Final Girl Review

Turn down the lights, close your windows and lock your doors. Something lurks in the dark and you’re the only one who knows… the rules of the game.

Players: 1 (Solo Only) 20-60 Minutes Age: 14+

Designers: Evan Derrick, A.J. Porfirio

Artists: Tyler Johnson, Roland MacDonald

Publisher: Van Ryder Games

What’s Your Favourite Scary Movie?

It’s October which means Halloween looms again! After consuming all of Mike Flanagan’s shows on Netflix and subjecting my poor wife to a Friday the 13th marathon, (which we both bailed on by the fifth instalment, nostalgia only hides so many sins), I found myself in need of some spooky entertainment. Thankfully, as as you might expect, my board game shelves solved all of my problems!  As I scanned past vaunted, frequently played titles like Nemesis, and Mansions of Madness, my eyes settled on my collection of Final Girl. The VHS-styled boxes neatly arranged like my old video collection from the 90’s, I decided to crack the seal on the next one in the set, Frightmare on Maple Lane, and subject myself to terror of a different ilk… relearning the rules to a game I’ve already learned twice.

I Want To Play A Game

Final Girl from Van Ryder Games is a solo-only horror game based on the game system which originally underpinned 2015’s Hostage Negotiator. This time, rather than rescuing hostages, players take on the role of the Final Girl, a horror movie trope in which the last (usually female) teen standing against the monstrous protagonist becomes the heroine of the piece. 

The Final Girl system comprises a core set containing the basic rules and components used across the series and at least one Feature Film, a separate box comprising of two final girls, and an enemy with their respective location and abilities.  For example, the first set of series one features the location of Camp Happy Trails, killer, Hans the Butcher and two final girls, Laurie and Reiko, each of whom can unlock an individual power by rescuing victims. 

Clearly based on Friday the 13th, Camp Happy Trails fully embraces its slasher flick underpinnings and delivers a tensely paced challenging single player experience. Camp Happy Trails and Frightmare on Maple Lane are just a couple of the many feature films available across the series, which now consists of season 1, season 2 and the upcoming season 3. The locations, final girls and enemies are all able to be mixed and matched to suit your style.

They’re Here…

Let’s begin by looking at Final GIrl’s strengths. For starters, theme is front and centre and, despite the abstract presentation, draws the player into whichever location the game takes place, whether it be a haunted house, a dank swamp or your favourite summer camp.  While the premise is simple the game itself provides an excellent challenge and I found myself losing far more often than I won, which I was completely fine with since the game itself it such a blast to play.  Sometimes, getting close to victory and having it swept away at the last moment was just as satisfying an experience as any win, which was also in keeping with the premise of the series. Some of the best horror movies end with a sudden shock twist that denies our hero success in her last moments.  In that regard, Final Girl delivers!

One of the greatest appeals of the Final Girl system for me was the modular buy-in. Purchasing an inexpensive core set and my choice of an accompanying feature film allowed me to get exactly the experience I wanted right out of the gate. If there was a set I wasn’t interested in, I felt comfortable giving it a miss, though to date that hasn’t happened, so buyer be ware, if you’re a completist like I am, things can quickly get out of hand. At the time of this writing I’ve only delved into season 1, but I feel season 2 calling to me….

As mentioned earlier, the ability to mix and match the various heroes, villains and locations creates a completely customisable and immeasurably replay-able experience. Even with just two feature films you’ll have enough content to try out a few different combinations. This increases exponentially with every additional film you get. If you have a friend who owns the core set as well then you can split your purchases and trade them back and forth like VHS tapes, cutting down costs while expanding your play experience.

Each final girl has her own unique abilities as do the villains, allowing players to select the best hero for the job, however, these abilities don’t come easily.  Rescuing victims is a critical part of the game and you’ll want to get as many of these hapless hopefuls to safety as possible, every one you rescue will reward you with a small one off benefit at first, such as regaining a health point, or providing an extra movement.  Rescue enough victims and you’ll unlock your final girl’s maximum potential, allowing you to turn over her card to reveal her special power.  Be warned though, if you’re lax in your rescuing duties, the villain will collect in your stead, increasing his own power and greatly reducing your chances of success.  This mechanism provides something of a ticking clock encouraging you to be proactive and not just running around looking for the best weapon or avoiding being hurt.

