Don't Look Back Core Game Review

Your flashlight cuts out as soon as you step off the path and into the forest, leaving you in darkness. Every noise makes you jump as you use the technical method of torch repair and hit it against your hand, which causes a strobe light effect through the trees. Your feet find every stick in the forest, and your movement is accompanied by the constant snap and crackle of the undergrowth. You started out your journey with some friends, but you don't know where they are now. It's just you, and the massive monster of a human that emerges from behind a tree in front of you. The tree should never have been able to hide them, and they appeared to emerge from nowhere. Maybe they're here to help you and as you raise your hand to wave, you notice the glint of metal as they raise a colossal blade into the air. Your torch lands with a clatter on the floor, and without thinking about it, your legs are in motion and you run further into the dark.

What Is Don't Look Back?

Don't Look Back is a horror miniatures tabletop game from Black Site Studios. Since its release, they've released many expansions and tools giving Don't Look Back a huge amount of storytelling options. In this article, we're going to be taking a look at the Don't Look Back Core Game, and we'll check out what's in the box, the core rules, and what else you might need to play.

What Do You Get In the Don't Look Back Core Game?

The Don't Look Back Core Game contains:

• Don’t Look Back full rules booklet
• Six Hero Minis
• One Killer Mini (with several head and weapon options)
• Tokens and dice
• Core Character and Killer reference cards, Killer M.O and trait cards

How Does Don't Look Back Play?

The rules for Don't Look Back are incredibly straightforward and easy to learn. A single read of the small rulebook is enough to start a game, referring to the tables and turn events order and looking up rules as required. Most skill tests require a simple twenty-sided dice roll under the stat being tested, for which characters only have a few. Killers are a little more complicated and can be randomly generated each game, or created for specific scenarios or to recreate your favorite movies/comics/novels.

Each turn, fright tokens are generated to represent noises, shadows, and eerie effects. The killer can appear from fight tokens, or they can just generate terror on nearby characters. Terror points increase the movement and combat skill of the killer targeting that character, and also reduce a character's rolls, making it more difficult to achieve tasks. If a character ever has double the amount of terror points of their fright value, they are removed from the game, succumbing to panic.

Players need to complete the scenario objective while avoiding the killer and controlling the terror points on their character. Five scenarios are presented in the Core Rulebook, with more available on the Black Site Studios website, produced by the community, and in game expansions. 

What Else Do I Need To Play Don't Look Back?

The Core Game includes everything that you need to play Don't Look Back, but games are best played with a lot of scenery and a gaming mat, which also help with immersion in the scenario. Any scenery can be used, but the more in keeping with the scenario, the better the game will be. All of the core rulebook scenarios look good with campsite, forest, and lake scenery, with some small buildings to investigate and attempt to hide in.

Lots of other expansions, with different characters, killers, scenarios, and play options are available from Black Site Studios, and we'll look at them in future reviews.

What Are Our Final Thoughts on the Don't Look Back Core Game?

Don't Look Back is extremely thematic, capturing the horror/slasher concept perfectly. Some scenarios/killers can be played around if all you're looking to do is win, but if all the players are interested in getting into the theme of the game, then it's a very enjoyable experience. It also plays extremely well solo.  The multiple killer options give a huge variety of play out of the Core Game, but it would have been nice to have a paper mat and a couple of scenery pieces to make it a complete package. The straightforward, easy-to-learn rules allow you to focus on the action and enjoy the experience. 

Should I Buy The Don't Look Back Core Game?

If you're looking for a great solo or cooperative horror game, with a huge amount of expansion possibilities, then Don't Look Back is perfect. It will require some investment in scenery, which may not be an option for some. If you want a game that you can simply win, without any thematic immersion, then there are other horror board games out there with specific win conditions. Don't Look Back is a great horror/slasher experience that you can get into, and have a lot of fun exploring.

The Don't Look Back Core Game used to produce this article was provided by Modiphius Entertainment.