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 (1-4 players, best with 2) features similar mechanics. Players navigate locations (dark passages, streets, labs) using tiles, encountering detailed miniatures of iconic creatures and heroes. Turns consist of Action, Reaction, and Tension phases. Actions include movement, door manipulation, item searching, trading, item use, and combat. Reaction involves enemy movement and attacks, with dice rolls determining success or failure. The Tension phase draws cards that introduce unexpected events. Combat uses dice rolls compared to weapon stats, with the risk of attracting nearby enemies. The games offer multiple scenarios playable as standalone sessions or a linked campaign.

Resident Evil: The Board Game

MSRP: $114.99 USD Players: 1-4 (best with 2) Play Time: 60-90 minutes (per scenario) Ages: 14+

This refined entry improves on its predecessors. Players explore the Spencer Mansion with characters like Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, alongside support characters like Albert Wesker on special missions. The flexible narrative allows for varied exploration order, utilizing location cards for quicker setup. A key change: killed standard zombies remain as corpses, requiring kerosene to burn and prevent reanimation as stronger Red Zombies.

Resident Evil: The Bleak Outpost Expansion

MSRP: $69.99 USD

Adds six scenarios, two bosses (Neptune and Plant-42), and new locations.

Resident Evil 2: The Board Game

MSRP: $114.99 USD Players: 1-4 (best with 2) Play Time: 60-90 minutes (per scenario) Ages: 14+

The series' starting point, featuring Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and others battling Lickers and Birkin across eight scenarios. While fun, it lacks the refinements of later entries, including darker tiles and some assembly issues. The linear campaign structure is also less flexible.

Resident Evil 2 Board Game Expansions:

• B-Files Expansion: ($54.99 USD) Doubles scenarios, adds items, enemies, and the goal of escaping Mr. X.
• Malformations of G B-Files Expansion: ($32.99 USD) Adds a Birkin Stage Three encounter.
• Survival Horror Expansion: ($54.99 USD) Adds five characters, advanced versions of existing characters, new enemies, and a PvP mode.
• 4th Survivor Expansion: ($32.99 USD) Introduces Hunk and Tofu as playable characters, new modes, and an intense escape.

Resident Evil 3: The Board Game

MSRP: $114.99 USD Players: 1-4 (best with 2) Play Time: 60-90 minutes (per scenario) Ages: 14+

Features a more open-ended campaign than RE2, letting players explore Raccoon City in different orders. The Danger Tracker mechanic increases difficulty as the city deteriorates. The Narrative deck adds replayability. While components are generally high-quality, the scenario map is less impressive.

Resident Evil 3 Board Game Expansions:

• The Last Escape Expansion: ($44.99 USD) Adds characters like Barry Burton, new enemies (Brain Suckers, Giant Spiders), and a permadeath variant.
• City of Ruin Expansion: ($69.99 USD) Includes nine new scenarios, new locations, enemies, and a Stage 3 Nemesis encounter.

Overall, Steamforged's Resident Evil board games offer engaging survival horror experiences. Resident Evil is the most polished, but each game provides a unique and challenging gameplay experience. The expansions significantly extend replayability and offer additional content for dedicated fans.