Level 7 [Escape] review

Privateer Press | Survival horror | £44.99 | 1-4 players | 45 minutes | www.privateerpress.com 

Out of breath, you stumble down yet another corridor… suddenly in the distance you hear a scuffling. Surely it can be another one? You gather yourself, lungs on fire, blood rushing through your heart and begin running. Will this be the time you’re finally caught? Fear continues to rise as the scuffling gets closer… where the hell is it coming from? From out of nowhere a bizarre, alien creature leaps out at you. You don’t think, you just start fighting like you’ve never fought before… punching, kicking… anything to survive. The thing’s body goes limp. Panting hard, every inch of you shaking with adrenaline you try to compose yourself. Only to hear the sound of more screaming echoing down the corridor… will the next time be the moment you’re finally caught?

Level 7 is a story-driven survival horror in which a group of people must try to escape a military facility that’s been overrun with aliens and, as if that wasn’t enough, guards are out to capture you too. Of course, this would all be a fairly terrifying situation so Level 7 uses an innovative fear mechanic that can see your level of fear go from one to eight. When it’s low you can think clearly and it gives a bonus to your intelligence stat… however as the hopelessness of your situation dawns the fear begins to rise, giving you a boost to your fighting skill and movement but a reduction in your intelligence. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, your fear also attracts more aliens – they must be able to smell it or something.

Your health is measured by adrenaline cards, which are dealt at the start of the game. Typically the adrenaline cards can be used to increase or decrease your fear, along with buffing your basic stats. You can play them during your turn but, of course, the problem is the more you play, the closer you’ll get to death.

There are seven different scenarios, appropriately, in Level 7 and each sees you working your way through the facility. The first mission attempts to explain the mechanics of the game, while further missions add extra levels of complexity. 

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