Osprey Games' Undaunted: Normandy is an excellent board game that offers up a way to play our World War II on the tabletop with the "feel" of a miniatures game whilst also being inherently a board/card game. So, if you're lacking in opponents or you just want to play more Undaunted, you can now get involved with the Early Access version of Undaunted: Normandy on Steam!

Undaunted: Normandy - Digital // Bookmark Games

This digital take on Undaunted: Normandy offers up a chance to play the original game from the comfort of your computer. It uses all of the core mechanics from the board game but with a lot of the hard work now done by the computer working away behind the scenes. This means that games play out very quickly. I dove in and played the first scenario of the digital game and I think I was done in about fifteen or twenty minutes.

Undaunted: Normandy - Digital - Gameplay // Bookmark Games

The Early Access game is still in, who would have thought it, early access, meaning that there are some kinks to iron out but Undaunted: Normandy works exceptionally well. It plays at a pace and the game does well to replicate the board game experience. You can play the game with the fully 3D map (see above) but you can also turn that off (as I did) and just play using the tokens and tiles that you know from the physical game.

Undaunted: Normandy - Digital - Cards // Bookmark Games

There are additional enhancements included with the more detailed 3D map like explosions and little soldiers so it might be worth playing a game or two in that mode just to see what it offers as a game experience. Beyond that, this digital version of the game includes...

• A full recreation of the original board game.
• An original card and dice-driven mechanic make the game highly replayable.
• All scenarios from the original board game plus two additional scenarios.
• Play individual scenarios or a full campaign (on Full Release).
• Play solo against three different levels of difficulty.
• Cross-platform online multiplayer or local hot seat.
• Learn the game through a quick and engaging tutorial.
• The scenarios are rendered in beautiful 3D maps with animated units.

One of the most important things for me is the AI that you can play against, taking on the game solo. I played the first scenario on Easy and it still took me three attempts as the US in order to defeat the Germans! You are able to play against three difficulties of AI and take on the role of the Germans or the US across all of the scenarios from the original game plus two additional scenarios.

Undaunted: Normandy - Digital - Statistics Screen // Bookmark Games

Undaunted: Normandy's digital offering does what it says on the tin. It takes the board game and translates it to a new medium allowing more people to play the game. The UI needs a bit of clearing up to make it nicer to look at but, as an Early Access game, the actual base game works as intended. This IS Undaunted: Normandy and over the next year or so of Early Access, I would guess that Bookmark Games are going to be refining this until it's an absolute joy to play.

Importantly, for those new to Undaunted: Normandy, there is a good tutorial which introduces you to the core concepts of the game. Undaunted isn't a complicated set of mechanics to get your head around but it can be a little bit daunting (hah) at first. So, having the tutorial there is very important. After that, dive into the different scenarios and play through them as each side, seeing if you can come out on top!

It should also be noted that the final game will come with a campaign mode but that's about the only feature missing at the moment. You can dive in and play hot seat games, online multiplayer games or just enjoy the game solo as I've been doing.

If you like Undaunted and want to play the game more, I'd recommend diving in and getting this, even in Early Access. If you've never played Undaunted before but have wanted to give it a go. This is a great way to do so, especially if you've not got people to play against nearby.

Will you be having a crack at Undaunted: Normandy on Steam?