Zombicide White Death
Zombies, zombies to cool off! Who wants some? Who wants some? 'Cause I’m heading home!
On these boiling hot days, I decided to cool off a bit by cooperatively slaughtering zombies. I wiped out hordes of the undead in every way possible, and got a taste of some Asian flair along the way.
I invite you to the next installment of the saga featuring three actions and plastic zombies. Zombicide: White Death takes us on an Asian adventure where we collect weapons, complete objectives, kill zombies, boost our power, and repeat this cycle over and over until we win (or lose). You could say it’s the same great game, just with a new look. However, there are a few cool twists here that made me eager to sit down and play, even though I was practically glued to my chair.
Wall defense with Pedro
Do you remember that movie with Matt Damon and that actor with the mustache who’s in practically every Hollywood production? If so, you’ll be able to feel exactly like them. White Death offers us a thrilling defense of the walls against a horde of the undead. However, the walls aren’t just there to look pretty. We can climb them to strategically escape the zombies and pour cauldrons of hot oil down on them. The walls are also meant to protect us a little better than during the defense of Minas Tirith. They’re simply an integral part of White Death, and no green-skinned creature will destroy them…
Did your mom make you eat broccoli when you were young?
Just in case, here’s your chance to get even. Zombie broccoli will spread across the board, trying to reach a critical point in the scenario. A necromancer will be responsible for its growth, and he’ll be trying to pump us full of some undead vitamins. His presence will cause this unruly vegetable to strengthen the zombies just like Popeye’s spinach. As I mentioned earlier, no enemy will destroy our walls. However, the broccoli’s growth will cause them to disappear, which will encourage the undead to get a little closer to us. Therefore, as soon as we spot the necromancer, it’s worth getting rid of him. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to bury him under potatoes like we used to do back in the day.
Plastic Watch
Every Zombicide game had its own trebuchet, but in this installment, it has been replaced by guards. You can issue them orders that will motivate them to move or attack. By the way, all heroes have a special ability that affects their actions. The guards can also lure groups of enemies, allowing you to better position yourself for an attack. You could say they’re White Death’s supporting characters. It’s nice that they’re there, but if they die, you won’t be too upset about it.
Zombies on Easy
I feel like this game is a bit easier in terms of difficulty. Our heroes aren’t weaklings from the very start, and the guards’ help gives them some extra room to maneuver. That doesn’t mean some scenarios weren’t challenging, but when playing other installments in this series, I felt more threatened. Especially in the Wild West. Ultimately, a lot also depends on how quickly the necromancer and his broccoli show up. Ah, this trauma will never end! Though I’ll admit that I actually enjoy eating broccoli now, and my only nightmare is Brussels sprouts. It makes my stomach churn just thinking about them.
Number of Players and Game Duration
As usual, we play with 6 heroes, so this is standard for Zombicide. You can play solo, but it’s better with friends.
Game duration depends on the scenario, but the whole thing will run around 2 hours. Of course, this includes the time needed to set up and pack up the game.
Quality and Components
Whenever I see a game with an Asian theme, my mouth starts watering just like when I see a delicious meal. The miniatures look appetizing. I especially like the warrior cat, which we can play as. As usual, we’ll have a bit of a problem fitting all the tokens in, but tried-and-true methods from previous installments have taught me to cram everything I can under the insert especially the cardboard pieces next to the terrain tiles.
Summary
Zombicide White Death is still a great game to play over beer and pretzels. This time, it’s been given an Asian twist, and that hasn’t cooled my enthusiasm for playing it. I still had a blast taking out zombies one after another. I still enjoyed working my way through the scenarios. I still like the light character progression, and I still get excited about every piece of gear I acquire. I’m simply still having a great time, and I’m happy to eat the broccoli this game has served me especially when it’s seasoned with zombies.
Final verdict: Zombicide White Death breaks the ice and makes zombie extermination addictive even on the hottest days.
Pros
Asian Vibe
A tried-and-true formula
Wall Defense with that mustachioed actor
No trebuchet, but with guards
Undead broccoli
Cons
Just another Zombicide, but on Easy mode
[self bought]
