Kids say:

"When my dad brought home this game, I was very intimidated. The box was huge, there were too many pieces, and the instructional video was way too long. But it turns out that it is easy to learn the rules on the fly if you're playing with someone who is already familiar with the game. My parents played first, and once they had the gist of it, I was able to jump right in and join the team."

"My characters are Audrie from Liverpool and Gregory from L.A. Each character has different skills which are used in various challenges. The crew members I control are  very savvy and crafty, but not very strong."

Adults say:

"After the Steamship Manticore is lost in a storm, Captain Sofi Odessa and her crew wake up in an unfamiliar world. Their ticket home is collecting magical totems. Each ‘game’ is a cooperative campaign that takes about 20 hours, but can be played in increments of any duration the players desire."

"Sleeping Gods has a generous open world map, full of challenges and experiences that are unique to each location. When you dock the Manticore at a new location, the game directs you to a numbered passage in a storybook, which explains your next bite-sized adventure. Your team will meet strangers, fight battles, collect treasure, and earn experience points. There is a sense of progress as you play. You get stronger, pick up more potent weapons and level up your characters in the traditional sense. This kept our group coming back for more, and every time we stopped for the day, we couldn’t wait to schedule our next session."

"The individual adventures play like a board game, with rigid rules that combine strategy and luck. But the frame story definitely feels more like a role playing game than anything we’ve reviewed up to this point."

"If I have any criticism of Sleeping Gods, it is that this lack of linearity that they have worked so hard to create actually detracts a little from the fun. At the beginning of each turn, we can steer the ship to one of several destinations, each one launching a completely unknown adventure. Some of these adventures will present you with a choice, like 'Do you help the injured fisherman yourself or do you call for help?' There really isn’t any guidance to inform most of these choices, so the outcomes feel kind of random, much like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. If door A and door B are equally likely to have a reward or a punishment, picking one to open isn't particularly fun. Maybe this is why I fell out of love with role playing games."

"The mechanism for combat, on the other hand, is brilliant. It is absolutely dripping with tactical opportunities that you can’t overthink enough. Many of the other decisions we make are equally satisfying. I just think they are selling the open-world aspect a bit too hard, and that’s my least favorite part of the game."