Horrified

RRP: £39.99
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RRP £39.99
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Get ready to take on some of the most iconic monsters from classic Universal Studios films as you struggle to protect the innocent and save your town from certain doom. Horrified is a light co-operative game for up to 5 players (Including solo) ages 10 and up, and features a mix of strategic movement and pick-up and delivery mechanics, whilst the threat of several monsters continuou…
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Get ready to take on some of the most iconic monsters from classic Universal Studios films as you struggle to protect the innocent and save your town from certain doom. Horrified is a light co-operative game for up to 5 players (Including solo) ages 10 and up, and features a mix of strategic movement and pick-up and delivery mechanics, whilst the threat of several monsters continuously lurk towards you and the innocent victims of the town.  

The objective of Horrified is simple, figure all active monsters weaknesses and defeat them. You can play against 2, 3 or 4 monsters simultaneously, allowing for an adaptable difficulty for every match. Defeating the monsters is no easy feat however, with the 4-monster mode being suitable for only the toughest of monster hunters. Once the active monsters have been confirmed (The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Werewolf, Mr & Mrs Frankenstein’s monster), your team will set off around a simple map of the town, collecting various tokens that will help you defeat the monsters.  

Players can choose between several different characters to play as. Each one plays slightly different from each other, and may provide a special ability, such as teleporting directly to another player, or having more actions to use. Use each action point well, because after every single player turn, it’s the monsters’ turn to wreck havok.  

A single card is flipped from an enemy event deck after every turn, and these will all have different consequences. Each card will allow specific villains to move one or more steps closer to a player, or an innocent bystander. Should the creatures be close enough however, they may attack anything on the same space as them. Whilst players will have some small defence, these event cards may also spawn bystanders within the village, who require escorting to different locations by a player piece.  Should you not reach them in time, monsters will move in and strike, instantly killing them. Should more than 7 bystanders or players die, then its game over and the monsters win! 

Each villain has a specific set of instructions that players must follow in order to defeat them. Going up against Dracula? You must search the board and destroy four coffins before plunging a stake in his heart. Fighting The Mummy? Spend tokens to attempt to life the curse before making him vulnerable to attack. Mix up each playthrough with different combinations of monsters to keep a good variety in every game you play. The game carries on until all monsters are defeated, or the event deck runs out. It’s a true test of speed and wits against Universals most beloved villains.  

Players: 1-5 

Time: 45 – 60 minutes 

Age: 10+ 

Awards

Stunning Artwork

Rating

  • Artwork
  • Complexity
  • Replayability
  • Player Interaction
  • Component Quality

You Might Like

  • Theme, Theme and More Theme
  • Rulebook and Setup
  • Time to play
  • Player to Player Interaction

Might Not Like

  • Play can feel repetitive
  • Monster Components
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Description

Get ready to take on some of the most iconic monsters from classic Universal Studios films as you struggle to protect the innocent and save your town from certain doom. Horrified is a light co-operative game for up to 5 players (Including solo) ages 10 and up, and features a mix of strategic movement and pick-up and delivery mechanics, whilst the threat of several monsters continuously lurk towards you and the innocent victims of the town.  

The objective of Horrified is simple, figure all active monsters weaknesses and defeat them. You can play against 2, 3 or 4 monsters simultaneously, allowing for an adaptable difficulty for every match. Defeating the monsters is no easy feat however, with the 4-monster mode being suitable for only the toughest of monster hunters. Once the active monsters have been confirmed (The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, Werewolf, Mr & Mrs Frankenstein's monster), your team will set off around a simple map of the town, collecting various tokens that will help you defeat the monsters.  

Players can choose between several different characters to play as. Each one plays slightly different from each other, and may provide a special ability, such as teleporting directly to another player, or having more actions to use. Use each action point well, because after every single player turn, it’s the monsters’ turn to wreck havok.  

