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GAME REVIEW: Zombies!!! (Twilight Creations Inc.)
By: Matt Sanborn
Grade (1-100): 98
Note, this game is not for young children. The cards are quite graphic, with all that that implies!
A sore loser after an intense game. |
Ever longed for a day when almost everyone on the planet died? Ever wished the dead would rise from their graves and it would be you and you alone to destroy them and survive? Sadly, that might not happen, but Zombies!!! by Twilight Creations, Inc., brings you about as close as you might ever come.
Created in the early 1990s by Todd and Kerry Breitenstein, this game is a zombie movie fan's dream come true. You play a "Shotgun man" whose only goal is to either reach the helipad to escape the zombie hoards, or destroy enough of the creatures to satisfy victory conditions. The board is created over the course of the game, with tiles that form a town. Players receive action cards with weapons and events which can be played throughout the game.
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Tokens of hearts and bullets, which keep you alive and aid you in combat respectively, are gained and lost throughout play.
The game begins with a single tile, the Town Square, and goes from there. There are places like the fire station, police station, lawn and garden supply store and gas station, where players enter to activate certain action cards to produce weapons to aid in play. (For example one enters the fire station to activate the fire axe card should they have it in their hand). Also in these places are hearts and bullets. However also in the buildings, and roadways, are very hungry zombies.
Combat is quite simple, with the player rolling a die. A result of 1-3 means you lose a heart, and a 4-6 means the zombie dies. Weapons you have in play add to your attack roll. When you kill a zombie, you place the figure in your pool, with 25 needed to win. Should you die, you lose all weapons in play, half the zombies in your pool, and return to Town Square re-gaining 3 lives and 3 bullets.
The last tile laid down is the helipad. Players must destroy all the zombies on the tile, and then enter the helicopter for victory.
Zombies!!! is a brilliant and incredibly fun game, especially if you love those types of movies. The Breitensteins are obviously from that ilk, and many of the game cards remind us strongly of something that happened in one of our favorite undead films. It is a remarkably simple game with endless possibilities and excitement. Once the helipad tile is laid down, the game becomes even more tense, and an almost palpable rush takes over the table - as there can be only one survivor...
The negatives of the game are that due to the incredible number of possibilities and a large card pool, sometimes rules can be a little vague; and if you're in a tense game, this can become a source of contention. TCI has placed a frequently asked question page on their website (www.twilightcreationsinc.com/zombies) to deal with such matters.
New players will also struggle a bit to figure out exactly how the town tiles are correctly configured and if certain squares are legal to move on. However, after a few games, this will become much more apparent.
| Now if you have a 9 or 10 year old who wants to see these movies, but shouldn’t, you could be thinking this might be a great substitute. Be warned the cards are very graphic with eviscerations, eye gouging, brain eating, and visceral mayhem abounding. Although there are no sexual images, these beautiful, full color illustrations might be a bit too intense for younger people.
You will also need three things to play which do not come with the game: a large playing surface, as the board spreads and wends its way differently every time; two-three hours to play; and a true love for zombie movies.
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A great game if you have a lot of time... Like your waiting for a heart transplant or something |
If you have all three, then I cannot recommend this game highly enough.
THE ADDITIONS
Too much of a thing like Zombies!!! is never enough. More and more supplements have arrived and are still arriving. They are:
Zombies!!! 2: Zombie Corps(e)
Score: 85
This addition gives more action cards for play, as well as a military base to explore. Instead of the last tile being the helipad, it is the entrance to the base. Inside here you will have to find the helipad, while fighting off more zombies, including government enhanced ones which (actually) glow in the dark. The rules also clarify some things from the original set. A very fun addition, especially for those who want a lot more violence and weapons.
Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers
Score: 83
Zombies in a mall? Who ever heard of that? O yeah… Well who cares because this one is a lot of fun too. The mall is on two floors, with air ducts you can crawl through to avoid the flesh eaters. There are more cards in this set, although I didn’t like all of them. The rules include two bonus scenarios, opening the game up even more. The helipad is atop the mall, but it won’t be easy, there are monsters everywhere here, even in the lingerie shop.
Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet
Score: 85
This set contains more action cards for the game. The rules also clear up more odds and ends from the original and give suggestions for creating custom decks, (such as restricting certain powerful cards from one’s deck). A nice supplement, and one you might want to get when purchasing the original, but before the others.
Zombies!!! 4: The End
Score: 90
A complete turn from the original, this is more of a standalone, as you find yourself in the woods battling undead dogs. They can come at you two at a time and move a lot faster than regular zombies. There is also no helipad here. The goal is to collect the most pages from the Book of the Undead, and undo the spell which brought these canine corpses back to life. It is, by their own admission, very much like TCI’s excellent MidEvil game, (which I will review at another time). This one moves a bit quicker than the original, and is almost as fun. Think of Evil Dead, but with dogs.
Zombies!!! 5: School’s Out Forever
Score: 95
No one thought, or hoped, 4 would be the last supplement, and fans were thankful for it. This addition adds guts tokens, which can help players keep up to five (instead of 3) cards in their hand. This is a great addition, and makes the game even more exciting and unpredictable. There are also more cards and tiles for a college campus. There are more rules clarifications and alternate rules included.
Zombies!!! 6: Six Feet Under.
Score: 96
This is another homerun for the game. We get new city tiles, including ones for subway stations, which can bring you around the board quickly. Also included are tokens for manhole covers. If you have enough lives, you can brave it in the filthy sewers away from the creatures, but this takes away one of your lives each turn you’re down there. (In my house rules, we lose half a life each turn). There are some new and alternate rules included. Just a really great addition to the game, giving it so many more dimensions to its play.
Zombies!!! 6.66: Fill in the _______________!!!
I didn’t give this a score because what you get here are blank action cards and town tiles. Now you can make your own, adding in-jokes or scenes from your favorite films. The possibilities are endless here. The cards don’t take number two pencil well, but marker and colored pencils will stick to the glossy surface. A real lot of fun if you are creative.
Zombies!!! 7: Send in the Clowns
Score: 35
What’s scarier than zombies? Clowns? How about zombie clowns!? Included in this set are zombie clown figures to really freak you out. However, this is the only set in the whole series that let me down. You start in a shifting fun house, which may or may not take some time to exit. After that, things sort of fall flat. If you want a complete collection you will want this, if not, skip this one.
Zombies!!! 8: Jailbreak!
Score: 80
This one starts you out in a prison, and you’ve gotta bust outta da joint before you can even head into the city. The rules also add a dodge combat roll for all sets, which adds another dimension to battles. There are also new cards, some of which are very humorous, but might not be for youngsters. Another very nice set.
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