Steamforged Games' Resident Evil board game series brings the survival horror to your tabletop. This review covers Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3, along with their expansions.
Core Gameplay: Each game (RE1, RE2, RE3) shares similar mechanics. 1-4 players navigate locations, battling zombies and other creatures using detailed miniatures. Turns consist of Action, Reaction, and Tension phases. Combat involves dice rolling against enemy stats. The Tension phase introduces unpredictable events.
Resident Evil (The Board Game): The most refined entry, RE1 improves upon its predecessors. Players explore the Spencer Mansion, utilizing new support characters on special missions. The game uses location cards for quicker setup, and the persistent zombie corpses add a strategic layer with the introduction of Kerosene for burning bodies. This is a great starting point for newcomers.
Resident Evil: The Bleak Outpost Expansion: Six new scenarios, two new bosses (Neptune and Plant-42), and new locations like the Guard House and Aqua Ring expand the base game's replayability.
Resident Evil 2: The Board Game: The series' origin, RE2 features scenarios set in the Raccoon City Police Station and Umbrella Laboratory. Players take on the roles of Leon, Claire, Ada, or Robert. While fun, it lacks the refinements of later entries (darker tiles, some assembly issues). The linear campaign structure is also less flexible.
Resident Evil 2 Expansions:
- B-Files Expansion: Doubles the scenarios, adds new items, enemies, and the goal of escaping Mr. X.
- Malformations of G B-Files Expansion: A smaller expansion adding a Birkin Stage Three encounter.
- Survival Horror Expansion: Adds five new playable characters, enhanced versions of existing characters, new enemies, and a PvP mode.
- 4th Survivor Expansion: Introduces Hunk and Tofu as playable characters, along with new modes including a horde escape and Extreme Battle mode.
Resident Evil 3: The Board Game: Building on RE2, RE3 offers a more open-ended campaign with choices in exploration. The Danger Tracker mechanic increases difficulty as the city deteriorates. The game features Jill, Carlos, Mikhail, or Nikolai as playable characters. The map's paper quality is a minor drawback.
Resident Evil 3 Expansions:
- The Last Escape Expansion: Adds new characters (Barry, Brad, etc.), new enemies (Brain Suckers, Giant Spiders), and a permadeath mode.
- City of Ruin Expansion: Nine new scenarios set in locations like the City Hospital and Dead Factory, featuring new enemies and a Stage 3 Nemesis.
Overall, Steamforged's Resident Evil board games offer engaging survival horror experiences with varying levels of complexity and replayability. The series progressively refines its mechanics, making Resident Evil (the newest) a strong entry point, while Resident Evil 2 and 3 provide alternative starting points depending on preferred campaign structure and features.