A single card is flipped from an enemy event deck after every turn, and these will all have different consequences. Each card will allow specific villains to move one or more steps closer to a player, or an innocent bystander. Should the creatures be close enough however, they may attack anything on the same space as them. Whilst players will have some small defence, these event cards may also spawn bystanders within the village, who require escorting to different locations by a player piece.  Should you not reach them in time, monsters will move in and strike, instantly killing them. Should more than 7 bystanders or players die, then its game over and the monsters win! 

Each villain has a specific set of instructions that players must follow in order to defeat them. Going up against Dracula? You must search the board and destroy four coffins before plunging a stake in his heart. Fighting The Mummy? Spend tokens to attempt to life the curse before making him vulnerable to attack. Mix up each playthrough with different combinations of monsters to keep a good variety in every game you play. The game carries on until all monsters are defeated, or the event deck runs out. It’s a true test of speed and wits against Universals most beloved villains.  

Players: 1-5 

Time: 45 – 60 minutes 

Age: 10+ 

I have been into the board game hobby for around 10 years now. This is all thanks to my brother-in-law and a certain little card game with a big impact called Citadels! Both, as a result, have cost me a small fortune.

I like all types of board gaming, particular favourites include the co-op mechanism. I am a Halloween fanatic, so when I first heard about Horrified back in late 2019, of course, my first port of call was Zatu Games’ friends Tom and Zee the “Dice Tower Boys” on YouTube. Before I purchase any new game, I always find their reviews honest and helpful. They liked it which helped. Ravensburger the publisher has also had a previous hit available on the Zatu website, which is JAWS. Having played and enjoyed this, it was now a must that I get my hands on Horrified.

So, to the Zatu Website with my debit card ready. However, this game was like gold dust. Not only not available on Zatu, but not available in the UK as a whole. Now I had a problem. A co-op game with many of my favourite classic monsters (Dracula, The Wolfman and Frankenstein to name a few), a game that looked great and I was dying to play. I bit the bullet and ordered internationally.

After a couple of weeks, the game arrived.  Finally… Let’s play! A lot of you may have this next problem (a nice Problem to have… most of the time). My wife and I have 2 children, a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, which obviously puts board gaming on hold a lot of the time!

So after that long intro (thank you for staying with me!), I am going to review the game, having played it with my wife, and then follow up with a small paragraph to review having played it with both my wife and 5-year-old son.

Grown-Up Review

First off, what I will say, is this game is on the light side. So if you are into your heavy co-ops, take this into account.  However if like me, you like all types of co-ops, this game is a win-win.  The main mechanism is a pickup and delivery approach to winning the game.

The artwork is awesome and immerses you in the atmosphere of the game itself. This is notable straight away when opening the game box and being greeted with a monstrous message. Key to note, it’s not as dark as games such as Arkham Horror and Elder Sign. Let’s not kid ourselves, by modern standards the classic monsters will always seem a little tame and goofy. But overall, they are still fun and likeable.

Setup and the rulebook make sense, which is a must. Within 5-10 minutes we were ready to play. For your first game, it is recommended you pick just two monsters out of a choice of six.

Each of the six monsters in the game has unique conditions that players must complete in order to defeat them and win the game. In a standard game, you’ll face off against three monsters. Two for easy, as mentioned. It is recommended you do this for your first go at the game. Finally four for hard. Each player chooses a hero to control and the board is then added with a dozen items that will need acquiring throughout the game to defeat the monsters. More items are added throughout the game.

The heroes have a number of actions depending on their abilities. Some have more than others but there are also special actions that differ for each hero. It’s key to note here that the choice in heroes and monsters give this game great replayability. Multiple games, even with the same monsters in play, never feel the same.

After you have taken all your actions, you then draw a monster card. These show how many items are added to the board, an event that may need to be resolved, and which monsters move and attack heroes or villagers. This is achieved through dice rolling (1-3 dice depending on the monster card). If a villager is hit, they die and the terror track increases. If a hero is hit, they may discard any item (if available) to avoid further damage to the terror track, which if hits zero/the skull, you lose the game.

