Horror board game Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein gets free downloadable solo mode

Monster-building horror board game Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein now has a solo mode that players can download and experience for free.

Based on the classic gothic horror novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Abomination is a narrative-driven board game that has players competing to create and bring to life their very own creature at the behest of a mysterious benefactor. Each taking on the role of a different scientist motivated by their own desires or the threats of others, players must work towards completing a living monster from body parts of the dead before the authorities discover them.

Previously a board game for two to four players, Abomination challenges players to collect and efficiently manage valuable resources, as well as gather the research they need and hire the right individuals to help them. Throughout the game, Frankenstein’s creation may pay a visit to certain players to check on their progress, rewarding them for good work or punishing them for falling behind.

Abomination eventually ends when either one of the players has successfully completed their own monster or Captain Robert Walton - a friend of Victor Frankenstein who has sworn revenge on his killer - has found and killed Frankenstein’s creation. Should the game end with the creation’s death, the player with the most points is named the winner.

The solo board game variant of Abomination plays similarly to the multiplayer original, with the lone player needing to find and assign resources, workers and research in order to create their own monster. Rather than competing against other scientists, the solo mode has the player being accosted by Frankenstein’s creation to fashion a companion for him or risk losing their kidnapped family.

In place of the game ending in two possible ways, the single-player variant provides a unique fail state in that once Captain Walton reaches the end of the story-track, he finds Frankenstein’s creation and triggers the unfortunate end of the player’s beloved family. This means that the player must work against the clock in order to create a monster before it’s too late.

Abomination publisher Plaid Hat Games said it was releasing the solo mode in response to the current climate of social isolation and impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people’s ability to play board games with others.

Whist Dan Blanchett was responsible for designing Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein, the game’s solo mode has been created by Jon Merkle.

Plaid Hat was originally known for creating horror board game Dead of Winter and one of the best board games of recent years, Mice and Mystics, before losing the publishing rights to both series after going independent earlier this year.

Plans are currently in the works for a second edition of card game Summoner Wars, alongside another board game from the designer of family board games Mice and Mystics and Stuffed Fables - Jerry Hawthorne - and the potential revival of expandable card game Ashes: Rise of the Phoenixborn.

Plaid Hat is set to release Forgotten Waters, the next board game in the Crossroads series started by Dead of Winter, later this year. The upcoming board game, which sees players become pirates seeking fame and fortune, is planned to launch on April 10th 2020 at a retail price of $59.95 (£47).

Players can download the solo variant for Abomination: Heir of Frankenstein from Plaid Hat’s website now.