Van Ryder Games LLC

What has made Final Girl such a big hit?

Acouple of issues back we were talking about Final Girl and we left off with a cliffhanger… and now it is time to answer the question: What made Final Girl such a big hit? It wasn’t just one thing, but a collection of specific and intentional choices we made with respect to the game and product.

First, we took a proven system (the Hostage Negotiator system) and did everything we could to make it better. We have lots of data on what people liked and did not like about the system. During the design process, we used that data to make improvements to the already popular and successful system. When doing this, it was important to avoid changing what made it successful in the first place. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and all.

Second, we chose an incredible and popular theme. Horror is a genre beloved by many, and no medium captures that love better than film. As fans of horror ourselves, we poured our passion into implementing theme into every crack and crevice of the game that we could. Our ability to integrate theme into a game is something we do quite well at Van Ryder Games. Final Girl is not a narrative game in the traditional sense, rather the narrative emerges through the gameplay. And our customers LOVE IT.

Third, it is a solo game. Solo gaming is still an emerging area of board gaming. Imagine being a solo gamer and realizing a game was cultivated solely to be a single player experience? In an age of tacked on solo modes and publishers acquiescing to calls for a solo option, giving solo gamers a true solo experience is a big difference and it shows.

Finally, the product model. Distributors and retailers laughed at us when we explained the product would require two boxes, a Core Box and at least one Feature Film, to play. “Put everything in one box” they’d say. We don’t do what everyone else does. How can you innovate if you just follow the same recipe? The packaging is truly unique. Each Feature Film box has a Killer and a Location, the box and the system are completely modular. Who are we to tell the customer what Feature Film to start with? We can make a recommendation but let them decide! You see there is something customers value that this system gives them: CHOICE! This isn’t a model that would work for every game or even most games… but for Final Girl it is perfect. Watch the customer’s eyes light up as they see all of the Feature Film options. Then blow their mind by showing them the removable magnetic box covers. We do it at every convention, and you can do it to. And they can enter at $40 or $100+ depending on their budget and appetite. CHOICE. You win either way, trust me, the $40 buyer will be back for the rest.

Words will never do a product justice, but why not give this product line a chance and learn what many of your peers already know? This game SELLS.

The Series 1 reprint should be available now and look for Series 2 coming in the first half of 2023!

~A.J. Porfirio, Van Ryder Games President and co-designer of Final Girl