This Bloodborne-inspired board game delivers an exceptional boss battle experience.

When it comes to board games that command attention, few studios create a spectacle of miniatures and components like Awakened Realms. Titles like their Alien-themed Nemesis series and premium re-releases such as Castles of Burgundy are truly impressive. Their latest offering channels the dark, visceral essence of FromSoftware’s Bloodborne series, culminating in the expansive Grimcoven boss battler game.

After diving into Grimcoven multiple times with friends and solo, I can confidently say it’s one of my favorite boss battlers to date, though it does have a few quirks that keep it from reaching the pinnacle of the best board games.

Price	$119.99/£109.99 (Standard Box)
Ages	14+
Game type	Boss battler/strategy/RPG/cooperative
Players	1-4
Lasts	2-3hrs per session
Complexity	Moderate
Designers	Krzysztof Belczyk
Publisher	Awaken Realms
Play if you enjoy	Monster Hunter World: The Board Game, Gloomhaven, Descent series

In Grimcoven, players assume the roles of Hunters tasked with taking down Griefbounds—ferocious foes that serve as your primary targets. To succeed, Hunters must utilize Lament, a unique resource that allows for character evolution and enhancement, but at the risk of succumbing to corruption and potentially becoming a Griefbound themselves, which would require your teammates to take you down. The gameplay revolves around a straightforward yet strategically rich mechanic of slotting rolled dice into actions, enabling movement, attacks, and support for others. Despite its imposing presence on the table, the game is surprisingly easy to learn, much to the delight of my gaming group.

Playing Grimcoven evokes memories of my experiences with CMON’s (now Asmodee’s) Cthulhu: Death May Die series, as it offers a highly modular experience with numerous ways to engage. However, unlike Death May Die, which focuses on completing objectives, Grimcoven is all about combat and survival until you can defeat the boss. This modularity is built on three main elements: your character, the enemies, and the level. You can further enhance your experience with various expansion packs that introduce new foes, Hunters, and stunning miniatures (deluxe editions and add-ons are available, though not included in the standard version).

Yet, my two main frustrations lie within the setup and storage of the game.

For my friends and me, the most frustrating aspect of Grimcoven wasn’t the lethal attacks that wiped out multiple players or the unfortunate monster spawns; it was the setup process. While gameplay flows smoothly, getting everything ready is where the real hassle begins. Selecting specific cards from various decks, finding the right tiles, arranging everything correctly, and ensuring nothing gets knocked out of place can take anywhere from half an hour to 45 minutes, with more complex setups potentially taking even longer. This lengthy setup is a significant deterrent for me when considering whether to bring Grimcoven to the table. It’s a shame because I’m eager to gather my friends, test out new character builds, and see how we fare. But every time I glance at the daunting stack of boxes in my room, my excitement wanes, knowing that setup looms before the fun can begin.

As for the boxes, my current organization includes the main box housing most miniatures, tokens, rulebooks, and player boards; a smaller box for map tiles and some expansion miniatures; and a third box (originally for card sleeves) containing all the cards. Even with all the game’s content, fitting just the base game back into the box after punching out the components is a cramped and frustrating task, especially with no designated space for the tiles. The cards also won’t fit if they’re sleeved.

Awakened Realms isn’t particularly known for stellar storage solutions, and I get that with so much content, it’s tough to fit everything safely. However, the thought of hauling all my boxes to a friend’s place is almost as unappealing as the setup itself. Even the community on the Grimcoven forum is brainstorming better storage solutions. While the components are stunning—from intricately detailed miniatures to dual-layered playboards—the lack of a solid storage solution is disappointing, though I do appreciate the included guide for organizing everything.

The Hunters you can choose from feel distinct and play vastly differently, requiring fresh strategies with each new character. For instance, I enjoyed the Gunslinger for its ability to enhance attacks using crafted bullets for a barrage of hits. Alternatively, if I wanted to channel my inner tank, I could opt for the Keeper wielding a massive sword. Each Hunter comes with a variety of weapons and armor to select before each game, allowing for tailored playstyles. The Keeper, for example, can gear up for tanking or switch to a more aggressive role, depending on the equipment chosen.

