Horrified haunted tabletops beginning in 2019 with its collection of monsters from Universal movies such as Dracula, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein’s monster. Two years later, Horrified; American Monsters was released. This time the monsters were famous cryptids from the various regions of the United States including Big Foot, the Mothman, Chubucaabra, and more. Then last year players could take on the role of great heroes to try to defeat some of the most famous and well-known monsters from the mythology of ancient Greece Horrified: Greek Monsters. Now players can work together to take on some of the most dangerous creatures from around the world in the latest game in the Horrified series: Horrified: World of Monsters.
What Is Horrified: World of Monsters?
Horrified: World of Monsters is a cooperative game for 1-5 players, ages 10 and up, and takes about 60 minutes to play. In this game, players take on roles as Stewards of the Shrouded Void who must defeat four different monsters including the Sphinx, the Yeti, Jiangshi, and even Cthulhu. It’s currently available from Target, local and online game stores, and from Amazon. and sell for $29.99 for a copy of the game. Horrified: World of Monsters was designed by Mike Mulvihill and published by Ravensburger, with illustrations by George, Doutsiopolous, Raph Herrera Lomotan, Victor Maristane, Grim Moon, Studio Hive, and Tom Moore.
Horrified: World of Monsters Components
Here is what you get in the box:
- 1 Gameboard
- 4 Monster figures
- 5 Monster mats
- 30 Monster cards
- 31 Monster tokens
- 20 perk cards
- 5 Hero tiles
- 5 Hero standees
- 10 Citizen standees
- 60 Item tokens
- 1 Item bag
- 1 Terror marker
- 1 Frenzy marker
- 4 Lair tokens
- 3 Dice
- 5 Reference cards
The gameboard represents a map of a valley with 24 different locations centered around the Void in the center. These locations are connected to each other by paths. The terror track is positioned across the top of the gameboard.
The four monsters in the game are represented by detailed miniatures, each in their own color.
Each monster has their own monster mat. Below the image of the monster on the left side of the mat are several colored symbols that correspond to monster cards. If these symbols match the active monster card, then that monster activates that turn. The Objective is a brief summary of how to defeat that monster. Power describes the monster’s power which activates when the ‘!’ symbol is rolled on a die during attack. Each monster also has a unique frenzy order number from 1-4. The right side of the mat is used when advancing a challenge and requires tokens to be either placed or removed from the mat as part of step 1. Then step 2 describes what the players must do to finally defeat the monster after the challenge has been completed. The backside of the monster mats lists the steps for setting up each monster for the start of the game.
Cthulhu is more difficult to defeat. This monster also has an additional monster mat for the Corpse-City R’lyeh. This mat contains steps 3 and 4 at the bottom for advancing and then finally defeating Cthulhu.
A monster card is drawn each turn during the monster phase. It is divided into three parts. The number at the top is the number of items that are drawn from the item bag and placed on the map. The middle text is the event that must be resolved during that phase. Finally the row at the bottom provides information to determine which monsters activate, how far they can move, and how many dice they roll during an attack.
Perk cards can provide powerful effects for the heroes. Every player begins the game with one perk card and they can earn additional perk cards by escorting citizens to their safe places designated locations on the map.
Heroes and citizens are represented on the board by standees. Players take on the roll of a hero while citizens come into play as an event on a monster card. The players must protect the citizens from the monsters and help them get across the board to their safe places.
There are five different heroes and each has their own hero tile. These list the name of the role of the hero, the number of actions they may take during the hero phase, the location where they start the game, and their special action which they can use as an action during their turn.
Two of the monsters have lairs. These are represented by lair tokens and are placed facedown in four different locations on the gameboard. Players must spend items with a total of 3 strength in order to flip over the lair and reveal to which monster it belongs. Two of the lair tokens are blanks and are there to misdirect the heroes.
The sixty item tokens are divided into three colors representing different types of items. There is an image of the item, a location where it is placed, and a number which represents the strength of the item. Though each token is unique, the items act generically since their color and strength are what are used during the game. The game includes a vinyl bag with printing on it. I liked that it is stiff so it can stand upright so it is easy to draw tokens from it.
