Resident Evil: Unveiling the Best Board Games

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 (optimally 2) navigate locations, battling zombies and other creatures using detailed miniatures. Turns consist of Action, Reaction, and Tension phases. Combat involves dice rolls against enemy stats. The Tension phase introduces unpredictable events.

Resident Evil (The Board Game): This latest entry refines the series. Players explore the Spencer Mansion, using support characters on side missions. The modular board, built with cards, streamlines setup. A new resource, Kerosene, is used to burn zombie corpses, preventing their return as stronger Red Zombies. This is the recommended starting point for new players.

Resident Evil: The Bleak Outpost (Expansion): Adds six scenarios, two bosses (Neptune and Plant-42), and new locations.

Resident Evil 2: The Board Game: The series' origin, set in the Raccoon City Police Station. Players take on the roles of Leon, Claire, Ada, or Robert, facing Lickers, Zombie Dogs, and Birkin across eight scenarios. While fun, it lacks the refinements of later entries (darker tiles, some assembly issues).

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: Adds a Birkin Stage Three encounter, played alongside B-Files.
• Survival Horror Expansion: Adds five characters, enhanced versions of existing characters, new enemies, and a PvP mode. Highly recommended.
• 4th Survivor Expansion: Introduces Hunk and Tofu as playable characters, along with new modes. The Tofu miniature is a highlight.

Resident Evil 3: The Board Game: Builds upon RE2, offering a more open-ended campaign. Players choose from Jill, Carlos, Mikhail, or Nikolai, facing Nemesis in the ruined Raccoon City. A Danger Tracker mechanic increases difficulty as the city deteriorates. The scenario map, however, is less polished than other components.

Resident Evil 3 Expansions:

• The Last Escape Expansion: Adds new characters (Barry, Brad, etc.), monsters (Brain Suckers, Giant Spiders), and a permadeath mode.
• City of Ruin Expansion: Nine new scenarios in locations like the City Hospital and Dead Factory, introducing new enemies and a Stage 3 Nemesis.

Overall: The Resident Evil board game series offers engaging survival horror experiences. While Resident Evil 2 shows its age slightly, Resident Evil is the most refined and a great entry point. Expansions significantly increase replayability.