It’s almost time for Halloween, so … it’s time for horror movies featuring the very worst creeps, ghouls, tax collectors, monsters, killers and clowns! It’s the time of Freddy Krueger, Jason, Ghostface (killer), Leatherface, Kathy Bates, Terrifier, Chucky, Baguul the thousand-year-old demon, that one ghost who lives in the walls and Jigsaw. Not only is Spooktober the time to watch a tasty monster movie while enjoying a diet pumpkin spice frappucino with a thick layer of whipped cream it is also the perfect time to pull out monstrous horror-themed games. Do you like to follow in the monster’s footsteps or rather that of the summer camp counselor, final girl, or scream queen? Then quickly play TerrorScape and get spooky!
Background
If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, slasher movies, or silly fun team puzzles, then TerrorScape is probably your thing. Long, long ago we had the honor of testing a pre-production copy of this asymmetrical game and we enjoyed it at the time. Fortunately, the game has been available in retail for a while now, and Spooktober-Halloween is the perfect time to pull out the final version of the game.
In Terrorscape, players play a deranged killer (think Jason Voorhees or Leatherface) or a group of innocents (think summer camp counselors or stoners) who compete against each other in a haunted mansion that is also the game board, privacy screen and dice tower. Who will survive a night in this abandoned mansion?
Gameplay
At the beginning, players set up the game board and craft the mansion. 1 player assumes the role of a creep and the other players assume the role of terrified victims trying to escape. All game components are in convenient removable trays in the box, so except for the construction work, the game is quick to set up and start up.
In summary, Terrorscape is a mix of the best elements of Scotland Yard, Sea Battle and Cluedo. The innocents each have their own special power and, through sneaking, searching for objects and working together, must collect keys to escape the mansion – or fix a radio to call the police. The crazed killer must figure out where the people are in the mansion and take turns chopping them up. If a person is killed, the killer wins (who would have thought?).
However, the game is less straight-forward than you think. For one thing, the killer cannot see where the people are. Based on sounds the people may make through their actions or drawn object or action cards, the player who is the killer must try to determine which room they are in. This is trickier than you think! All the more so because the innocents can use objects and additional actions to lead the killer astray. For example, they can throw glass into an adjacent room, set off an alarm or take a shortcut. However, the killer can barricade doors again to corner the innocent.
Verdict
Terrorscape requires a lot of cooperation, tactics and silly fun with a touch of luck! In addition, the game is a wonderful production and is particularly spooky and atmospheric. Do you hear the chainsaws too or is that just my imagination?
Because the game features multiple assassins and there are also expansions available, it is varied. The huge 3D mansion functions as a viewing screen to hide information between players, as well as a double tower and provides the necessary table presence. The figures are detailed and the artwork of the game elements is beautifully and gruesomely done. Perfect for Halloween, as it is a wonderfully exciting game to spend a few hours chopping away at!