The terror marker is used to keep track of the terror level for for the game while the frenzy marker is placed on one of the monster mats to show which monster is currently frenzied. The three dice have blank faces as well as hit or power icons on the other faces. They are used when a monster attacks as well as during some of the challenges the heroes must complete to get to where they can defeat the monster. Finally, the reference cards are quite useful as one side lists the actions which can be taken during the hero phase while the reverse side lists the steps to be taken during the monster phase.
How to Play Horrified: World of Monsters
The Goal
The goal of the game is for the players to defeat all of the monsters on the gameboard.
Setup
Start off by setting up the monsters. Position the gameboard in the middle of the play area and shuffle the four Lair tokens face down before placing them on the gameboard in the spaced with the ‘Lair Token’ icon them them. Place the Terror marker on the 0 space on the terroir track at the top of the gameboard. Put the 10 citizen standees off to the side of the board. Shuffle the Monster cards and put them in a face down pile to the side of the gameboard. After deciding which monsters to play with, place the corresponding monster mats next to the board in order of their frenzy level and place the Frenzy marker on the monster with the lowest frenzy value. Now follow the individual setup instructions for each monster which is located on the back of all the monster mats.
Now it is time to setup the players. Each player chooses the hero they would like to play and takes the corresponding hero tile, standee and a reference card. Place the standees in the starting location listed on the hero tiles. Next shuffle all of the perk cards. Deal one to each player and place the remaining in a face down pile near the gameboard. Put all of the item tokens in the item bag and shake it to mix them up. Finally, draw 12 item tokens and place them in the locations listed on the tokens. You are now ready to begin the game.
Gameplay
The game is played in turns with each player taking a turn and then proceeding to the player to the left. Each player’s turn is divided into two phases: the Hero phase and the Monster phase. Let’s take a look at each individually.
Hero Phase
During this phase, a player can perform the number of actions listed on their hero tile. They can perform actions in any order can even perform the same action more than once. The Move action lets a player move along a path to an adjacent location. If any citizens are in the same location as the hero, they may move along with the hero as part of the move action. Guide allows a player to move one citizen from the hero’s location to an adjacent location or from an adjacent location into the hero’s location. Players can use a Pick Up action to take any number of items from the hero’s current location. When more than one hero is at the same location, the Share action lets them exchange any number of items they may have. When a hero is at the location of an unknown lair, they may use the Reveal Lair action to flip over the lair token. The Advance action allows a player to use their items to advance a monster’s challenge. Then once the challenge has been completed, they may take a Defeat action to use items to defeat a monster. Finally, players can use one action to perform their special action listed on their player tile.
Citizens may appear at various locations around the gameboard during a game. The heroes must help them get to the location listed on their standee. They will be rewarded with a Perk card. However, if a monster gets a hit on a citizen, they are immediately removed from the board and the terror marker is moved up one space.
Two of the monsters have a lair. The other two do not have lairs. Before advancing a challenge, the lair of those four monsters must be revealed. There may be lairs revealed for which there are no monsters. In those cases, just remove the lair token. Otherwise follow the directions on the monster mat. Each monster has some type of challenge the players must complete. These challenges will usually require several turns to complete and involve using items. After the challenge is completed, then players can try to defeat the monster by using items. While advancing a challenge can take place over several turns, the defeat action requires the player to use all of the items needed to defeat the monster in one action. This may take some preparation and sharing so that the player has the right types of items to finally defeat the monster. Once a monster is defeated, it is removed from the gameboard.
Monster Phase
After a player has expended all of their actions, it is time for the monsters to act. During this phase, the active player draws the top card from the monster deck and resolves the three parts of the card from top to bottom. First look at the item icon at the top and draw that many items from the bag and place them in the locations listed on the item tokens. Second, read aloud the event text below the image and resolve it. It may direct you to take an action with a monster, a legend, or even a hero. Finally, follow the directions for the monster attack found at the bottom of the card. The symbol or symbols let you know which monster or monsters to activate, how far to move them, and how many attack dice they roll if they end up in the same location as a hero or legend.