To conclude, I cannot express the fun we have had with this game from both an adult and family game perspective. Play-time is around 40-60 minutes depending on the number of monsters you are playing with.

The game is fun and engaging, even when it is not your turn. Being a fun co-op, you are engaged throughout.

The Kid-Friendly Review

The thing I love about modern board gaming, and co-ops, in particular, is that it really allows kids to get into the hobby whilst learning key skills, such as organising and preparing actions.

Horrified really gets a child’s brain ticking, mainly because it’s fun. The theme is great, not scary for kids but cool. The artwork really adds to this experience.

With a little help throughout, our son had no issues playing this game and towards the end was actually telling me and my wife what the best options were on our turns!

Let’s be honest, adults are just big kids. And what’s more fun than hunting down classic monsters?

Editors note: This blog was originally published on January 23rd, 2020. Updated on October 13th, 2021 to improve the information available.

Let me take you back in time.
It won’t take long, I promise.

Late ’80s. There’s a boy of eleven or thereabouts and he always makes sure that he’s in bed by nine, lights out, square portable tv on. What a time to be alive! BBC2 would start the night off with a bang: Blackadder, or a repeat of The Young Ones, or the greatest show to grace the screens, Red Dwarf. Over to Channel 4 afterwards for the latest American sitcom – usually an episode of Roseanne or Cheers – and then as the dead of night approached, a lucky dip. Either stick with Channel 4 for part of a Godzilla or Jackie Chan season (this before both became mainstream in the West), or back to BBC2 for a chilling treat that could send your quilt up over your nose for protection. We’re talking Hammer horror or something from the Universal stable, the kind of movies that shape you, movies with creature designs that live inside you forever. I couldn’t get enough. Long after the movie finished I’d be playing the story over in my head, reliving the terrors, wondering what on earth I would do if faced with the frothing Wolfman or the strangulous Mummy (yes, strangulous is now a word, because I said so).

The make-up designs of these monsters goes beyond iconic: they’ve become part of our cultural DNA. Say ‘Frankenstein’s Monster’ or ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’ to someone and you’ll most likely both picture the same creature. This, then, is the instant appeal of Horrified, a strongly-themed cooperative game that leans hard on the appeal of Universal’s golden age IP.

No doubt about it, this is a fabulous work of art. You could set a horror movie at every one of these locations.

From the second I lifted the lid, Horrified’s theme shone through. The entire product oozes atmosphere. On the back of one section of the game board – and facing you as you open the box – there’s a warning message that invokes that tremulous feeling you get as the movie begins. As for the unfolded game board itself? A fabulous piece of art. We’re immediately in a moodily-lit village that’s been cobbled together Frankenstein-style from a greatest hits collection of ’40s horror sets. There’s an elegant mansion, an isolated barn, the ominous laboratory, the grisly graveyard. Plenty of variety for your characters to visit during their frantic quest. The player characters and NPCs are perfectly acceptable standees. However, my first impressions were somewhat dented by the stars of the show themselves.

The monster minifigs are… good. And that’s disappointing.

See, I was drawn to the game by the theme and by the execution of that theme. A shame, then, that I found the miniatures of the monsters to be a bit of a let-down. They’re good, and you can tell which creature is which, and their poses are suitably dynamic: Dracula is a split-second from swooping upon a neck, Frankenstein’s monster has the gait down to a tee. Unfortunately the finer physical detail is lacking and their size is somewhat underwhelming. These guys (and gal) are the headliners, and I can’t help wishing for miniatures that were a level or two up in definition.
It’s a minor niggle, I know. But we’re here for the monsters. It’s like seeing the zipper up the back of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. It might only be for a moment, but it can take you out of the atmosphere.
Right. Let’s get to it.

1st Playthrough

Set up proved to be fairly swift. Even during the first playthrough it seemed straightforward, no big confusions, and by your third or fourth playthrough you’ll get set up in no time. This is aided by the fact that the hero and monster cards have very clear information on which pieces are required for each particular creature and where these pieces go. We opted (wisely, for once) to play the tutorial mode which recommends using Dracula and the Creature from the Black Lagoon on your initial run. These monsters are considered lower complexity (don’t take it personally, dudes) and are therefore ideal for learning the game’s mechanics.

