HeroQuest returns to shops next month for the first time in almost 30 years
Retail release follows last year’s $3.7m crowdfunding campaign for relaunch of classic dungeon-crawler.
Classic dungeon-crawling board game HeroQuest is returning to shop shelves for the first time in nearly 30 years with a retail release of its crowdfunded remake.
The new edition of the seminal fantasy adventure game, first released in 1989 as a collaboration between board game giant Milton Bradley and Warhammer maker Games Workshop before being discontinued in the mid-1990s, was relaunched last year via publisher Hasbro’s own crowdfunding platform, Haslab. The campaign raised over $3.7 million for the game’s $100 base edition and a $150 bundle that included the Return of the Witch Lord and Kellar’s Keep expansions.
The relaunched HeroQuest is almost a completely faithful remake of the 1989 original, albeit revised to remove references to Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy universe. The game’s quests, artwork and 65-plus miniatures have also been retooled, introducing female characters to the previously all-male party of adventurers.
In HeroQuest, one players controls the dungeon master-like Zargon (known as Morcar in the UK), pitting their monsters against up to four hero players who must explore the dungeon in search of treasure and quests. 14 different quests are included in the box, with the ability for players to create their own custom scenarios. The game is notable for its iconic pieces of 3D scenery, which players use to build the dungeon.
The retail edition of HeroQuest will cost $125.99, and will release in December following the arrival of the crowdfunded edition with backers this month. Hasbro has not confirmed whether the two expansions, additional quests and characters offered as part of the Haslab campaign’s mythic tier will see a retail release.