Today is Friday May 13th, so it's the perfect date to get another terribly good board game off the shelf. We're also having a board game party today and all our friends are there: Freddy, Jason, Chucky, even Kayako Saeki dressed up. The Boogey Man brought delicious salads and some grilled sausages. After dinner our board game session finally starts. As a horror title we chose Zombicide, which originally consisted of one Kickstarterproject was created. Zombicide is now a fixture in the horror genre; Everyone likes zombies. You can find out more about the horror board game Zombicide in the board game test below. Have fun.
Hooray, the zombies are on the loose
Zombies rarely stand out for their intelligent behavior, but rather for charging en masse towards their victims. The board game Zombicide follows this principle. 1 to 6 players take on the roles of ordinary guys just trying to survive the zombie invasion. "Quite ordinary" is of course an elastic term in a horror board game and so it is hardly surprising that the individual game characters have special abilities that are intended to simplify the cooperative struggle for survival a little. zombicide is a purely cooperative board game in which players compete against hordes of zombies. A deck of playing cards and a few simple ground rules are all it takes to have around 3 hours of horrific fun. Zombicide is therefore not only aimed at seasoned board game strategists, but also appeals to beginners. The special thing about Zombicide: Depending on the number of players, you control more than one character and try to complete missions. Of course, under difficult conditions, because the zombies are hungry and aggressive, which often stands in the way of mission success.
Because of the skills, each character actually plays differently: The defensive Phil has a pistol at his disposal right from the start, while Amy can get herself into advantageous positions more quickly with an additional movement action. The slippery Josh, on the other hand, even rushes over zombie-occupied fields. Sounds cool and it is, because it encourages tactically clever approaches.
But that's not all: For eliminating zombies, the game characters receive XP in a typical role-playing game, i.e. experience points that they increase in three levels each. With each additional character level you can unlock further individual skills. Anyone who has ever played the co-op shooter Left 4 Dead knows what is coming next. Zombies are not just zombies, they stand out due to their different preferences: there are leisurely strollers, nimble runners and self-explanatory fatties. They are all hungry, just differently agile. Zombies move once per turn. What kind of zombie appears next is determined by the deck of cards. When moving, zombies orient themselves according to a simple sequence. Either they run towards survivors, if they see any, or they head for the closest sound. So in Zombicide, noise plays an elementary role.
Fortunately, the missions your player is supposed to complete are quite varied. There are also on the official Website Replenishment in the form of free missions.
So you can guess that the quite high price of over 60 euros is completely okay if you include the long-term entertainment value in the bill. Zombie board game fans should grab it right now.
Much more zombies: Season 2 and Season 3
When the motivation to get the Zombicide base game off the shelf slowly fades, it's time to check out the expansions. It works now Horror board game into the third season. Shortly after the release of the main game (Season 1), the add-on appeared as part of the first expansion season (Season 2) Prison outbreak. The berserker zombies, which demand all of their tactical skills from the human players, are introduced as the central game element in this expansion. The expansion was also released as part of the 2nd season Toxic City Mallwho sends you player to a zombie-infested mall. The piece of jewelery in the striking blue packaging was closed at the same time Prison outbreak funded through Kickstarter.
With poison zombies and an insanely cool ultra-red mode, the entertainment value is taken to the next level. The Zombicide expansions of Season 3 also bring you a bunch of new missions: Morgue street and Angry Neighbors. In addition to zombie nests and the new drought zombies, players can now fight each other in the so-called competition mode. Angry Neighbors introduces the seekers as a new species of zombie. Companions and the ability to build barricades offer you completely new strategic approaches. And if you are more into fantasy, you will find the base game Zombicide: Black Plague including add-on Wulfburg the right alternative. Zombies in the Middle Ages: even George RR Martin is amazed.
Infobox
Number of players: 1 to 6 players
Age: from 14 years
Playing time: 120 to 180 minutes
Difficulty: medium
Long-term motivation: high
Publisher: Asmodee ►
Year of publication: 2013
Authors: Raphaël Guiton, Jean-Baptiste Lullien, Nicolas Raoult
Language: German
Cost: 70 Euro
Conclusion
Zombicide lives primarily from its trashy charm, which is reminiscent of equally trashy zombie films. Fans of the genre immediately feel at home anyway. Fans of the more subtle horror should at least take a look, because as a cooperative board game Zombicide ensures many an entertaining hour. The easy entry also makes Zombicide an ideal title for beginners. The first sense of achievement is not long in coming, and motivation skyrockets. Zombicide is one of those titles that you regularly pull off the shelf. The presentation of the board game is also more than successful. The optics are convincing, the illustrations are reminiscent of high-quality zombie comics and are lovingly drawn down to the last detail. The extensions to Zombicide also ensure long-term fun. Horror pleasure at the highest level.