No matter where you go in Wolfe Asylum, noises and voices always seem to echo. It is particularly frightening when one of the residents cackles or a group of them cheer during a game of bingo in the common room. Those noises are nothing, however, compared to the blood-curdling shrieks of terror generated by the evil brand of medical “care” the Ratchet Lady is giving the asylum’s residents and staff. What will you do when the maniacs come?
-From Madness in the Dark, one of the Final Girl Series 2 Feature Films
After a highly successful first Kickstarter campaign in 2020, Van Ryder Games is back with a second serving of horrifying solo adventures with Final Girl Series 2.
What Are Kickstarter Quick Picks?
Kickstarter Quick Picks are short looks at projects currently on Kickstarter that are of interest to me, and by extension, many of our GeekDad readers. A Quick Pick is not an endorsement of the Kickstarter campaign, nor have I (as yet) received any product copies to review. If you like what you see here, go check out the campaign and decide for yourself if you’d like to back it, or wait until GeekDad has had a chance to go hands-on. As always, caveat emptor—let the buyer beware.
New to Kickstarter? Check out our crowdfunding primer.
What Is Final Girl Series 2?
Final Girl is an immersive horror solo board game, where you play as the “Final Girl” in a horror film, attempting to survive and defeat the killer. The game system works by combining a core box with interchangeable “Feature Film” boxes, which create different thematic experiences for the player. The first Kickstarter campaign was delivered to backers in late 2021, to critical acclaim and the delight of horror movie-loving board gamers everywhere. Final Girl is such a fantastic game that I awarded it our GeekDad Approved badge. You can read my review of Final Girl here.
Much like in the original campaign for Final Girl, the Final Girl Series 2 Kickstarter campaign has multiple pledge levels. The lowest point of entry is the A La Carte pledge, which for $20 gets you any one of the Feature Film boxes, and you can add other items as you see fit. If you’re new to Final Girl, you’re going to want to get at least the Film Debut pledge, which gives you the Core Box (required for playing) as well as the Feature Film box of your choice for $40. From there, you can go all the way up to the Full Franchise, which will net you almost everything from both Kickstarter campaigns. And yes, everything from the first Kickstarter campaign is also available to pick up in the current campaign.
I’m not going to discuss the Series 1 Final Girl items, as you can see those in my review. Instead, I’m going to focus on everything new in Series 2.
Feature Films
At launch, there are 5 new Feature Films, which include new locations, killers, and Final Girls:
- Into the Void. Inspired by Alien, this finds new Final Girls Ellen and Jenette facing off against the Evolmorph.
- Terror at Station 2891. This one’s a nod to John Carpenter’s The Thing, where you’re trapped in an arctic station but you don’t know who to trust.
- A Knock at the Door. This one seems to be inspired by The Strangers, with uninvited guests crashing your party.
- Once Upon a Full Moon, a modern take on “Little Red Riding Hood.”
- Madness in the Dark. An insane asylum is the setting for this one that feels like a mix of Silent Hill and House on Haunted Hill.
Miniatures
An optional purchase to increase immersion, for $20 you get a box containing all the Final Girls and Killers from all of the Series 2 Feature Films. So far, they’ve only shown the designs for the Terror at Station 2891 Feature Film. There’s also a Series 1 box available.
Vehicle Packs
Similarly, Van Ryder Games is offering two $10 Vehicle Packs, so you can replace your vehicle tokens with plastic miniatures if you desire.
Storage Boxes and Game Mats
One of the new additions to the Series 2 campaign is storage boxes for both S1 and S2 campaigns, to hold all of the individual game, miniature, and game mat boxes. Also making an appearance for this campaign is a Series 2 Game Mat Set, which is redesigned for both the special features in the Series 2 Feature Films and the Vignette Films.
Why Check Out Final Girl Series 2
As both a horror movie fan and a board gamer, I love the Final Girl series. It manages to satisfyingly capture the cat-and-mouse tension of the final girl trope, as you desperately try to defeat the killer who is trying to end your life.
Like I said in my review of Final Girl, this game is obviously made by people who love horror films. Each of the Feature Films plays with different genres of horror and provides its own unique gaming challenges. And being able to mix and match locations, killers, and Final Girls provides a massive amount of replayability.
The Final Girl Series 2 Kickstarter campaign is busting through stretch goals and records. At the time I’m writing this, it’s barely 24 hours into the campaign, and already it has out-funded the entire first Final Girl campaign. The funding is currently sitting at over $950K, breaking the record for the most-funded solo-only board game on Kickstarter, and I would not be at all surprised to find that it’s surpassed $1 million by the time this article sees publication. The amazing funding is no doubt due to all of the fantastic reviews from critics and consumers alike.
Just as they did with the first campaign, the stretch goals continue to add to the value of backers’ pledges. Already, a new Vignette Film, Terror From the Grave, will be included as one of those goals. (Vignette Films are like mini Feature Films but without their own locations.) We may see another Feature Film box make an appearance as well, much like it did in the first campaign.
While there aren’t any Kickstarter exclusives in the campaign, it’s still well worth backing now if you’re interested in Final Girl. The first campaign already shipped to backers and was extremely well-received, and you can also readily read reviews and watch playthroughs to see if this is the game for you. The pricing for the boxes is also going to be higher when Final Girl Series 2 goes to retail. And finally, retail copies of Final Girl sold out rapidly from stores and the Van Ryder webstore not long after they became available this winter.
I really can’t recommend Final Girl strongly enough. While I haven’t had a chance to play any of the new Feature Films yet, I’m confident that they’ll provide the same level of immersion and challenge that they did in the first Final Girl campaign. If you’re interested in checking out Final Girl Series 2, head over to their Kickstarter campaign page.
Oh, and by the way… the Series 1 Mystery Box is being offered again, but I can’t tell you what’s in it. (It’s a mystery, after all.) But I will say that if you’re a fan of a certain chainsaw-handed fellow and his boomstick, you may want to grab one for yourself. I know I’ll be picking up the Series 2 Mystery Box, and can’t wait to find out what’s inside!
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