Melding Undead Classics Together
Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game, a new standalone addition to the Zombicide franchise, will bring two great horror franchises together. The George A. Romero movie set the standard for zombie movies. Meanwhile, Zombicide set the standard for cooperative zombie-fighting games. Both were filled with groundbreaking innovations. Bringing the two together has brought more innovations to bear. In this article, we’re taking a look at some of the new elements in Zombicide that make it a loving homage to the movie that started it all.
In Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game, players take on the role of the movie’s main characters, holed up in an isolated house while the dead come to life all around them. The original movie sees the few survivors hunkering for safety in the house as the ghouls, as they’re called in the film, pose a continuous threat from outside. It’s a tense psychological thriller full of gritty moods and dark themes. We’ve mixed this with Zombicide’s action as the survivors take the fight to the hordes of the undead. There are several ways that the game blends these two together.
For example, the game’s tiles recreate not only the interior of the house, but also the surrounding land. Fans of the movie will see that the house has been lovingly recreated in detail and they’ll be able to pick out specific elements from the film on the game board. This recreation has been updated with Zombicide’s usual movement system, with different spaces delineated for gameplay.
The zombies (or, more appropriately, ghouls) have also been reworked to fit a more Night of the Living Dead feel. Zombicide players will recognize the Walkers and Fatties from previous games, however, they will now have to deal with new threats in the form of Breakers and Ghoul Relatives. Yes, Runners and Abominations have been removed from the game! But players shouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. Breakers can, as the name suggests, break through the barricades that the survivors have created. What was once thought a safe haven will no longer be once a Breaker ghoul has its way. Meanwhile, Ghoul Relatives represent characters that the survivors had once known in life. Their appearance will cause mental anguish to the survivors. It’s not easy to have to shoot someone you’ve known and loved. The addition of these two new ghouls will pose different, and arguably more dangerous, types of threats. Using old tactics will not be feasible in these new games. Forget what you know about Zombicide’s main antagonists.
The survivors are also getting a revamp to make them fit with the original movie. Survivors will come with double-sided ID cards. On one side, there is the Romero Mode version. On the other is the Zombicide Mode version. The Romero Mode closely relates to the version of the character seen in the movie. These aren’t hardened ghoul-hunting professionals. They are everyday people who have been thrust into a strange and frightening situation. During the course of the game, players might be able to flip their ID card to the Zombicide Mode side by using teamwork and trusting their fellow survivors. Doing so represents a sort of “What If” scenario where the survivors change from being frightened individuals into ghoul-hunters. This side is much more akin to what regular Zombicide players know and love. But don’t get too comfortable, because staying in Zombicide Mode isn’t a guarantee. The presence of a Ghoul Relative flips everyone back to Romero Mode. Things can revert back and forth several times during the game. Being cautious and flexible with one’s game plan is vital.
These are but some of the aspects that are new and different in Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game. The designers have been working long and hard to bring players a game that is both faithful to the original work whilst making sure it’s also full of the fun and action players have come to expect from Zombicide.
Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the launch of the Night of the Living Dead: A Zombicide Game Kickstarter campaign.
