Last Night On Earth - The Zombie Game
by Flying Frog Productions
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Our Price: $29.08
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Category: Toy
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: Flying Frog ProductionsBrand: Flying Frog Productions
Model: FFP 0101
Product features:
- For 2-6 players
- Takes 60-90 minutes
- Modular game boards
- Heroes versus Zombies
Toys and Games Reviews of Last Night On Earth - The Zombie Game
Customer Review: A review from a long time player.
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, I've been playing LNOE for over a year now with a pretty big variety of people. Since my first play, I have gained a lot of respect for the game and the way it plays. Here's some thoughts on that:
Gameplay - I'll only touch briefly on the basic game concepts here. Some players play as zombies, others as heroes on a board made of randomly chosen L squares around a center board. This means that the layout of the town is a little different during each game. Also, the game comes with several different scenarios that outline the victory conditions for each side. This helps make it so the game is a little different each time. Usually the hero players are trying to accomplish a specific goal (leaving town, saving townsfolk, etc.) and the zombie player(s) are trying to stop them. There is conflict (melee and ranged), but no player is ever eliminated from the game (though his original hero might be).
Components - The game comes with several boards and a ton of minis (14 zombies and one for each hero). It also comes with a lot of punch-out chits for different things. The components are well made and durable (mine still look great after a year). The minis are well detailed, though they are not painted. The cards have an interesting art style based on actual pictures. I think they do a great job capturing the b-movie style of the game.
Theme - As mentioned, this is a b-movie sort of game. The cards and quotes lend themselves to being both horror and comedy. In short, it's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and I like that. For the most part, I do think that the gameplay feels consistent with the theme. There are some exceptions, but very few things will pull you out of the experience.
Fun - Alright. As far as I'm concerned this is the one that really matters. Is the game fun, and why? Firstly, this is a game that is about theme and conflict. That may turn some people off, but that's some of what I like most about it. The first time I played LNOE I played the 'Die Zombie Die' scenario as the instructions recommend. My friends and I had to consult the instructions pretty often since situations will come up that reqiure some specificity. The scenario for this play was just for the heroes to defeat a certain number of zombies before time ran out. To be honest, our initial reaction was absolutely 'meh.' 'Die Zombie Die' felt slow, unthematic, and predictable. To be honest, we didn't play again. But then I got a copy of the game for Christmas from my wife, so of course we had to give it another shot.
It became pretty clear that the first time people played LNOE, they generally weren't too excited. For the first-time player, the game often feels lopsided in balance and somewhat predictable (especially if you use the DZD scenario). What became clear, however, is that when people gave the game a second chance it got much more interesting. The more you play the game, the more you begin to see a deeper level of strategy than you first suspected. The games get more interesting, and they get closer.
At the start, myself and the other players felt sure that the game was misblanaced towards the zombie player. It always felt like that person won. Over time, however, we started to get better and the win ratio began to balance itself out (it stands now at right about 50/50 since we started keeping an actual record).
All in all, I think LNOE is a game that should be played at least a couple of times to really judge. The more familiar with the game your players are, the more likely you'll have a close, suspensful game. You'll certainly still have a lopsided victory or two (luck demands it), but it will even out over time.
Luck - I've heard the complaint several times that luck plays a bigger role than skill in LNOE. That may be a valid statement. A bad roll on an attack or movement can absolutely lose the game for a team. For me, that adds to the uncertainty and suspense of a game. Sure, it frustrates me when the dice don't seem to go my way, but I can live with that. If you prefer games with little or no chance element, this probably isn't the game for you.
Expansions - This review is just for the base game, so I won't touch much on individual expansions. I felt, however, that I should at least mention it. As you can see on the main BGG page, LNOE has quite a few available expansions. While you might be interested in some more than others (or even none at all), it's a nice perk because they can really add some variety to the game. On top of that, there are several scenarios also available on the LNOE website for free. I myself have Growing Hunger and Survival of the Fittest. I like how much variety that gives me, so that we can play several games of LNOE in a sitting and not feel like we've plaed the same game over and over.
To sum up, I think LNOE is a highly enjoyable, very thematic game. It sees a lot of play with my group, and I'm really glad I gave it a second chance.
Description of Last Night On Earth - The Zombie Game
When night begins to fall on the sleepy town of Woodinvale, the shadows and fog rolling in bring with them more than just a chill shiver. A living nightmare erupts as the once peaceful community is overrun with the restless dead scratching and clawing their way to the surface with an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Now only a handful of unlikely Heroes are left, banding together to fight for their very lives. On a night that never ends, the only thing worse than death is becoming infected.Board Games Toys
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