Steamforged Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: Core Game

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Resource management, rising tension, jump scares, atmospheric environments, narrative, isolation, strategic depth of movement. For us, it’s vital that any tabletop game feels as close to the source material as possible — whether that’s directly translating mechanics, or trying to capture and evoke the same player emotions in a way that makes sense on the tabletop. Resident Evil 3 is a challenging and intense co-operative experience. Despite a lengthly set up, fiddly tokens and at times harshly difficult, it is a fantastic adaption of one of the pioneers of the survival horror genre. In Resident Evil 3: The Board Game, we recreated Raccoon City as an open world for you to explore, creating a responsive game state that changes with your choices and forces you to navigate through an evolving nightmare.

If you’re new to tabletop survival horror, welcome — you’re in good company! There’s already a thriving Resident Evil tabletop community, which you can join right here . Tension cards change the game state to keep you guessing at what will happen next, and immerse you in the fight for survival. Combat is unavoidable at times and ammo isn’t exactly common later on in the scenarios. There is also no guarantee that you will kill the enemy you shoot, like many Steamforged Games, the combat is dice roll-based on a tier system; the stronger the weapon, the higher the tier of the dice associated to it. Many enemies only need one shot on them to kill them, but rolling that double hit marker result isn’t guaranteed, and spending three turns missing or simply staggering the enemy can be infuriating. Fail to escape and you’ll inevitably have the opposition trying to nibble on your insides.As a huge fan of Capcom’s horror game, I have fond memories of playing the PlayStation classic. I also enjoyed Steamforged Games’ previous entry in the franchise; Resident Evil 2. And with each board game, we’ve iterated on the survival horror engine and mechanics to create a deeper, darker, and more immersive experience. Gameplay too is very close. Although the major difference is that this game supports up to 4 players rather than being a solo adventure it still manages to recreate the horror and survival feeling of the video game. There’s this constant idea that the camera is on you,” Matthews said, “but that doesn’t mean stuff isn’t happening elsewhere in the mansion.” Image: Steamforged Games

The original game’s B-Files were a core element of the story; it added depth, gave answers and explained what happened to the other survivors of the G-Virus incident. This expansion is an excellent reflection of that side to the story. The inclusion of Mr X’s mechanic to simply burst into a scenario keeps you on your toes more than the core game. It makes it less about clearing rooms and more about keeping a clear focus.The main new mechanic for this expansion is the introduction of Mr X. Unlike other enemies within the game, his pursuit is relentless and he appears in every scenario. His only goal is to kill you and the other survivors, and he is pretty good at his job! The introduction of Mr X into a scenario is done through the encounter table or through specific Tension Cards. Either way, you’re not going to be able to avoid him for long!

So, whether you’re here to see what’s different or curious whether tabletop Resident Evil is right for you, welcome! Let’s see what Sherwin, Lead Designer, has to share...

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There's a lot to digest when you first open the box, especially if you're a newcomer. I found that setup still takes a considerable amount of time - this definitely isn't one you'll be whipping out on a whim. It's made a little easier by the fact that the tiles are simple shapes, so you just need to find the right layout rather than digging through for specific pieces. However, getting everything out and ready sometimes stretches just beyond that sweet spot of anticipation. Because, just like the video games, each board game is a standalone, self-contained experience with its own story and secrets to uncover. Are you brave enough to explore this strange world and face these two huge new bosses, so large they take up multiple squares? As you can probably tell, Resident Evil: The Board Game has a constantly evolving game state that requires you to think on your feet. Every turn is about looking at the board and deciding which resource is more valuable to you — your health and recovery items, or your ammunition, as you work out how to overcome the odds.

Built on the survival horror engine of the previous two board games, it introduces a slew of new and updated mechanics to keep you on your toes. If you’ve played the Resident Evil 2 or 3 board games, you’ll already have an idea of the basic mechanics for this game. And if you’ve never played a Resident Evil board game in your life, but you’re thinking of dipping your toe into the tabletop world of survival horror, you’re in for a treat.My two biggest concerns for this tabletop game were; will it capture the essence of the video game and what will it do differently from the previous game? Scenes Of Explicit Violence And Gore Despite this more organised approach the game does take a little bit of time to get to the table, using the scenario book provided to lay out the map can take some time. There are plenty of tokens like doors, barrels and enemies to place. Playing through Resident Evil the Board Game felt like slipping into a warm comfy sweater of nostalgia. I was able to play through the tutorial mission and the first campaign mission and loved every second of it. The insert for this game, while still not being perfect, is an improvement over the previous entry. Slots for many zombie enemies, monsters, characters and of course, Nemesis himself hold the miniatures in place nicely. Spaces for the item, tension and event cards plus all the tokens mean the games set up time is reduced. With each Resident Evil board game, we’ve iterated on the survival horror engine, fleshing it out and adding new mechanics to evolve your experience. Every time you delve into the tabletop world of Resident Evil, it needs to feel fresh but familiar — just as it does with each new video game release.