Board Game Review: Hitman Holiday

You hear a knock on the door. It could be the mailman… could be a lot worse… You’ve been on this vacation for three days and already your elevator has mysteriously given out, and you’re pretty sure someone tried to push you down the stairs when you were on your way to the pool…

Drawing your knife, you slowly open the door, looking around suspiciously.

Sitting at your door is a box. It’s a new game: Hitman Holiday.

Components
Hitman Holiday is a new board game being Kickstarted February 10th by Medieval Lords. They sent me a prototype copy to prepare for their Kickstarter. At the time, the game was called Deadly Vacation, so the box in the unboxing below is incorrect.

There’s a lot of components in this small box. You can see the unboxing video I did on the game here:

Lots and lots of components.

The box is nice and sturdy, with nice smooth artwork. The back of the box has lots of details about the game, and it’s a nice compact size. The cards are all nice, durable and have great artwork for a small game studio.

The miniatures inside are a soft, pliable plastic with a minimal paintjob. While I liked that the figures were painted so I could tell all of the assassins apart, I would have liked to have seen either a better quality sculpt or a better quality paint job. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem for most board gamers, but the miniature gamer within me really wanted some better stuff. There’s a ton of stuff here, from cards to tokens to little turning dials (which were difficult to screw together) to multiple boards. You’ll need a bit of room at your table to fit all of the components.

The art in the game is okay, a sort of digital painting that’s of the quality expected from a new game company. I would have liked to have seen some better icons, but they’re not bad.

The game can actually be played up to 10 players, though it claims it’s “best for 6-8”. That’s a lot of people to get together, and we didn’t play with nearly that many.

Gameplay
Players race around the board attempting to assassinate their targets. No one knows who everyone has as their targets, so there’s a guessing game trying to figure out who’s after you, while hiding who it is you’re after. While you’re running around the island collecting items you can use to kill your fellow vacationers, you’ll also have to keep track and keep an eye on how sleepy your are, how hungry you are, and when you need to go to the bathroom.

All of this makes for a really entertaining game as you rush around the island, preparing to take out your target… when your stomach starts growling. Can’t kill on an empty stomach!

Some spaces on the map allow you to make a ranged attack, while others specifically require a more… direct attack. However, if you attempt to make a kill in an area with security cameras, or near the two police officers who patrol the board, you aren’t able to kill your target and have to let them go. The game ends when one player has earned five points.

The Review
While Hitman Holiday is an entertaining game, it seems like the game could use a little more polish. The rulebook needs an editor on it, one who’s able to clarify the rules a bit more.

Hitman Holiday is a ton of fun as you sneak around this tropical paradise, hoping to gain the upper-hand on your opponents. It plays unlike anything else I’ve seen, with a constant air of distrust and suspicion. If you like Battlestar Galactica or The Resistance, this is the game for you.