Asmodee and Z-Man Games Reveal Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe

Asmodee and Z-Man Games have announced a new entry in their Pandemic: Hot Zone spinoff series, and we've got all the details right here. The newest entry in the franchise is titled Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe, and the new game will land on store shelves on July 9th for $19.99. While it doesn't hit stores until July 9th, you can actually play the game much sooner, as Z-Man and Asmodee have made the game available on their website as a free PDF download, so you can actually give it a try right now. You can also check out the new board and characters you'll find in the box in the images below.

For those unfamiliar, Pandemic: Hot Zone is a spinoff series that takes the hit gameplay and streamlines it for a shorter and more portable experience. The first spinoff in the series was Pandemic: Hot Zone - North America, and now the series is introducing a new mode that allows you to play both Hot Zone experiences in one game.

The new Hemisphere rules set has you combine both games for a more challenging experience, and here's how it works. Each player takes control of a disease-fighting team and travels across both game boards to assist in treating disease and discovering a cure. To win you must cure all 3 diseases on both boards before losing on either board, increasing the challenge quite a bit but also giving you more options from turn to turn. You can download the Hemisphere rules for free as well right here.

You can find the official description and key features for Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe below.

Pandemic: Hot Zone is a spinoff series designed to be a shorter, more portable, version of the best-selling Pandemic board game. In Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe, players team-up against diseases threatening the continent, traveling from city-to-city treating local populations, preventing outbreaks, and sharing research across their team. Each character possesses a unique ability that must be strategically deployed to save the world. For an extra challenge, players can add Mutation cards, or mix and match components with other Pandemic: Hot Zone games to create a fresh experience each time they play.

Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe Key Features:

Shorter, more portable version of the best-selling cooperative game Pandemic.

Second title in the Pandemic: Hot Zone series with unique Europe board.

Players work together to discover cures to 3 diseases, winning or losing as a team.

Mutation cards can be added to increase difficulty.

Components can be mixed and matched with other Pandemic: Hot Zone games.

Supports 2-4 players with games lasting approximately 30 minutes.

Z-Man Games Head of Studio Steve Kimball also released a blog post regarding the new game and the sensitivity towards launching a Pandemic game in 2021, and you can read an excerpt from his thoughts below.

"We hope that you and your loved ones have been able to stay healthy and safe despite the real-world pandemic disrupting our lives," Kimball wrote. "Last year, during COVID's initial spread, we postponed our expected announcements of Pandemic: Hot Zone – North America and Pandemic Legacy: Season 0. Here we are again, one year since our initial announcement for the Hot Zone series of Pandemic games, and the situation continues to evolve.

I'm not sure any of us expected to go an entire year without a return to normalcy… but through this unprecedented crisis we have witnessed heroic acts of sacrifice and courage across the board, from healthcare professionals to civic leaders, which is exactly the spirit of teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment portrayed in Pandemic," Kimball said. "For our situation here in the US, with vaccines rolling out apace and safety protocols being more widely accepted and enforced, it feels like a light's flickering at the end of the tunnel. We recognize the situation varies around the world, and wherever you are, we hope that your local situation steadily improves."

Pandemic: Hot Zone - Europe releases on July 9th.