Like Orson Welles in the 1981 TV commercial for Dark Tower, I recently journeyed backwards in time to the 1980s and the world of gaming nostalgia. When the board game Return to Dark Tower hit Kickstarter and I saw several of my friends back it in the first few hours, I battled the greatest of modern-day demons—FOMO.
I struggled with my “fear of missing out” on this latest project from Restoration Games for several reasons—the biggest of which was the price tag. The most basic pledge of $125 (plus shipping) gets you the game with all stretch goals and “freebies.” However, there’s no kidding myself. If I decide to back this game, I’m going all in on the Azkol’s Fortune pledge level of $225 plus $22 shipping and—of course—add on that $40 neoprene mat.
That’s an investment of $287 for a game I haven’t even played. That price gave me sticker shock even though I’ve spent both small and large sums of money on games from Kickstarter. I’m lucky to say I’ve received mostly good value for the Kickerstarter games I’ve bought, but does Return to Dark Tower have enough value to me to justify the investment?
Nostalgia is a big part of this project as have other projects from Restoration Games. It’s pretty much their business model. Return to Dark Tower is more like pseudo-nostalgia for me though. I previously backed the Kickstarter for Restoration Games’ “Fireball Island: The Curse of Vul-kar” through my local game cafe (remember to support the places you play).
The game had a sense of nostalgia for me even though I never owned or even played the original. That is why I say it is a pseudo-nostalgia. I’m remembering the commercial for Fireball Island rather than the game itself.
The deck was somewhat stacked in my decision to back the Fireball Island remake. I am lucky enough that Restoration Games took the game on tour and I live close enough to the Secret Cabal’s Beermongers meetup so I was able to play the game before backing it. Second, I didn’t feel I had to have all the expansions so it only cost me $65. Fireball Island, despite a few faults, was a good value especially when wanting to play a lighthearted, low strategy game with my young niece.
THE ORIGINAL
The original Dark Tower is also one game I never played, but that TV commercial is stuck in my memory. Milton Bradley got Orson Welles to intone a story of his exciting experience with the game. I was intrigued by the commercial, yet the game didn’t make my Christmas list that year.
Milton Bradley brought the game to market in 1981. There was a drive for toy makers to add electronic elements to compete with early video game systems, as reported in a New York Times article from Sept. 23, 1981. A look at the 1981 Sears Christmas Wish book lists “Dark Tower” for $39.99, the same price as the “Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game”.
Game collectors who sought out the original game in recent years would pay much more than the price of the new game. I know one friend who sold a copy of Dark Tower for $350.
NOSTALGIA OR FOMO
If it is not really nostalgia for playing the original, then what is it that makes me want to back this project before I even play it? FOMO!
The curse of many a geek and collector who has acquisition disorder. The fear of missing out on the latest limited release or exclusive Kickstarter is strong. Luckily, Return to Dark Tower has no Kickstarter exclusives, but if I don’t back it now, the retail version will cost more.
I think some of my FOMO comes from the fact I didn’t experience the original as a kid. From what I’ve gathered from friends who played the original, I would have loved it.
IS RETURN TO DARK TOWER WORTH IT?
Is this new game worth it on its own merit as if the original never existed?
My conclusion is that game designers Rob Daviau and Isaac Childres, and the Restoration Games team have made an engaging and high-quality board game and app that appears to well go beyond being a gimmick. I’m still not sure, however, that Return to Dark Tower is worth the price of bowing to my sense of nostalgia or FOMO.
Restoration Games won’t be crying any tears if they don’t get my $225 pledge. They’ve far exceeded their goal of $850,000. As of Jan. 17, they’ve received over $2.3 million in pledges from nearly 14,000 backers.
The good news is I’ll still get to play Return to Dark Tower at some point since four of my truly nostalgic gaming friends have already backed it. I’m sure they’ll love it and feel the money is well spent. When I come over for game night, I’ll bring the pizza since they probably won’t be able to afford it after buying this game.
Maybe the game is worth it for you. The Kickstarter campaign has 17 days remaining to support Return to Dark Tower, so check it out.
