‘We Have Such Sights to Show You’
Razorface might as well have whispered these words as you enter the infernal world of Hell to Pay, a feature film in Final Girl Series 3. Drawing heavily on Hellraiser’s iconic blend of pain and obsession, this nightmare forces you to navigate a shape-shifting Hellscape where danger lurks behind every wall and survival is anything but guaranteed.
Tools of Survival
What You Need to Play
Final Girl is a ‘solo’ board game that requires the Final Girl Core Box to play (though there is absolutely nothing wrong with two people teaming up to play as a single final girl). You’ll need the Final Girl Core Box that contains all the meeples, tokens, dice and core action cards that you need to play any feature film that you combine with it as well as the all-important horror board.
‘We Have Such Sights to Show You’
Razorface might as well have whispered these words as you enter the infernal world of Hell to Pay, a feature film in Final Girl Series 3. Drawing heavily on Hellraiser’s iconic blend of pain and obsession, this nightmare forces you to navigate a shape-shifting Hellscape where danger lurks behind every wall and survival is anything but guaranteed.
Tools of Survival
What You Need to Play
Final Girl is a ‘solo’ board game that requires the Final Girl Core Box to play (though there is absolutely nothing wrong with two people teaming up to play as a single final girl). You’ll need the Final Girl Core Box that contains all the meeples, tokens, dice and core action cards that you need to play any feature film that you combine with it as well as the all-important horror board.
Each feature film comes with its own unique villain and villain board, as well as location board, items, events and bespoke components that allow you to fully immerse yourself in the final girl experience.
Razorface Rises
The Villain and The Victims
‘Hell to Pay’ brings you Christie and Kenzie, the two final girls facing off against Razorface, the centrepiece villain and grotesque tormentor who brings with him a whole host of afflictions that you must purge yourself of before being able to defeat him once and for all. He’s brutal, persistent and feeds on your suffering.
Welcome to the Labyrinth
Dynamic Locations and Tactical Panic
The Hellscape is probably the game’s most compelling feature (certainly my favourite): a labyrinth that has four double-sided tiles that make up the location board; these tiles may swap or flip over changing the Hellscape’s pathways and walls leaving you safe one minute or in the jaws of doom the next – the panic is real and your plans change instantly (Don’t underestimate the powers of the new action card in your tableau ‘Hellshift’).
A Game of Chance and Chains
Difficulty, Luck, and Challenge
Final Girl feature films are not designed to be easily won – at times, it feels you are simply destined to succumb and Hell to Pay can be punishing. On my first playthrough I watched helplessly as I found myself trapped as the Hellscape shifted around me, boxing me in, giving Razorface freedom to go on a murderous rampage and although I had the unique action card ‘Hellshift’, the dice mocked me with cruel inevitability.
The inspiration from the Hellraiser franchise is unmistakable. The added impact of the afflictions adds a devilish aspect to the game, ensuring that you really go through trials and torment in order to defeat Razorface. The items you can pick up during your survival are so thematically rich, it immerses you in the Hellscape surrounding, but can be immensely powerful so make sure you pick wisely.
Admittedly, there is a considerable element of chance that goes into beating Razorface and if that’s not your thing, maybe pick a different feature film to play but if you are like me and prefer to be the underdog, it provides that challenge.
Twists of the Knife
Event Cards and Replayability
The event cards also further inject that bit of unpredictability. Just as the tide turns and things can be going in your favour, specialised victims may be added to the board distracting you from the task at hand and giving you multiple things to think about and forcing difficult choices.
In the unlikely case that you find Razorface easy to overcome, crank up the difficulty to extreme horror mode and wait for him to unlock his epic dark power. I’ll leave that surprise for you to find out.
The Final Verdict
A Strong Entry in the Series
Hell to Pay is a fine offering from Van Ryder games that provides much replayability and a fresh experience each time. Razorface, whilst a relatively simple villain in comparison to other feature films, is supported through the theming and location elevating the gameplay making this a strong entry level feature film for those getting into Final Girl.
N.B. Avoid all puzzle boxes after playing.
Zatu Review Summary
Zatu Score
86%