As you battle foes, you’ll collect Lament, which serves as experience points to level up your Hunter, unlocking new abilities from your evolution deck or gaining other beneficial perks. Leveling up is one of my favorite aspects of Grimcoven, as each opportunity to draw from our decks is met with excitement and anticipation. However, using Lament comes with risks, as corruption tracks rise. The higher they climb, the more likely you are to transform into a Pretender—a hybrid of Hunter and Griefbound—forcing your friends to take you down to win. Thankfully, we never reached that point, but just glancing at the Pretender stat sheets sends chills down my spine.

If you enjoy taking on massive foes, the Monster Hunter board game series by Steamforged is all about that thrill. As highlighted in a review, it offers a rewarding gameplay experience with significant replayability.

Encounters with Griefbounds provide even more variety. Each boss has its own booklet with escalating challenges for you and your friends to tackle. One clever mechanic in Grimcoven is how you defeat these bosses. Instead of a traditional health pool, your goal is to inflict enough damage on the individual attack cards that make up their decks, removing them from play.

These attacks pack a punch. If you fail to deal enough damage to a card, additional painful effects will trigger—trust me, you don’t want that. Single-target attacks can be amplified to hit all players in an area, for example. Fortunately, you’ll always have advance notice of upcoming attacks, allowing your team to strategize accordingly. This foresight mitigates feelings of “cheap draws” that could lead to sudden losses.

While your main objective is to defeat the boss, you’ll also face smaller minion enemies that spawn across the map, adding to the challenge. Thankfully, these minions are usually quick to dispatch, alongside more formidable Elites that can be troublesome. Depending on the Griefbound challenge you select, different minions and Elites will be drawn, with special “named” Elites available for an even tougher fight.

Even at the easiest difficulty levels, which limit the attack cards in the Griefbound’s deck, Grimcoven still delivers a challenge that pushed my friends and me, making our victories feel hard-earned and each defeat a valuable lesson.

The battlefields consist of hex-based tiles, with layouts determined by the boss and challenge you’re facing, along with randomized elements like events and special tiles. Each Griefbound boss comes with its own book and multiple difficulty levels that dictate their abilities and the specific map setup, resulting in a plethora of possible variations to explore, not to mention the expansions that add even more Hunters and Griefbounds.

Once I navigate the setup hurdles and gather my friends around the table, Grimcoven transforms into an action-packed adventure where uncertainty reigns until the final blow is struck. This is a game we eagerly embrace, relishing the challenges it presents, with bloody smiles on our faces.

It’s unfortunate that the storage and setup can be frustrating, but the smooth gameplay and the multitude of options available make Grimcoven one of the best boss-battling board games I’ve ever experienced. Setup be damned, I’m ready to dive back in like a ravenous Pretender, eager for more.

Criteria	Notes	Score
Game mechanics	Different build options, tons of ways to upgrade your characters, and a satisfying roll-and-slot dice system all work together to create one of the great boss battler games out right now.	5/5
Accessibility	It may look like an overcomplicated beast to play, but Grimcoven is deceptively easy to actually figure out. Managing to survive,though, is another story.	4/5
Replayability	With a bunch of bosses and enemies to pick from, along with five difficulty levels for each boss and character, Grimcoven has long legs and tons of ways to play.	5/5
Setup and pack-down	From the lack of a solid storage solution and all the decks of cards, tiles, and tokens you need to pick through (and then put away), getting a game ready to play is a bigger hassle then the Griefbounds themselves.	1/5
Component quality	As an Awakened Realm game, it has the same high-quality pedigree of components that they are known for, from their miniatures, player boards, and card stock, resulting in an incredibly premium-looking game.	5/5

✅ You adore chunky, combat-heavy strategy games. If you thrive on tactical discussions and strategizing to take down formidable foes, Grimcoven will resonate with you.

✅ You love boss-battler games. If boss fights are your favorite aspect of gaming, Grimcoven is tailor-made for you.

❌ You hate setup. If the thought of setting up and tearing down board games feels tedious, this one might drive you up the wall.

❌ You aren’t a fan of boss fights. This game is laser-focused on battling bosses rather than exploring dungeons. If that doesn’t appeal to you, it’s best to look elsewhere.