Being a solo game is a perfect fit for this concept, its up to you and you alone to go up against this supernatural threat, saving as many innocents as you can along the way. This creates a great sense of of tension and suspense and you can feel the danger escalate as the game progresses. Playing alone at the table of a dark and stormy night with some appropriate mood music in the background is the perfect way to experience this game if you’re wanting to dive all in on the theme. Additionally, just because its a solo game doesn’t stop you from enjoying it with others however.  There’s something to be said about getting together wth your significant other, a friend, or even a small group and working together to puzzle out the win.

Final Girl can be a bit fiddly to set up, especially when you first open a new feature film and are coming to grips with the new rules governing whichever villain and location you’ll be facing, however, this is mitigated by the core rules being straight forward and intuitive to learn.  This is helped by a large number of content creators who have provided ample how to play videos and walkthroughs, but if reading rulebooks is your preference, then you’ll find the rules in Final Girl to be clearly laid out and concise.

No Tears Please. It’s A Waste Of Good Suffering.

Sounds pretty good so far, but there are a few points of small of concern that I thought I’d mention.  As I alluded to earlier, while the modular nature of the game can allow gamers to keep the buy in within their limits, this could quickly spiral into the realm of an expensive game experience.  While one or two feature fils won’t break the bank, going all in will come at a price.  So be certain this is the game for you before committing to a large number of sets. I recommend starting with just the core set and a single feature film of your choice to test the waters.

While the basic rules of play are clear and consistent across the series, the additional rule provided in each feature film will add varying levels of complexity.  The first feature, Camp Happy Trails is perhaps the least troublesome to begin with and seems intended as the entry point to these adventures. It doesn’t add too much complexity and allows players to really get a feel for the system while still providing a great challenge.

A minor niggle for us large-handed folk is the tiny components in those dinky boxes.  The meeples are a little smaller and narrower than similar components found in other games and given the amount of objects required in an average game, I found I was often dropping and mishandling pieces. Granted, this could likely be a brain to hand interface issue for me, but I did find it cumbersome at times.  Again though, this is an incredibly minor issue and most players probably won’t even consider it an problem at all.

You’ll Float Too!

One of the best aspects of Final Girl is its dark and gritty aesthetic, each piece of art fits comfortably within its horror theme while maintaining an approachable, haunting art style. Each villain has been designed to be recognisable, yet legally distinct from the famous characters upon which they’re based. If there was one word to sum up the overall colour scheme of Final Girl I would have to to with, black!  Lots of black!

As far as the components like tokens, meeples and dice etc. are concerned, everything looks and feels great, apart form the afore mentioned fiddliness issues. The dice however are nice and chunky and very satisfying to handle and roll.  The cards are of good quality thought you might consider sleeving them as they will be prone to wear and tear from constant handling and shuffling.

While game doesn’t take up an enormous amount of table space compared to some, you might be surprised given the small box size.  By the time you lay out all the game boards and cards and leave yourself space for rolling dice and sorting your play area, you might be struggling to find room.

There are optional upgrades available for many of the components, mainly comprised of minis for the final girls, villains to replace the minis and some of the props, like vehicles etc. which replace the cardboard tokens for those items. If you’re not afraid of splashing out to deluxe-ify your collection, then these can add to your overall experience.  For myself though, I quite enjoy the components as they are.

Mister… We Have Had A Doozy Of A Day.

All said and done, I found Final Girl to be an excellent experience from every angle. From the gameplay and art design, to the components and modular nature, the game oozes with theme and makes for the perfect accompaniment to All Hallows Eve. It’s highly replayable, a great puzzle and makes for a challenging, yet satisfying event no matter the outcome. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Final Girl to any fan of the horror genre. So if this sounds like you, then what are you waiting for?  Let’s split up, I’ll be right back….

Thank you for joining me for another of my inane ramblings.  I hope you enjoyed this review of Final Girl and if it resonated with you, then I’d love to hear your feedback.  If you’ve experienced Final Girl yourself, why not share your thoughts in the comments below or over on our Facebook community page or on our Instagram.  Wishing everyone an enjoyable Halloween season and remember, don’t take candy from strangers… unless you knock first.