Nemesis Board Game Review, Is the Game Worth the Price Tag?

Nemesis is a tabletop board game that is set on a ship infested with hostile organisms. To win, players must complete an objective and make it back to Earth in one piece.

The obstacles you will face along the way will include threats like the ship breaking down or catching on fire, alien intruders or even betrayals from your fellow crewmates. 

Unofficially, the game is based on the sci-fi movie “Alien”. At least, it’s as similar as it can be without the official licensing. 

How difficult is the Nemesis board game?  

It depends. If you are a veteran board game player, the gameplay is actually pretty straightforward.

Sure, there are a lot of moving pieces, and you will likely find yourself referring to the rulebook more than once during the game. But don’t let the size of the game or the rulebook intimidate you.

That being said, if you break this out with someone who thinks a game night means playing Monopoly, they’re going to be overwhelmed.

But novice game players can play, as long as they are willing to learn.

How many players can play Nemesis?  

The game plays 1-5 players. There are six characters to choose from in the base game.

There are additional characters available in expansions.

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What type of game is Nemesis?  

Nemesis is a semi-cooperative, survival-horror game. There’s a resource management and dice-rolling element as well.

In my opinion, I think it’s actually quite similar to the game Betrayal at House on the Hill.

For example, you’ll be exploring new rooms, some of which have items. There will be various types of monsters to battle.

Your fellow players may be helping you, or they might be a hidden traitor. And it may take you some time to figure out who is who.

Players are incentivized to work together, at least in the beginning. It’s often their best chance to survive, even though each player’s objective may not be compatible.

The name of the game is to complete your objective and survive.

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How long does a game of Nemesis take? 

The game length can depend on who you’re playing with. But in my experience, a game can last anywhere from 2-5 hours. It will be on the longer end if you have more players.

It’s definitely a game that you want to plan to play in advance and set aside a healthy amount of time for it. 

The setup alone can take some time. If you’re hosting a Nemesis game night, it’s a good idea to set up the game before your guests arrive.

How does it work? A quick game overview 

At the start, players choose an objective and a character.

Your objective might be friendly or not-so-friendly.

For example, maybe you are the “Relentless Investigator” and you need to send a signal and explore all the rooms on the ship. Alternatively, maybe you have “The Final Enlightenment” and your objective is to be the only survivor.

There are six characters in the base game, which include a captain, pilot, scientist, scout, soldier and mechanic. The “Aftermath” expansion comes with a CEO, android, psychologist, bounty hunter and convict. Each character will have strengths and weaknesses.

The gameplay follows two main phases, a player phase and an event phase. 

During a player phase, players draw up to five action cards. On their turn, they will take either a basic action or choose an action from their action cards. They may also take room actions or item actions.

When exploring different rooms on the spaceship, your characters will create noise, which is noted by noise markers. If you make too much noise, an alien appears. You’ll roll dice to see what kind of intruder you’ll be dealing with.

The intruders come in the board at different stages: Larvae, creepers, adult intruders, breeders and a queen. 

Along the way, you may receive contamination cards or wounds.  

During the event phase, the time marker and self-destruct sequence advances on their respective tracts. Intruders have their chance to attack.

During your ship exploration, you’ll likely want to check the ship’s coordinates and check on the engines.

When your objective is complete, you want to either leave on an escape pod or climb into a hibernation chamber. 

Nemesis review, the cons

One of the bad things about the game is that some of the rules can be a bit clunky. The rulebook is thick, and in all likelihood, you’ll be referring to it more than once for the first handful of times you play the game.

Also, the intruder symbols seem to be not very intuitive and hard to remember. Many times, I find myself looking for the rulebook after rolls.

Another downside of the game is that combat can be brutal and also random. It largely relies on dice rolls, which add an element of randomness. Depending on your preference, that may be a positive or a negative thing for you.

Last but not least, the game is quite expensive. If I’m going to drop more than $100 on a game, I want it to provide several hours of entertainment. But fortunately, it does.

Now for some pros.

Nemesis review, the pros

One of the best things about the game is that it has great replay value. Even when players lose, they usually still have a great time.

The tension is real. Another fun element is that the difficulty escalates dramatically as the game continues. For example, if an eliminated player decides to start playing as an intruder, it can make the game much harder. 

And usually, when things get down to the wire, people are making a dash for the escape pod or the cryo-sleep chambers. The endings are usually epic and have some really intense and funny moments.

Even though there is some luck involved, your strategy also plays a role. Careful movement and suppressive fire can keep you alive longer in the game and help to avoid bad luck. But this comes at the cost of an extra card.

Is Nemesis a good game? An honest review 

Yeah, honestly, Nemesis is a great game.

The attention to detail is really noticeable. The miniatures are intricate and cool. The box is compartmentalized and organized. I also appreciate the little things, like how the plastic card holders fit nicely over the character boards.

It has a beautiful table presence and unique game tokens.

Also, the infection scanner is a really unique mechanism.

But the best thing about the game is its built-in storytelling. Each game has created a distinct memory with its cinematic ending. We like to play cinematic sci-fi music in the background while we play.

One time, when my husband played without me, he recounted the ending to me as if it was the best movie he’d ever seen.

I honestly think it’s one of the most well-made sci-fi games on the market. So I would say it’s on the underrated side, even though most board game enthusiasts I know appreciate the game overall.

And if you like the game, be sure to check out Etsy for add-ons like intruder wound markers or token stands for your fire and broken room tokens.

Can Nemesis be played solo? 

Yes, it can be. Although, I think the other players really make the game more interesting.

If you play solo mode, you will have your own special objectives deck.

At the start of the game, draw two cards from the solo objectives deck. When the first encounter occurs, choose one of the two objective cards. 

You can also play in a fully cooperative mode

If you are playing with someone who doesn’t enjoy the traitor mechanic, you can play a fully cooperative game instead.  

This mode has its own special objectives deck. At the start of the game, draw one coop objective card per player instead of the regular objective cards. These cards are public information.

To win, all objectives must be fulfilled and at least one character must survive. 

Honestly, I don’t necessarily recommend this mode. The game really shines in competitive mode, and the hidden objectives make things interesting.

Do you need Nemesis to play Nemesis Lockdown?

No. Nemesis Lockdown is the first standalone expansion to Nemesis.

In the game, players will be taken to a new location represented by a multi-level board.

The game is designed by Adam Kwapiński. The base game of Nemesis is currently listed for $110 on Amazon, where it currently rocks a 4.8-star review and a whopping 89% 5-star percentage.

Lockdown is currently $145.

Have you played the board game Nemesis? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.