Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC
Tested on: Playstation 4
Zombi – Review
Zombies… the easiest antagonist to use in any sort of media. They don’t have personal traits, kill indiscriminately, are easy to take down when they are single and yet are a pest when they group together. In a world where too many games about zombies exist and every point of view on the matter has already been explored, Zombi has been let loose. So no one’s really surprised when the thought of another title about the subject makes you go ‘meh’. Setting that initial thought aside, there’s more to the game that actually keep things interesting. Zombi was an initial release game on the WiiU and Ubisoft Montpelier has brought the infection to Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
Story
The story in Zombi is very difficult to wrap your head around. It’s not that it’s like reading really difficult literature, but it’s difficult because you don’t really have the feeling of who you follow is good or bad. The moral ambiguity makes it difficult to really grasp the story and makes it feel more like you are just going through the motions. The Prepper finds you wandering around on the street and takes care of you, leading you to a fortified base and helping you find your way around London. During your adventure there, you’ll be clearing Buckingham Palace of zombies and picking up books that are relevant to the cure of zombification. When the world has been completely taken over by the infection and humanity has all been wiped out the hope for a cure is always the strongest one. Before that is resolved, you are led to another part of the game and again you don’t see the results of your actions. This makes it so the scope of the story is lost, which is a shame.
Graphics
When you look at Zombi, you’ll notice that the port was decently done as the graphics aren’t dated too much. When you get up and close to a zombie, you might notice that the graphics aren’t up to date, but otherwise the game holds up pretty well. The major addition ZombiU had was the dual screen. The port had to find a way around the use for the second screen the WiiU had, which neither the Playstation 4 or the Xbox One have. What happens is that you see the character dive into the container or desk or suitcase and the inventory screen of the container overlaps your character. But the character remains in the hallway, room,… during your rummaging. This creates a tension, because a zombie might sneak up to you and use your neck as a snack.
When it comes to animation, the zombies hold up to snuff and they realistically wander around aimlessly, waiting for prey to wander into grabbing distance. When they do lock onto you, they become more frantic and they’ll try and get to you. The downright gloomy atmosphere makes it so you’ll always be checking your corners and double checking rooms just to make sure you won’t be surprised. This is great for tension and immersion.
Sound
When you think about zombies, two sounds come to mind. The screech and the groan. Zombi doesn’t add anything to the zombies repertoire. Then again why fix what isn’t broken? Zombi is more of an ambient experience. The sounds of the world around you, which is mostly silence, tell a part of the story. The world as you know it is lost, the hustle and bustle of human activity has ceased. You are alone, or as good as alone, and you probably won’t live to see another day. When the action does heat up the silence is overtaken by a tune that signifies you have been spotted by zombies and you’ll have to trust your fight or flight reflexes.
Gameplay
Zombi is a first person horror survival game. The title of the game gives away what you’ll be facing. You’ll start off in the London subway station and will have to race to the fortified base to get your bearings. You are aided by ‘The Prepper’, a person who believes that the prepared will inherit the earth and that you should prepare yourself. You are given a cricket bat and a backpack and are set off to do some tasks. Your arsenal will expand with several projectile based weapons, that is to say guns. Now when a game goes about and says: ‘Be careful because ammo will be sparce…’ That’s usually when you cock an eyebrow and start shooting everything in sight. Because that sentence often translates to: ‘if you encounter a mob of twenty zombies you’ll have to melee only one of them if you spray and pray.’ However in Zombi, the ammo is rare, even on chicken mode. Yes, they’ve made it so even chicken mode, the most easy version of the game, is a challenge. Zombies are a pain in a group, but when you line them up and funnel them you’ll be able to take them down more easily.
Know that at any given time a zombie can do a grappling attack which instantaneously kills you. A bit of a dick move, then again, zombies aren’t known for fair fighting. When you die, the game respawns you in another man’s or woman’s clothes. You have to make your way back to the scene where you died and kill the zombified survivor and loot his or her backpack. Making it through the story mode with only one character is a challenge, but it helps you try hard to survive. It gives Zombi a more personal and immersive feeling as you root for the character you’ve been given.
Conclusion
Zombi is another horror survival game about zombies, though there is a vast horde of said games already, Zombi has some really cool gameplay mechanics and has been ported rather well. If you were interested in the title when the Wii U was announced, but weren’t interested in buying a Wii U, then this is the moment to strike. Don’t expect the game to be a pushover or give you handouts, because that’s not what survival is about. So pack a flashlight, grab some batteries, pick up your cricket bat and start the trip to safety.
Zombi - Review,
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