The Walking Dead Board Game Review

I recently had a chance to get my hands on The Walking Dead Board Game and had a blast as me and my wife alternately tried to survive the zombie apocalypse and then attempted to take down the survivors after we turned into Walkers.

If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, then you’ll be thrilled to learn that the spirit and atmosphere of the show are captured perfectly in the gameplay, offering a chance to see exactly how hard it would be to survive a dystopian world that has few resources available.

Instead of an actual game board, you get what is basically an over-sized mouse pad with Walking Dead graphics on it. This might be a problem for some people but I thought it was great, especially since the mat can simply be tossed in the washer and dryer if you spill a drink on it.

There are six thick character boards that have pictures and a brief bio of the characters that you can be in the game, which consist of Rick, Shane, Glenn, Dale, Andrea, and Lori. Choose your character wisely because each one gives you a special ability, although some abilities are more special than others. For example, Shane can steal Scrounge cards from other players, which is very handy since those are the cards that provide resources and weapons for you. On the other hand, Lori can move any survivor one additional space, which is better than getting poked in the eye, but not by much.

The object of the game is simple – start at Camp, located in the center of the board, and make your way to each of the four corners to obtain the supplies there. Once all four items have been grabbed, get back to Camp to win the game. Of course, along the way, you have to avoid the Walkers.

My absolute favorite thing about the game is that it’s like three games in one. You can play solo and basically play against the board itself, or have three friends join you for a more conventional style of playing, which is when things really get fun.

When the game begins, everyone is on the same side although there’s no rule saying you have to help your teammates. However, you’ll become a Walker if you lose too many battles and then you’ll be going after your former allies. When two players are turned into zombies, they get their own deck of cards to use as they try to take down the survivors, who have to not only stay alive against your attacks but outlast the attacks by the game board and playing cards.

I will freely admit that even though the object of the game is collect the supplies and make it back to camp, I actually looked forward to getting turned into a Walker so I could create all sorts of havoc for the other players.

The Walking Dead Board Game isn’t the most challenging game on the market but it does take a good combination of luck and skill to win, and the changing nature of the game keeps things from getting boring because you never know when an ally might suddenly be transformed into an enemy.

You can give The Walking Dead Board Game a try yourself because it’s available for about $30 at Amazon.com.