Horror films straight from the 90s

 The goal of the game in Horrified is to defeat all the monsters on the field. Your opponents can be Frankenstein's monster with his bride, a wolf man, Dracula, a mummy, an invisible man and an animal from the Black Lagoon. Each monster has its own unique abilities, and to defeat each of them you need to complete special tasks. On the easiest level of difficulty, you will face 2 monsters, on standard - 3, on the most difficult - 4.

 At the start, players receive one of seven available heroes, as well as an advantage card. The hero card shows how many actions he can take per turn (most of them are 4), his special ability, and where he starts. An advantage card gives a one-time ability that can be used during any player's turn.

 A turn consists of a hero phase and a monster phase. After these two phases, the turn goes to the next player.

 In the hero phase, you usually move around the field, collect items and use them in certain locations to gradually get closer to defeating the monsters. You can also move civilians around the map to keep them safe from monsters. Bringing a civilian to a safe location gives you an advantage card each time.

 In the monster phase, you draw one monster card and follow the three-part instructions described there. First, the number at the top of the card indicates how many new items should be taken out of the bag and placed in the corresponding locations. Secondly, according to the event, either a new civilian will appear on the field, or a specific monster will be activated (if it is in the game). And finally, at the bottom of the map it is indicated whether any of the monsters in the game will move and attack.

 After moving a monster, you first check if there is a hero or a civilian within its range. If so, you roll one or more attack dice. Faces with a hit symbol and a monster ability symbol promise unpleasant results. A civilian is removed from the game after being hit, and the terror level increases by one division. The hero can block the blow with items or absorb it, increase the level of horror by one division and move to the hospital. And the ability symbol activates the monster's special ability.

 To win, you need to defeat all the monsters. Defeat occurs when the fear level reaches 7 or when you need to draw a card from the monster deck and they have run out.

PROS OF THE GAME

• Atmosphere is the main plus of the game for me. The setting of the game not only suits almost everyone, but also fits well with the mechanics of the game. Monsters, civilians, locations and even objects - all this is taken directly from the classic horrors from Universal.

• I like that each monster changes the game a bit, bringing something different, and that each combination of monsters on the field is a new puzzle that needs a different approach. Frankenstein and the bride are especially pleasing: you try to teach them to be human and at the same time try not to let them get together in the field so that they do not increase the horror.
• Horrified is very easy to learn and play. I had no problem teaching the game to someone who had never played board games. He pulled in after the first round.
• The game process is very smooth and not dizzying. You don't have to think about moves for a long time here, so everything flows quickly - and there is no downtime.
• All the components are beautiful, but the field is especially beautiful. Moreover, despite the many buildings and other drawings, all locations stand out and are not lost on the field.
• The rule book is simply excellent.

CONS OF THE GAME

• I have nothing against the pick-up mechanic; yes, she is present in Black Orchestra and Freedom: The Underground Railroad co-ops, and looks very appropriate there. But, in my opinion, Horrified went too far with her. Of course, the position of heroes and monsters on the field matters, but my group has won many games by doing nothing but collecting items and bringing them to the right locations to defeat the monsters. We didn't even bother with rescuing civilians.
• There are almost no difficult decisions in Horrified. You can't predict where the monsters will move because their actions are dictated by cards drawn randomly at the end of your turn. Therefore, most of the game you just look for the necessary items or go to a location where they can be used. In my opinion, other Pandemic-inspired co-op games are more intense than Horrified, because you can predict with some degree of accuracy where trouble will be and try to put out any outbreaks in time.

• I found it strange that heroes can block monster attacks, but monsters attack heroes can't. In my opinion, it would be more interesting if the monsters had a way to dodge or parry your attack.
• Since all information in the game is open, there is a risk that your group will face an alpha player problem (where one player rules everything because he thinks he knows the best solutions).
• And another little thing: it's strange that the shirts of the hero cards are so inconspicuous. They wouldn't mind some illustrations, for example, from the box with the game.

CONCLUSION

 We didn't get Horrified. Although the game features my favorite Universal horror monsters and is beautifully illustrated, the gameplay is too monotonous for me, and even the games where we narrowly won were not very satisfying. Perhaps part of the problem is that we were expecting a tense rubilov with monsters, and we got a simple relaxing co-op.

 While I didn't enjoy Horrified, many others may find the game to be a hit. Especially for lovers of frivolous cooperatives. It has an interesting setting, and the game is very easy to learn, so Horrified is perfect for the role of gateway and/or family.

USEFUL LINKS

Horrified on BGG

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/282524/horrified

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