The first surprise for us, and one that’s a direct symptom of ogling the pretty pictures on the box instead of reading those squiggly word-thingies: this game does not involve one player as the monsters while they hunt for heroes to eat. It’s a cooperative game of players versus monsters, and it caused us to pause as we wondered how this could possibly work. I’ll state this loud and proud: we are pure-as-fresh-snow newbies and we have stumbled head-long into a world of boardgames we didn’t know existed. How could a shuffled deck of event cards command the monsters and create an effective game experience?

What do you mean, the game is controlled by an AI? There’s no computer or tablet in sight, how can a deck of cards be considered AI? (I know, so many questions. You should have seen the furrowed brows, they could have dug trenches.) Well, as long as you follow a couple of rules and resist the urge to fudge them – for example, the monsters will always move towards the closest human and will challenge hero characters before they eat villagers – then it actually works as well as you could hope. The dungeon master, or director in this case, comes in the box. All you have to do is survive. Trust the game to do its thing and you’ll have a great time.

We’re in full flow! And probably making loads of mistakes

The second surprise for us clueless newbies to get our heads around was the lack of dice for movement. Nothing to roll, no spinners to flick. There was a moment – honestly – when we suspected the game makers had either forgotten to put the dice in, or they’d been left out to cut costs. No, you fools! Each hero character has a set number of actions they can take per turn, as indicated on their character card, usually four actions. You can move one space for one action, or persuade nearby villagers to follow you, or take one attempt per action to tackle a monster’s puzzle as long as you’re on the correct space. There’s a handy little reference card for each player to remind them of the possible actions, and after about ten minutes of fumbling and bumbling the systems clicked and we transitioned from confused learning to having fun.

Even in this tutorial-style easy mode, some genuine tension cranked up midway through the game. Both monsters were closing in, a couple of villagers were in perilous positions, one of us was cornered, and some serious thought and forward-planning was required. Priorities were challenged: save the villagers, retreat and harvest more items to beat the monsters with later, or smash one of Dracula’s coffins right now and risk a face-off with the toothy old bat himself? This is where the game’s potential shone through. These are classic horror movie set pieces, and they unfold organically as a result of player decisions, the relentless prey-drive of the monsters and the chaotic results of card draws. What a moment it would have been with a storm lashing at the windows!

Soon after, however, Dracula was rapidly dispatched, leaving a lone Creature from the Black Lagoon to tromp around in circles before receiving a severe trouncing. The worry emerged that perhaps the game was too easy once all that lovely tension drained away. A reminder, then, that this was easy mode and designed to introduce the mechanics in preparation for the game proper. The manual recommends three monsters for normal mode, and four if you’ve got a few bolts loose.

2nd Playthrough, and Solo

I hear what you’re asking. How does a standard round play out? Short answer is that it’s a fair bit livelier. In fact, it’s got all that lovely tension and drama in spades. It becomes the Universal monster team up that they never filmed, and you’re in it! (I mean, okay, technically there was a team up, in 1987’s The Monster Squad, but I digress.)

The first thing you notice is that the increased monster count means more likelihood of monster movement. With just two monsters in play there’s always a chance that neither moves. With three or four monsters you could, for example, find that the Mummy moves, then the Invisible Man, and the Mummy again if the frenzied icon is on the card and the Mummy himself is currently in frenzy mode. Or perhaps the drawn card dictates that Dracula, Wolfman and then the Creature from the Black Lagoon should move and you happen to have all three in the game. If you have four enemies in the game then each card drawn means you’re almost definitely going to get two monsters or more on the move.

With additional monsters prowling around, those hapless villagers find themselves in additional trouble, and thus the gameplay becomes frantic. Players will hand off villagers to one another, or pass vital items to another hero so that they can tackle the monster, and this is where the cooperative element of the game gets a boost. Plans and schemes are cobbled together on the fly, in the same manner as desperate characters in the midpoint of a horror film, flimsy plans that are bound to go wrong. Close escapes and tough scrapes ensue. With Horrified, you get exactly what you came for.

