Zombicide Dark Side

Dark Side serves as an alternative to the generic Zombicide invader boxed game and a prequel in terms of story. It features Green Squad. An elite group of soldiers trapped in the Xenium mines of PK-L7. It is also fully compatible with the other Zombicide Invader core set and as such comes with alternative xeno types. It also has its own tiles and unique mechanic in the form of low visibility areas.

The tiles generally come split into two types of area. Inside areas which are fully lit and can feature armory rooms allowing you to search for new weapons as well as items. There are also the outside areas which are perpetually dark. This means that line of sight is dramatically reduced and renders a good deal of ranged attacks useless.

There are however some new tools to mitigate this. There are skills and item cards that can illuminate areas or grant nightvision. There are also new drones that can be operated via the remote item card or manually by being on the same area. These drones ignore darkness and have some devastating firepower but they are also particularly flimsy and once lost are gone for good.

There is a definite tactical element to choosing the best time to implement their overwhelming firepower. Firepower itself is something that will be lacking. The darkness limits ranged attacks and you will only be able to properly scavenge new weaponry on specific interior areas which is a change from previous zombicide games. Even if you find one of the more powerful weapons you may well need to find the energy cells necessary to fire it.

Also, there are melee weapons that will likely be your best friend when going into the dark and there are some terrific options to choose from including hammers, chainsaws and various mining implements. Another big change from previous Zombicide games is that your characters have multiple life points and armour so they can take more punishment. But it also means a game over if you lose a single character so there is no more room for heroic sacrifices which is fairly common in the existing titles and arguably one of the best bits.

Components

The Dark Side components are all of a very high quality. You get a wealth of tokens, a stack of large double sided map tiles and a gluttony of minis. The alien sculpts and designs are solid and I personally prefer them to the base core set versions. They also have slightly different rules so they can be mixed with the core set aliens as well.

The variety of poses is decent and the tooling is also nice with minimal flash lines. The survivors have a solid design of heavily armour and weaponry but a few of the weapons are on the thinner side and warp. Although this can be remedied with hot water and a plunge in an ice bath. The other minis include drones, abominations and runners. These are all good and show their purpose clearly. They also paint up well and have some nice detail that shows up easily.

The box artwork is by the venerable Adrian Smith and has his trademark style. The other aesthetic elements are also in the same vein and it all fits together into a very visually appealing game.

It is also worth noting how clean and well presented the rulebook is. CMON seem to have hit the nail on the head when producing their zombicide instruction manuals and the rules are clear for both a newcomer and a veteran player alike. Although you will need to be sure you pick up on the small changes from previous Zombicide boxes.

Another thing to consider is that some planning was definitely put into the box inserts and packing. The minis are all included in plastic inserts, with a guide to identify where they fit. The cards, dice and tokens all fit into their own slots and the entire thing has a nice ammo crate/sealed box finish to it. All very thematic and practical. The player cards also have a nice sci-fi plastic block that tracks their information from health points to weapon slots and even inventory space. It is a nice addition that feels very premium but also helps when playing the game.

Rules Impressions

The game differs from regular Zombicide but on a basic level. You blast aliens while inside, hack up aliens while in the darkness, find loot, level up and blow up anything in your way. It feels more like Doom than a zombie survival and in my opinion that is a welcome change and fills a chainsaw shaped void In the boardgames world.

There is something very satisfying about lighting up an entire corridor of xenos and using the door controls to block off areas so you can escape through. Due to the added armour and powerful weaponry it does evoke the feel of an elite team plunged deep into an alien hive. It is instantly reminiscent of Aliens.

It also sets itself apart from the other base game. The regular zombicide invader feels more like Zombicide in Space while Zombicide Dark Side feels more like a tighter knitted alien blasting experience. Despite using the same core rules it is gratifying that they are able to create two very different feeling games.

Final Thoughts

Zombicide Invader: Dark Side does not reinvent the wheel but it does take the wheel and put it on a much more interesting race track. The zombie blasting is replaced with xenos in tight corridors and it makes for an enjoyable experience. It is a tried and tested formulae and it works for a good reason.

Mowing down various mobs of alien invaders with a big guy in power armour is intrinsically appealing. It scratches an itch and for that reason Dark Side is the good choice for two reasons. It is a good entry point into the franchise but it also stands on its own perfectly well. It is the same zombicide formulae but implemented in a much tighter and rewarding experience. It is that good blend of old and new that might be the best zombicide experience available.

It also offers enough variety in the base box that it feels complete without the literal horde of kickstarter extras which often bloat the game out uncomfortably long. If you like shooting zombies then it may even be a little too far removed and it does boggle the mind slightly why they decided the aliens/xenos must also be zombies but brand recognition is a definite factor. So, if you want to grab a chainsaw, a BFG and some grenades, then go ahead and jump into the horrors of PK-L7. It’s a trip worth taking. Just remember the grenades…