Project Zomboid is the ultimate in zombie survival. Alone or in MP: you loot, build, craft, fight, farm and fish in a struggle to survive. A hardcore RPG skillset, a vast map, massively customizable sandbox and a cute tutorial raccoon await the unwary.
Game Details
Developer: The Indie Stone
Platforms: Steam, GOG
Link: Website
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Status: Early Access
Features
- Hardcore Sandbox Zombie Survival Game with a focus on realistic survival.
- Online multiplayer survival with persistent player run servers.
- Local 4 player split-screen co-op
- Hundreds of zombies with swarm mechanics and in-depth visual and hearing systems.
- Full line of sight system and real-time lighting, sound and visibility mechanics. Hide in the shadows, keep quiet and keep the lights off at night, or at least hang sheets over the windows.
- Vast and growing map (loosely based on a real world location) for you to explore, loot and set up your fortress.
- Vehicles with full physics and deep and realistic game play mechanics.
- Use tools and items to craft weapons, barricade and cook. You can even build zombie proof forts by chopping trees, sawing wood and scavenging supplies.
- Deal with depression, boredom, hunger, thirst and illness while trying to survive.
- Day turns to night. The electricity falters. Hordes migrate. Winter draws in. Nature gradually starts to take over.
- Farming, fishing, carpentry, cooking, trapping, character customization, skills and perks that develop based on what you do in-game.
- Proper zombies that don’t run. (Unless you tell them to in the sandbox menu).
- A ton of amazing atmospheric music tracks by the prodigy that is Zach Beever.
- Imaginative Challenge scenarios and instant action ‘Last Stand’ mode, on top of regular Sandbox and Survival
- Full, open and powerful Lua modding support.
- Xbox Controller Gamepad support on Windows. [Others pads can be set up manually. Gamepad support not currently available on Mac]
Visuals
My Thoughts
Project Zomboid was released waaay back in 2013, but I honestly only started hearing about it in the start of 2022. It turns out that in December of 2021 they released a massive update to their (previously released but badly flawed) multiplayer system, causing the game to take off like a rocket.
If you’ve dicked around the website or podcast for longer than five minutes you know I never watch any videos on a game beyond whatever the developer happens to add to their Steam/GOG store page. And since I’ve not played the game yet- I don’t have anything specific to say until I do play!
Observation wise. I’m not traditionally a fan of pairing survival with top down- I guess I just like feeling that first person point of view when being munched on by a critter or zombie- but lately I’ve been falling into more and more ‘alternative’ PoV styles. On paper I’m digging their feature list- seeing depression and boredom listed as things to balance is pretty cool. Will update when I play it and give it a neutral rating for now.
The Last Plague: Blight