As I drag the latest massive box (or boxes) of Zombicide through my door, I often wonder whether it will simply be more or the same. The last time out, when I reviewed Zombicide: Undead or Alive, I was pleasantly surprised by new mechanics and features. However, the newest Zombicide game – Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance offers something else entirely. Gone is the endless list of unknown characters, and in their place, an impressive roster of X-Men heroes that almost anyone would recognise. Additionally, there are 140 cards. 116 of which consist of Zombie Hero IDs, zombie traits, spawn, bystander and Superhero cards. The remaining 24 cards aren’t usable in the game on their own and are intended to be used alongside the upcoming Marvel Zombies – X-Men Resistance. Inspired by the 2005 ‘Marvel Zombies’ comic book series, ‘ Marvel Zombies – A Zombicide Game’ not only puts you into the shoes of Earth's Mightiest Heroes but also takes a unique spin on the Zombicicde formula by having you play as the ravenous flesh eaters. Like other ‘Zombicide’ games, as players complete objectives and defeat enemies, their zombie heroes gain experience and new abilities. But with each time a level is gained, so does the threat level, taking us into the next round, the enemy phase. But being a superpowered zombie isn’t as easy as it sounds. Standing between you and your banquet of famous faces of the Marvel Universe are some of Marvel's most powerful surviving heroes and an army of specially trained S.H.E.I.L.D. agents.

The whole setup takes around 15 minutes at most for the larger games and is made super easy with the instruction, clearly stating what tiles are used and where and the location of all tokens. Game Play Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance Is one of the more expensive Zombicide products, yet there is a lot in the box, and there is also the unique possibility of adding that second core box to play a completely different mode with the same components and only minor changes to the rules. This, along with the massive Marvel IP gives Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance appeal that other dungeon crawlers (including other entries in the Zombicide series) just can’t match.Inspired by the 2005 ‘Marvel Zombies’ comic book series, ‘ Marvel Zombies – A Zombicide Game’ not only puts you into the shoes of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes but also takes a unique spin on the Zombicicde formula by having you play as the ravenous flesh eaters. There are also hundreds of other miniatures in the box. Walkers (the most basic enemy) come in five dynamic poses, and then the more threatening brute and runner enemies come in two poses each. One unique addition to Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance is that of bystanders. These side story characters were clearly not deemed important enough to get their own character card, but can play an important role in the game if either eaten by zombies (bad) or rescued (good.) Gain zombie trait’ is the closest equivalent to ‘search’ action from previous games. Rather than searching for weapons and equipment, zombie traits give zombie heroes special abilities that can be used to give them an advantage, such as free actions and bonuses to dice rolls. Typically, Zombicide has up to six characters working their way through zombie infested streets and buildings, collecting powerful items and dispatching the undead in their hundreds. This series is a classic dungeon crawler, and objectives might include collecting a few things, opening some doors, maybe even escorting someone from to A to B, but no matter what, the focus is on action above all else.

Their step is the enemy spawn. Scattered around the edges of each mission are spawn points where enemy reinforcements appear. Players draw a spawn card for each spawn point and space the designated enemy type and numbers there. The higher the threat level, the more enemies are likely to appear at a spawn point. Some spawn cards can also give enemies extra action, meaning the difference between victory and defeat in some situations. The Marvel iteration of ‘ Zombicide‘ is different enough from previous versions to warrant giving it a go for ‘Zombicide’ and represents the Marvel universe well with its lore-friendly rules for both comic book and MCU fans alike.Bystanders make up about 20% of the miniatures in the box and in honesty, I would rather have had half the number of additional heroes (on both sides of the fight.) Bystanders are fairly static, moving only at the end of each round and simply fleeing towards the nearest hero. This could easily have been represented by a cardboard token, but if nothing else it does serve to highlight how keen the designers are to make the importance of bystanders very clear.