the story, and expand your arsenal of abilities and – most importantly – your Fate Card deck.

While Sunderfolk is a turn-based RPG at its core, you draw a Fate Card every time you attack. This is effectively a modifier that changes how combat will play out. There are damage bonuses, passive effects, speed boosts, and shields, all of which can transform a relatively average attack into a game-winning one-shot.

On the flip side, some Fate Cards debuff your character, decreasing their attack’s damage or slowing them down. Thankfully, your foes have to grapple with Lady Luck, too, which came in clutch when trying to save an adorable but very angry little beetle.

Despite the impact that Fate Cards can have, combat is relatively straightforward. You move on a hexagonal grid, cast spells or crush foes with your weapons, and complete your objectives. There’s no opportunity attack system a la Baldur’s Gate 3, with the Fate Cards adding a little bit of risk instead. It strikes the perfect balance between keeping you engaged in the moment while also allowing for enough customization to theorycraft your approach if you want to. Given the game is aimed at a casual audience, it feels like the best of both worlds.

While Larian’s epic will always be the quintessential DnD game, Sunderfolk captures the ‘community’ feel of tabletop RPGs a little bit better. As a result, I’ve recently found myself gravitating towards it more than BG3’s multiplayer.

Sunderfolk launches on Wednesday April 23 on Steam. You can grab it when it releases right here. You can also play over Discord by streaming the game to your friends; it’s not a pure couch co-op experience.

If you love a good ol’ fashioned dragon-slaying, orc-punching adventure, check out our list of the best fantasy games. Alternatively, if BG3 patch 8 has lured you back to the Forgotten Realms, here’s our list of the best Baldur’s Gate 3 builds.

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