The World Needs Another Great Zombie Game

With the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead's third season, many of us have zombies on the braaaains. When the credits roll, some might turn off the television and pick up a book or controller seeking the same genre of entertainment they just got finished watching. In this case, one might go from watching Fear the Walking Dead, to playing a game like State of Decay or Dying Light. There really is no shortage of zombie games out there, but there is perhaps a shortage of good zombie games.

The world of reanimated corpses stretches far and wide. The horror sub-genre was introduced on the big screen in 1932 with the Bela Lugosi film White Zombie, and going back even further if we're talking literature. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein even stars a type of undead creature, reanimated by the power of electricity. Not quite the same thing, but it is reanimation regardless. It was not until 1968, however, that Night of the Living Dead took zombies to the mainstream.

Corpses have stumbled their way across many other forms of media, and that extends into the video game industry perhaps more so than any other. Whether it is Call of Duty's zombies mode, a sandbox survival game like DayZ or H1Z1, or the story-based Telltale's The Walking Dead series, there are a good many options if one would like to pretend to be Rick Grimes for a while. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the perfect zombie game does not really exist in today's gaming industry.

In 2008, a mainstream success was released in Left 4 Dead. It had continued success, and a sequel was released which seemed to have very similar levels of success (Fans are still waiting on a third installment, but that seems to be a Valve thing). Call of Duty: World at War introduced their own take on the zombie wave-survival genre except it was set in World War II - Also quite a fun time. As the years went on, the popularity of zombie fiction was on the rise, but zombie games saw a decline in quality. Call of Duty - in a very Call of Duty way - kept creating zombie modes that felt extremely repetitive year after year. Companies like Bohemia Interactive released open-world sandbox games like DayZ, which are good, but the rogue-like elements turns a lot of people off. Then every now and again, companies release fantastic games like Dying Light, State of Decay, and The Last of Us.

Those last three are by far the best I've ever played, and they represent the most complete zombie experience I can ever recall. The Walking Dead games by Telltale are great too, but they only really tell a good story - there's not a lot of "playing" involved. The Last of Us offers great gameplay with a fantastic story, and State of Decay delivers the best sandbox zombie survival experience. If a studio would combine elements from both of those games into one, the gaming industry might implode upon itself under the weight of its awesomeness.

Bear in mind, this is purely opinion based, but these are the features that might make the perfect zombie game. A zombie game wish-list, if you will:

• Strong Story - First and foremost, any work of fiction (literature, films, video games, etc) should have a deep storyline with some twists and emotional value. Give the players something they can relate to, and turn it into this epic journey from start to finish and then some.
• Character Customization - This isn't seen much in either of the three games listed at the end of the last paragraph, but it is a solid feature in any sandbox game. Make the protagonist your own. Literally put yourself (or whoever you want) in the game. 
• Leveling/Skills - Role-playing games are the great. The ability to throw skill points around and strengthen your character is so rewarding. Venture into an area where you get pummeled into the ground? Go level up, and try again later. A solid skill tree gives players something to work toward, and might help to keep them coming back for more if the main/side quests aren't enough.
• Weapon/Clothing Customization - Think Ghost Recon: Wildlands or Escape from Tarkov level weapon customization. Want to recreate Negan's bat? No problem! Want to make your rifle completely tacti-cool? The player should have freedom to make their loadout their own.
• Romance Arcs - Why not? Bioware and Bethesda have been exploring character relationships for quite a while now. Of course, it should be completely optional, and freedom to express your protagonist however you see fit, but it is always a neat feature in games.
• Large Open World - Think Breath of the Wild, Fallout 4, The Witcher III, or even Grand Theft Auto V. The more room you have to play around in, the better. A large open landscape with varying climates is nice, because it offers a lot of different settings to roam around in, but "biomes" like in 7 Days to Die or Minecraft are not so great. Unless the biomes are big enough, it can reduce immersion.
• Bases/Player Homes - Fallout 4 got it right with base building. Skyrim did player housing really well too. The modular building creation style is perfectly fine. Players could choose from a set of prefabricated living rooms, kitchens, etc, select an overall theme for the building, and choose from one of a few themes for furniture. Naturally, the main purpose should be gear/item storage, and a safe haven for players to rest to pass in-game time. 
• Multiplayer - Co-op multiplayer is a must. It should be 100% optional, but the option should nevertheless be there. There is a notion that a good zombie MMO would be well-received. Nothing rogue-like, but guilds and PvP could be a lot of fun. Not so sure how well dungeons would fit except maybe scavenging abandoned shopping malls or something.
• Crafting - Mostly for ammo, barriers, and melee weapons. In-game bartering should be readily available for firearms, armor, and housing, but a little bit of crafting wouldn't ruin the game. 
• Achievements - This is a weak point, but achievements are so rewarding. Do they really mean anything? No. Are they required for a game to be fun? No. They are fun though. If the achievement is named just right, when it pops up and gives you that short message, it can make for a really satisfying chuckle.
• Bonus Point! Lore - Lore offers so much information and backstory to any game or film's universe. The zombie apocalypse has been going on for decades, but how did it start? Rummaging through an abandoned house and finding someone's journal that gives you a play by play of the early days of the outbreak is so interesting. Exploring a character's past also makes for some great fluff. Personally, you cannot have a great game without good, deep lore.

So there you have it. The world absolutely needs another great zombie game, and that is my outline for said game. Have ideas to add? Think any of the ones I listed are bad? Post a comment to let me know!

     The Last of Us     ©2013 Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. The Last of Us is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. Created and developed by Naughty Dog, Inc.


Talking Points:

My Top 10 Zombie Game Picks:

1. The Last of Us
2. State of Decay
3. Dying Light
4. Telltale's The Walking Dead Series
5. Dead Island
6. Organ Trail
7. Left 4 Dead 2
8. Resident Evil
9. Dead Nation
10.  Killing Floor 2 (Even though they're Zeds, not zombies)

State of Decay II is an E3 2017 Hopeful

      State of Decay 2     © 2017 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.     © 2017 Undead Labs LLC. All Rights Reserved.

There is no official news that has been released, but it was revealed and teased at E3 2016 as a Windows 10/Xbox One exclusive. Hopefully we get more word in the coming weeks!