When attacking, the active player rolls the indicated number of dice. The monster’s power is activated for each ‘!’ symbol rolled. A hit is scored for each hit icon. Blank faces on a die are misses. If a legend is hit, it is removed from the board and the terror marker is moved up one. If a hero is hit, they must discard a item for each hit. Otherwise, they are defeated and removed from the board and the terror marker is also moved. A player may choose to take the hits rather than discard an item. At the start of that hero’s next turn, they are placed at the Reviving Throne location and take their turn as normal. They do not lose any items or perks for being defeated.
Game End
The game can end in three different ways. If the players defeat all of the monsters, they win. However, if the terror level reaches the maximum, then everyone is too horrified to continue and they lose. Also, if the monster deck is empty when a player is required to draw a card, the players also lose because they took too much time.
Why You Should Play Horrified: World of Monsters
I have been a Horrified fan for several years. I gave copies of the original Horrified to both of my brothers and their families for Christmas in 2019 and one of them gave the game to me. My family enjoyed playing the game and defeating all of the classic Universal Studios monsters. We also enjoyed playing Horrified: Greek Monsters which added some new features to the game. In fact, both Horrified: Greek Monsters and Horrified: World of Monsters can be combined together for a single game. While players choose a setting, either in the Greek mythical world or the modern magical world, where the gameboard map, items and citizens or legends stay, both heroes and monsters can be mixed together. This is a great way to provide more variety.
Horrified: World of Monsters looks great right from the moment you first open the box. The monster minis are well-sculpted and in different colors for easy identification during the game. I also appreciate that the bag can stand upright so players can easily reach in and grab item tokens with just one hand. The components really reflect the theme of the game that you are a group of monster hunters trying to save the world. The monster mats look like pages from a monster codex while the perk cards have the appearance of schematics of inventions. Even the items themselves are fun with a retro sci-fi meets steam punk feel. All of this really helps transform the game table into a world where monsters are real.
The gameplay of Horrified: World of Monsters is just as good as the previous games in the series. Those who have played any of the three previous versions of the game will feel right at home with the rules and the new features from Horrified: Greek Monsters have been continued. I have always enjoyed cooperative games and Horrified: World of Monsters provides fun mechanics to allow players to work together. Since escorting citizens to their destinations not only provides perk cards, but keeps them from being defeated by the monsters, the ability to guide legends makes it easier to hand off legends to other players. Plus as you collect items, you may need to exchange some with other heroes so they have the types they need to complete challenges or defeat monsters. Perk cards can come in handy for working with other players and providing a much needed advantage to help win the game.
I like that the four different monsters each have their own unique challenges to defeat them. The Sphinx, the Yeti, and Jiangshi all have a task that must be completed to advance to where players can defeat them by discarding items. However, Cthulhu provides a greater challenge. First players must rotate dials by discarding items in order to open the portal. Next they must lure Cthulhu to the Void in the middle of the map. This then brings in the second mat representing the Corpse-City of R’lyeh. While Cthulhu is in this other realm, the heroes must avoid its attacks and bind the monster with manacles. Only then can the heroes work together to defeat the great Cthulhu. With four steps instead of only two like all of the other monsters in the series, Cthulhu is the most difficult to defeat.
My family had a lot of fun playing Horrified: World of Monsters and when the monsters go on the attack and roll lots of hits, either defeating heroes or forcing us to discard several items we had spent several actions collecting, the tension builds–just like a monster movie or story. The cooperative nature of the game keeps everyone engaged, even when it is not their turn, and fosters communication about the game as well as general conversation. Plus, the turns go quickly and when it is the monster phase, it could be any hero that the monsters go after. If you enjoyed any of the previous games in the series, then you will have fun playing Horrified: World of Monsters. If you have not yet played any of these games, then Horrified: World of Monsters is a great place to start. I really enjoyed the game and recommend Horrified: World of Monsters. It can be a great game to play during get togethers with friends and family and also makes a great gift.
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Disclosure: GeekDad received a copy of this game for review purposes.
