Review by Scott Lopes

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Planet Krynoid: Nightfall is the most recent of Big Finish‘s darker, more mature, monster centered spin-offs that began with Zygon Century earlier this year. Set around the idea of a zombie-like Krynoid infection/invasion similar to those in The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, this series shows us a world that isn’t as fortunate as Earth was in the Seeds of Doom.

Nightfall works as a reasonably strong start for what the storyline seems to be going for. Right from the start it’s pretty obvious what kind of story to expect here, with all the usual setups for a zombie infection showing up almost immediately but still done in a way that feels unique to the Doctor Who universe. Though most of this boxset is focused on the setup for the actual Krynoid spread that’ll be the center of upcoming seasons, it still feels like a strong enough release on its own that it could be enjoyed on its own.

A major problem with Planet Krynoid, however, was its use of the Doctor. Paul McGann, as always, gives a fantastic performance as the Eighth Doctor, but the set doesn’t use him very well. His role in the story feels a bit forced and out of place, and in some instances, just completely out of character. While Zygon Century used the Second Doctor in a way that felt natural in that storyline and helped progress the arc, the Eighth Doctor unfortunately does feel like he’s just here to be on the cover.

There’s no doubt the story itself is the strongest aspect of Nightfall, because in general it seem to have trouble with its characters even beyond the Doctor. All of the performances from the cast are great, but most of the characters don’t really feel explored enough so far, with many leaving for various reasons before truly having an impact. Even Reece Shearsmith‘s governor Hodan, one of the main selling points of this set, suffers from this problem. Hopefully, further releases in this series will rectify this problem, but for now it drags the set down significantly.

Nightfall is an overall good start to what will hopefully be a long running series from Big Finish. While it does have its faults, especially with its cast of characters, it’s still really exciting to see Big Finish explore darker stories that beyond ranges like Torchwood. If you’re a fan of shows like The Last of Us, or maybe you just really liked The Seeds of Doom, it’s worth giving Planet Krynoid a shot. If you’re looking at it strictly for the Doctor it features however, you might want to skip this one.

Planet Krynoid: Nightfall is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com