I love all things Zombies... that is, I want to love all things Zombies. As it turns out, a lot of Zombie things are not worth loving.

Zombie games kinda all into that category. I've tried a lot of Zombie games over the years, and they are generally worth trying out once, but don't really inspire a strong desire for repeat play.

Mall of Horror fares better than most other Zombie games I have experienced.

Premise

The players each control a faction of 3 (sometimes 4) survivors, holed up in a mall, while the zombie hordes try to get in to eat them.

Mechanics

Much of the game revolves around the concept of voting. Players vote to see who gets to do things. They also vote to see who gets eaten.

Dice are involved in the game, but not in the manner most players of Zombie games are familiar. Instead of rolling for how many zombies, and who they attack and how much damage, etc. etc. - you simply roll to see where most zombies appear each turn. Taking a little of the randomness out are two other factors:

- a Zombie always go to the location with the most players (the most fresh meat and brains).
- A Zombie always go to to the location with the most "pin-ups" (the attractive female member of each faction).

People that have a problem with "pin-ups" and that particular stereotype should probably blame most Zombie movies, since that is what the game seems to be emulating.

There are 6 locations on the board, so you roll 4 dice each turn to determine where 4 more Zombies show up.

What makes the Mechanics work (and adds in the elements of strategy) are the role abilities.

The three main roles for your faction are:

- The Big Guy (shown holding a bat or similar object). His ability is that he's worth 2 for calculating whether or not the group in a location can fend off zombies.
- The Dude with the Gun. He simply is worth two votes any time you are required to vote (which is often).
- The Pin-up. She has no ability, but is worth the most points, so you try to keep her alive more than the other two.
- There's also a Little Girl, who has no ability and is only worth 1. In games that use her, she becomes fodder. Personally, I would give her an ability anyway (like being able to Hide, if you have a Hide card, without having to spend it... or something).

You are forced to move one of your role tiles around the board each turn, generally without knowing where the Zombies will appear each turn. Once they appear, you calculate whether or not you can fend them off. If you can't each player with role tiles in that location votes to see whose tile gets eaten.

So, you have to be careful about where you move your tiles, and if you should separate them (and if so, who goes where... the guy with 2 votes, the gal worth more points, or the guy that can hold off 2 Zombies).

What I liked best

The dynamic of the different roles (and point values) really made us all consider carefully where we moved people.

Each turn, players in the location called Security HQ vote to see which one is the Security Chief, who gets to see where the Zombies will be appearing that round. This also added a level of strategy to the game. You know where they appear, and you move first. The other players will know where you intend to go, but not where the Zombies will appear. They must decide where they will go before they see the location of new Zombies (old Zombies are still around, until they get to eat someone).

So, while the dice add randomness to the game, it's under some control. You can also fake out the other players as the Security Chief when you announce where you are going. It doesn't mean you're going somewhere that won't have zombies. And, if others follow you, they will likely trigger the bonus zombie at that location. If you plan ahead and can ensure you won't receive the death vote, you can whittle the other players down.

I also liked that while each player has the same roles, the tiles all looked slightly different for each faction.

I like that the spaces have a fixed limit of tiles that can be there, and that some of the spaces had abilities (but not all). The Supermarket can hold more players, but is still harder to defend. The parking area can't really be defended, but lets players get useful items.

I liked the dynamic of voting for who gets to draw the items, AND that this same player has to give one item to another player. It allows for alliances of convenience, without requiring it.

What I didn't like

It wasn't a big deal, but the Zombies all look the same. Of course, you can paint them however you like, and I would supplement with Zombies from other Zombie games I have. Also, the role tiles are tiles... the Zombies are figurines. It's kinda weird to have different mediums. Why not just make more tiles that have Zombies? I may eventually go that route anyway.

Bottom Line

I had a lot of fun playing this game, and I actually want to play it again, and soon. That's saying a lot for Zombies games, in my opinion. I'll gladly play ANY Zombie game once... but usually after trying one, I am thinking of how to improve the game. Mall of Horror didn't need any serious improvement... my brain is already thinking up ways to expand it, but the game itself is very playable as is.