Sneaking By
Taking cues from the original Metal Gear titles, I, ZOMBIE is all about sneaking around a stationary map to turn humans into zombies, adding numbers to your attack horde, in a sort of half puzzle half strategy game. Besides sneaking and knowing the right time to attack, the other gimmick is controlling your horde with basic “attack,” “follow,” and “hold” commands. There is just the right amount of strategy involved to keep this short game from ever getting frustrating.
Check my stream below. I complete nearly the entire game during my initial playthrough.
With 30 stages in total, the entire campaign can be finished in about an hour, maybe two if going for a perfect score. Unfortunately, I think the game’s length is its biggest downfall as the stage design ends just when things start to get crafty. Some stages even require the player to control a single zombie from the other side of the screen solely using the attack/hold commands. I wish more of these interesting mechanics made its way into the final game; the hidden snowman mechanic of the final 10 stages is also a creative design element.
This small indie game was made by only a few people but carries more than enough polish to warrant the impulse $4.99 download cost. The visual style and audio cues provide the detail needed to not only make gameplay more engaging but also contains enough personality to make this humorous zombie game stand-out. This game is also great for Achievement hunters.
I played the Xbox One version of I, ZOMBIE which originally launched under the radar in 2016 (also available on PC and PS4) and was originally released under the Indie section on Xbox 360. However, this zombie-sim was just posted to Switch. The biggest difference is the Switch version has a much welcomed level editor. Since the built-in 30 stages won’t take long to complete, having a level editor adds some desperately needed replay value. Either way, I, ZOMBIE is a casual, indie game done right.
Better Than: Zombi U (Wii U)
Also Try: Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake on MSX
Makes Me Want: a new Zombies Ate My Neighbors
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz