Creepshow: The Suspense-Building Game Review

I can trace my love for horror, specifically horror anthology movies, to a very vivid point in time. While visiting my grandmother around 6 years old, I remember watching the original Creepshow movie on HBO. This classic horror/comedy directed by George Romero, written by Stephen King, made a huge impression on me. Along with a couple fun nightmares.

The campy and over the top story telling of Creepshow paid tribute to the horror comics of the 1950’s and continues to live through a TV series, movies, and comics. Creepshow is now coming to your game table in the form of a suspense-building card game from Skybound Tabletop.

Competitive Storytelling

Each game of Creepshow starts with three villain cards, creating three unique rows in the center of the table. As the active player, you can choose to “creep” or “show” on your turn. The creep action lets you discard any number of story cards from your hand and replace them from the story deck. You then add a suspense card next to one of the three villains on the table.

All players will have access to identical suspense cards that contain values of -2, 1, 2, and 3. Suspense cards are added facedown so that your opponents don’t see what value is on the card. These piles of suspense cards will build, giving a unique suspense value to each of the stories on the table.

When you choose the show action, you’ll add a story card to one of the three villain rows on the table. Story cards come in three different acts that build on one another and create a unique narrative. Some story cards allow the addition of new suspense cards while others offer a branching path. These “path” story cards force the active player to choose one of the two options on the card. Choosing the lower value is usually a safe bet. Choosing the higher value gives the largest reward.

Spine-tingling Suspense

The suspense card stacks build with the participation of all the players at the table. You’ll only know what cards you submitted and have to anticipate what the other players added to the pile. When choosing an option on a path card, you want the suspense value of that row to meet or exceed the number you choose.

The imperfect information contained in these suspense decks brings a lot of tension to the game. A large stack of cards can be deceptive and lead you into a false sense of security when choosing a number on a path card. Each time a path card is played in a row, that story transitions to the next act.

Once a story enters its third act, a player can bring the story to an end. On their turn, a player can choose an “Ending” card. There is one face up and a deck that is face down. When ending the story, the suspense value has to meet or exceed the top number on the card. Missing this number will mean you miss out on a big payout of points and your opponents will earn points instead.

Creepshow introduces a Major Villain once one villain is complete. This is a new row that will mark the end of the game when this story receives an ending card. BUT, if a player fails to achieve a successful ending for the Major Villain, they escape. The player who triggered an ending where the Major Villain escapes cannot win the game no matter how many points they scored.

Gameplay Meets Story

Creepshow is really something special. I was shocked at how much tension is present as you make choices on path cards and deciding to end a story. Players are trying to lure others into feeling good about the amount of suspense attached to a story. The hand management of the game is really tight as you work to balance the three different acts and various path cards.

There’s a press-your-luck element as you commit to the higher values on the path cards, knowing that failure can change the amount of suspense on a story. Creepshow is surprisingly dynamic as players have their own agenda, adding suspense to each story.

The iconic and unsettling artwork of Creepshow is present on each and every card. Artists from the comic book series make the cards disturbing and gruesome in all the best ways.

I do struggle a bit with how disjointed the stories become as players add cards to each row. For people who are looking for continuity in these stories will be a little frustrated. A story may start with an evil babysitter as the villain, but somewhere in Act 3, a tree monster comes crashing through a window. It’s almost impossible to keep these stories cohesive as cards are played. I mention this because someone brings this up each time we teach the game.

Final Thoughts

Creepshow has unique gameplay, using mechanics that most gamers are familiar with. The game brings real tension to the table. I love that players have to try and read their opponents as the stories build. Did they add to the suspense deck hoping to gain points, or are they bating me into ending the story without enough suspense?

Iconography in the game is simple to understand and one game is all you need to be comfortable with the flow of the game. While it’s a little gripe, the double-sided point tokens in the game are not great. If a player isn’t paying attention, they can easily flip a token from 1 to 3 points without realizing it. We have to tell players every game to be careful not to accidently flip their point tokens.

Creepshow is going to get a lot of play in our house, which is why I’ll be replacing these tokens eventually. I’m really impressed with how designers Ben Kepner and Dan Stong bring tension and suspense to the game. Because of the artwork, this isn’t a game that you’ll play with younger gamers. As a parent of teenagers and kids in college, this is a huge hit in our home.

Being a fan of campy horror will definitely help players connect with Creepshow. The truth is that even if you’re not familiar with the source material, this is a great press-your-luck, bluffing, storytelling game. Each Halloween, we end up finding a new creepy game that hits the table over and over during the month of October. While it’s early in the season, Creepshow feels like it’s going to be at the top of our list this Halloween.

Creepshow is now available from Skybound Tabletop at your local game store, through the Skybound webstore or online through Amazon.

This game was provided to us by the publisher for review. Read more about our review policies at One Board Family.