‘Carnival Zombie: Second Edition’ Board Game Review
Sometimes you play a game and you realise how much care and attention to detail has gone into it. Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is most definitely one such game, and whilst there is no doubt that the fact it is effectively the second bite at the cherry for designer Matteo Santus gives it a bit of an advantage over ‘first time’ release, it’s clear that both the core game here and the host of alternative modes and extras packed into the box have been tested to breaking over and over again. Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is a solo/cooperative game for up to six players, and it takes place in one of the most bizarre and interesting post-apocalyptic settings I’ve ever seen.
Carnival Zombie: Second Edition – the title says it all really. Players control a motley crew of exactly six ‘heroes’ who are all themed around characters from the fairground – albeit with a violent twist. There’s a leader, a commando, a sniper and a heavy weapons expert to name just a few, and whilst not included in the base game that I am reviewing, the Kickstarter version of Carnival Zombie: Second Edition includes several variant characters that can be swapped in for the basic versions. No matter what the player count is, you’ll always use six characters (and you’ll need them) who will be split between the players. A theme which will recur throughout this review is the fact that I think this makes Carnival Zombie: Second Edition an ideal solo game, but it also works well with two or three players – I suspect less so at four, five or six (though I will admit that I am having to imagine playing it at five and six).
The objective of the game varies a little by scenario (especially with some of the variants) but broadly, you’ll be trying to escape from Venice, following the ominous awakening of The Leviathan – a huge, long dead creature that lies on the lagoon floor. With return of the Leviathan, the dead are also rising – and the structure of Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is based on three day and night cycles in which the players will travel through Vencie and prepare for night-time, and then undertake a huge battle for survival in an almost tower-defence style minigame. Bosses will rise to support a variety of standard zombies, and in some special scenarios, there may be further, entirely different minigames to play in order to close out the scenario.
For me, Carnival Zombie: Second Edition works best as a solo experience. This is partly because even on the ‘easiest’ difficulty, it is quite difficult. I can’t imagine how it’s even possible on the hard mode, and the number of randomised elements (as with any solo or cooperative game I suppose) can demand patience for the player(s.) When played solo, the lone player can maximise the potential of every single action – planning a chain of moves together (attack with the Captain, take an extra action and receive stress, then move with the next and clear out a section, then heal the Captain with the Medic and so on.) When playing cooperatively, the tendency for one player to quarterback everyone or even to get frustrated is definitely present – especially when the going gets tough. That said, losing together is more fun than losing alone, and near misses are often as exciting as success!
Anyway, let’s talk more about how you actually play Carnival Zombie: Second Edition – and why you might want to. As I mentioned earlier, the game is split into day and night phases, with four hours of available ‘time’ during the day, and three stages of night time – sometimes including (or replaced by) a unique scenario variant. Typically, during the day phase the zombies recoil back into the lagoon whilst the Leviathan sleeps – and the only thing players need to worry about is any random encounters such as foundering (which is when an area of Venice becomes submerged) or a random infected being drawn when they are searching. In general, this phase is used for the party to move, heal stress, search for items, prepare barricades or take day actions – which vary by character. As an example, the sniper character is able to manipulate the amount of random obstacle or assistive features at the location of the party in order to help them come the night phase.
Searching in Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is a bit thematically jarring, but probably more satisfying and less random than it is in many similar games. Rather than all characters drawing from one item deck, Carnival Zombie: Second Edition has preconfigured decks for each character – so if you want to deal tons of damage in the next night phase, you will know that your best chance to find a heavy weapon is by having the expert search their deck – which includes a rocket launcher, an M60 and so on. Healing items are almost always in the medic’s deck, with only a few appearing elsewhere in support characters decks (such as the Captains.) This makes little sense in terms of theme, but it sure helps to give players a glimmer of hope in the face of often hopeless odds.
Once the night phase comes around, the characters adopt their positions in the centre of the board – with each one in a single space that looks outwards across an arc reaching three spaces to the edge of the board. Enemy zombies are represented by cubes, and spawn with each ‘hour’ of the night. Each character has attack statistics including the number of hits (shots or attacks) they can fire, and the damage each one does. Some zombies and especially bosses will take multiple hits, or require a minimum of two damage to defeat. As zombies inevitably reach the centre of the board, barricades will be torn down, and the characters will accumulate stress – especially if they have to fight zombies hand to hand.
When the night ends (if everyone is still in one piece) the day phase will begin with sunrise – which is effectively a clean up phase. Depending on the day, and where the players are on the board, the next day phase might be a specific scenario – especially when playing the campaign. There are several final scenarios in which the game can end and uniquely, this is driven by where the players are in venice – they can attempt to escape via bridge, submarine or boat, and may even seek to build a holy hand grenade and take the fight to the Leviathan. No spoilers here, but let me just say that a lot of the fun in Carnival Zombie: Second Edition actually does come from how well crafted and varied the final showdowns are – and I had a feeling of playing the videogame Left4Dead with each one.
Overall, Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is one of the most comprehensive, action-packed solo or cooperative experiences that I’ve played. It ranges from hard to super hard, and there are scenarios and variants I haven’t even tried – including The Blessed Path (which comes with its own fold out board.) The component quality is fantastic, with a clear, example-filled manual, many player aids, minimal componentry getting in the way of gameplay and excellent miniatures and standees where they are needed. Whilst in my opinion Carnival Zombie: Second Edition is a better solo than cooperative experience, everyone I have played it with has enjoyed it, and the refinements of the Second Edition seem to have really paid off – this is a streamlined, accessible game that is easy to pick up, but challenging and compelling to master.
