Dead by Daylight board game review

Video game enthusiasts will surely remember 2016, when the horror multiplayer game Dead by Daylight was released. It is a title where one player acts as a killer hunting 4 survivors who are trying to repair generators and escape. The killer uses their abilities to catch survivors, hang them on meat hooks, and then sacrifice them to the dark entity. Survivors try to crouch, sneak, and hide from the killer, and when that fails, they run, vault over walls, and drop pallets on the killer to escape.

This concept has gained a huge community of fans who have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours playing the game. The game's success is bolstered by the fact that even 12 years after its release, Dead by Daylight is still played by tens of thousands of players daily. As a video gamer myself, I was very intrigued, and after the board game release was announced, I was curious to see how it would turn out. Did the developers manage to translate these gaming experiences to board gamers?

Facing the killer

Let's take a closer look at the Dead by Daylight board game. The game was developed by the same studio as the video game, Behavior Interactive, together with Level 99 Games. In the Czech Republic, this board game was published by Tlama Games. The game is for 3-5 players and takes about 40–60 minutes. The 15+ age rating is due to the horror theme, but younger players can easily handle the rules. Inside the box, you will find a double-sided game board, six killer characters, seven survivor characters accompanied by plastic miniatures, card decks, and tokens.

The rules are clearly written on 15 pages. The components are of standard quality, and I rate the thicker cards positively. They are easier to pick up from the table and do not fray or bend with careless handling. The game board is printed somewhat unusually on a very smooth and glossy surface, which can sometimes cause issues with light reflection. The design will please all fans of the video game original. The board features screenshots of familiar locations like the Macmillan Estate and the Autohaven Wreckers. Among the characters, we recognize familiar faces from the original, such as the Trapper, the Doctor, Feng Min, Meg Thomas, and others.

How do you play?

Before the game starts, one player takes on the role of the killer (ideally someone who already knows the rules well) and four players take the roles of survivors. With fewer players, one person plays as two survivors. Then, according to the rules, items and player miniatures are placed on the board, and movement cards are dealt. The game board consists of several locations connected by colored lines marked with movement icons. Each survivor and killer board contains a description of abilities that help the player win. Everyone reads their character's abilities aloud to familiarize the other players.

Players have four movement cards: sneak, run, crouch, and vault. The killer also has a Wait card. The game is divided into four phases: Planning, Survivor turns, Killer turn, and Cleanup. In the planning phase, all players secretly place a movement card face down in front of them that they want to play in that round. The killer places two cards. Then, in turn order, each player reveals their movement card and performs the move by shifting their miniature to another location. After moving, they flip an item and interact with it. Besides generators, which are the path to victory for survivors, they can find a chest with items, a locker to hide in, a pallet to slow down the killer, and many other things. The player performs the interaction or uses their special ability, and then it is the next player's turn.

When survivors interact with a generator, they roll a die, and if successful, they place a repair token on the generator. If there are three tokens on the generator, it is repaired. Survivors win if they repair 4 generators and then open an escape exit. Once everyone has taken their turn, it is the killer's turn. The killer has the advantage of two moves. Just like the survivors, after playing a movement card, they flip an item and perform an interaction. If a partially repaired generator is in that room, they can damage it again; they can also draw on the entity's power and perform other actions. However, if a survivor is in that location, they can injure them. The injured player places an injury token under their miniature, and they keep it until teammates heal them.

If the killer interacts with an injured survivor, they pick them up and hang them on one of the meat hooks scattered around the board. For each first-time hook, they gain a sacrifice token, and if the survivor is still on the hook during the cleanup phase, they gain another. The killer wins if they collect a total of 8 sacrifice tokens. During the final cleanup phase, the first-player token is moved, movement cards are reset, and the planning phase begins again until someone wins.

Our impressions?

Dead by Daylight invites a bit of comparison with the recent novelty – Bestie. It must be said that the games share common principles: one against all and hidden movement. That is where the similarity ends, and each game is different in its own way.

All players use their deductive skills during the planning phase to guess the opponent's move. Survivors are only allowed to talk out loud about their next steps. This creates funny moments where they try to speak in code so the killer doesn't understand their plan. Survivors make moves to get as close to victory as possible while avoiding the killer. The killer, of course, tries to figure out where they will go in the next turn to injure or catch them and hang them on a hook.

Players usually repair the first generator or two quickly. However, the first hook slows the game down as survivors invest time in rescuing their teammate. With different movement cards complemented by simple illustrations, you really feel as if your character is running, crouching, or even vaulting over obstacles just like in the video game. The items found on the board are very powerful, useful, and can drastically change the course of the game.

Survivors have a disadvantage in the number of blood points they earn. They can use these to perform their special abilities. Replenishing them is not easy, and they are usually in short supply. If they use a pallet during an interaction, which effectively blocks the killer's movement, they gain a huge lead. In contrast, the killer usually has enough blood points, as they are much easier to obtain. The special abilities are also exact copies of the original, adapted for the board game, and I must admit they work perfectly.

The game ends very closely if you have similarly experienced players on both sides. Victory is decided by two or three turns where you gain an edge over your opponent. The fastest way to win for the killer is to hang every survivor on a hook; in that case, they easily get 8 sacrifice points. Survivors should be very careful not to let the killer use this advantage. If you are already a seasoned player, you can use two expansion decks that contain several dozen cards and refresh the whole game.

Verdict

The rules are truly simple, and even a beginner will master them. Moreover, a player familiar with the original will orient themselves very quickly, and the beginnings will be easier for them. The game itself is not demanding in terms of strategic thinking or complex mechanisms. I am usually skeptical about board games based on video games or movies, and this was no exception. However, as a player of the video game original, I must say that the board game adaptation is very successful, and I am pleasantly surprised. For Dead by Daylight fans, it is an absolute must. Having the opportunity to play your favorite video game with friends practically anywhere is tempting. A big plus is the fact that even players who don't know the original at all have a great time with the game.

Dead by Daylight is simply a great example of what a game based on a video game or movie should look like. It has its flaws in the form of the game board, which could be more graphically polished, but overall, you will really enjoy the game. Great production, simple gameplay, interesting theme, and accessibility for both beginners and experienced players. The rating on the board gamer-recognized BGG of 7.3/10 is absolutely accurate, and I cannot help but agree. So don't be afraid of anything and quickly order the game, perhaps from us at imago, because this game is flying off the shelves.

author Daniel Korčák