Summary
Zombies and the undead in general are a tried and tested foe across all kinds of fiction, with roots in classics such as George A. Romero’sNight Of The Living Dead. Classic video games such asLeft 4 DeadandPlants Vs. Zombieshave managed to stand the test of time, representing the height of zombie popularity in gaming.
It could be argued that the zombie theme has been outplayed, but it’s not uncommon for the occasional game to climb through a sea of mediocrity to really impress modern audiences. The old classics are also often worth revisiting, and GOG offers several games, new and old, for zombie fans to enjoy.
Those who enjoy management and real-time strategy should certainly considerThey Are Billions,a base-defense gamethat tasks players with building, managing, and defending a colony from truly massive hordes of zombies. It can get repetitive, but mounting defense after defense against the increasingly challenging hordes can also be a rewarding experience.
In the game, players are able to defend their colony using a combination of combat units and defensive structures, with a tactical pausethat allows players to construct buildings and order their troops without pressure.They Are Billionsdoes feature a campaign, but the game arguably shines best in survival mode.
Days Gonemay feature a fairly bog-standard structure that will be familiar to anyone who has played plenty ofAAA or AA open-world gamesbefore, but it differentiates itself with dense hordes of undead and a nomadic gameplay loop that has players journeying through mountainous regions via a motorcycle. Players are likely to find traversing the rich and wild setting of the Pacific Northwest just as rewarding as evading or mowing down the various undead.
By building the game around quick and easy traversal,Days Goneoffers players immense freedom that, unlike some open-world games, rarely leads to tedium. With its variety of weapons, memorable environment, and unique gameplay loop,Days Goneis sure to entertain fans of zombies and open-world games alike.
Ever playedThe Oregon Trail?Death Road To Canadaborrows plenty from it — primarily the core loop of dangerous road-tripping — and adds in a bucket-load of flesh-eating zombies to spice up the moment-to-moment gameplay. The arcade feel, crunchy lo-fi pixel-art, and addictive gameplay loop makeDeath Road To Canadaa game that’s easy to pick up and hard to put down.
Death Road To Canadatasks players withmanaging their resourcesand making meaningful choices on the fly, crashing abandoned facilities in search of supplies while hacking their way through undead hordes. Much of the time, this ends in death. However, failing a run is a little less painful and a lot more fun when playing in local co-op with a friend.
Known for its expressiverun-and-gun gameplayand diverse variety of monsters,DOOMand its immediate sequel are stone-cold classics in the FPS genre. Fluid movement and intuitive level designs make for a painless experience that’s fast-paced and action-packed, and this is a large reason why these games are still worth playing today.
Although it features its fair share of demons and other nasty critters, some ofDOOM’smost iconic enemies are the zombies. InDOOMandDOOM 2, these zombie men are possessed soldiers that, while not threatening alone, can be bothersome in larger groups.
Exploring the Spencer Mansion is just as awkward and intermittently spooky as it once was, made more readily accessible through a recent release on GOG. The tank control scheme of the originalResident Evilgames certainly has its critics, but by making the simple act of moving around a laborious task, an encounter with just a single zombie, especially at the start of the game, can be terrifying. This is far from the case with the morerecentResident Evilremakes, however exhilarating those adaptations may be.
Players may prefer to enjoy the HD remake, which maintains a similar atmosphere and overall feel to the original, but this faithful re-release ofResident Evilis a true classic experience. Co-developed by GOG, veteran fans of this 1996 classic, or perhaps younger survival-horror fans seeking a lens to view the past, are more than likely to get a kick out of battling through this iconic title.
While those that prefer more action-oriented experiences may shy away from Telltale games in general, the studio’stake onThe Walking Deadis a memorable experience through-and-through that’s a must-play for fans of narrative games. The game is built around a series of basic puzzles, quick-time events, and narrative choices, but it’s elevated by a slew of memorable, well-written characters.
The Walking Dead,especially the first season, is a rewarding, emotional, and at-times harrowing journey. It’s jam-packed with meaningful moments and a few scares here and there, and there’s plenty of shambling undead — but it’s the living that players are sure to remember for years.