Surrounded! Oh, how has it come to this…

Often – too often for my liking – the tension doesn’t last all the way through the game. Playing against three monsters we found that the same issue arose as in easy mode. The front half of the playthrough held all the excitement and close calls. The Professor (my character obviously) ran into trouble immediately, and struggled to get out of it due to the cards drawn, and a couple of villagers popped up at very unfortunate moments, causing the doom track to edge along. However, as soon as Wolf man was defeated, the Mummy fell shortly after and that left the Invisible Man with little to do. It became a simple matter of working together to collect the correct items and absorbing a few hits, and victory was assured.

I’m contemplating the introduction of a homebrew rule in the hope of maintaining tension throughout the game, particularly when left with a solitary monster. This final enemy would be driven to new heights of fury upon seeing it’s gruesome pals defeated, right? A double-frenzy rule would give the final monster two movement and attack actions when the frenzy icon appears on a drawn card. The last act of any horror film should contain a desperate confrontation where all could be lost, and Horrified should feel the same. As the game currently stands, the tipping point during gameplay often arrives too early.

The fact that the monsters are controlled by the deck means that the solo game functions just as well as the multiplayer co-op version, and is equally fun. I haven’t attempted true solo – I can imagine a single hero having a spectacularly tough time as several monsters converge upon them, and I’d be interested to know if anyone has tried this (someone’s hardcore enough, I’m sure). It’s a slick solo experience whichever way you choose to set up (Wolfman and the Mummy perhaps? Throw in the Invisible Man for good measure?) and I found myself swept up by the atmosphere. This is an accessible game that you’ll want to share with friends and the whole family (don’t worry about the monsters: it’s a bloodless affair).

Conclusion

There’s a question mark over the replayability of this game. The easy, standard and hard modes (2, 3 and 4 monsters respectively) provide some challenging variety, and each monster has its own unique mechanics, but it won’t be long before you know them off by heart and the challenge will wane. My own guesstimate is that you’ll enjoy a dozen or so games for about a month, a month and a half, and then Horrified will show its face every Halloween as part of a themed games night. Think of it like an annual curse that must be defeated every October 31st. It’ll be an exciting adventure in which you dust off old tactics and smash those coffins and flee from the Wolfman’s hunt… and as the night rolls to an end the game shall return to its slumber, awaiting the next All Hallow’s Eve to rise again.

Every single game piece works within the theme.

A lack of expansions seems like a missed opportunity here. Perhaps if the game had been constructed so that each monster had its own individual card deck then the complexity and possibilities for adding additional creatures could have opened up. Then again, this would have moved the fundamental design away from Horrified’s positioning as a gateway game to the broader hobby, so what do I know? Horrified: American Monsters and Horrified: Greek Monsters are standalone rethemed games, and purchasing the complete trio is perhaps only for the strongest fans (and if you can get away with bringing that many board games into your home at once, please send your tips and tricks my way).
Is Horrified good value for the RRP of £39.99? That to me seems a touch high. If you can get it for less (you’re on Zatu Games’s website right now, hint hint) then it’s a firm yes, because the theme bleeds through every part of this product and it is ghoulish fun while it lasts.

Heed some parting advice, my boardgaming fiends. Get the garlic salt from the back of the cupboard and sprinkle it across your thresholds (woah, go easy, that’s a couple of quid a pot), never invite anyone in even if they bring pizza, and if you hear a tap-tap-tapping at the bedroom window… check ya neck.

Zatu Score

Rating

  • Artwork
  • Complexity
  • Replayability
  • Player Interaction
  • Component Quality

You might like

  • Theme, Theme and More Theme
  • Rulebook and Setup
  • Time to play
  • Player to Player Interaction

Might not like

  • Play can feel repetitive
  • Monster Components