Zombies have remained hugely popular in gaming over the decades, as fan interest in the genre remains as strong as ever. With TV series and movies about zombies equally as popular, we want to play games that let us try to escape from these flesh-rotting creatures too, but what are the best games based on the undead to look out for?
The Walking Dead, 2012
The massive success of The Walking Dead TV series led to a spin-off game being released by Telltale Games in 2012. It’s based on five distinct episodes and was the first of a series of The Walking Dead games that ended with The Final Season coming out in 2018. Over 28 million episodes have been sold in total and the game has been widely praised in reviews for its gameplay.
The same TV series and comic books also inspired the Walking Dead slot that was released by Playtech and is found among the slots online at Betfair, with some of the main characters among the symbols, capturing the spirit and mood of the series. They turned it into a slot in the same way as movies like Ted and the Deal or No Deal TV series, alongside slots such as Starburst and Bonus Fruits, which are based on more traditional themes.
Resident Evil, 1996
One of the most successful video games series of all time, Resident Evil, was released on the PlayStation 1 back in 1996. Developed by Capcom, this original title introduced us to the characters from an elite task force who were trapped inside a zombie-filled mansion. It soon became the best-selling PlayStation game in history and led to a giant franchise covering several games, movies, and TV shows. This game revitalized the Romero style of zombies that are slow but dangerous in confined spaces. When you mention this game, most people will remember the scene where the dogs burst through the windows and chase you.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is the latest installment in the franchise and translates the first two games into a movie, with the first online clip showing us a zombie getting hit by a truck, a nod to the opening of Resident Evil 2. Outside of movies, Resident Evil Village was released in 2021 and was praised for its increased focus on action. This game features werewolf-type mutants as the main enemies, rather than zombies.
The Last of Us, 2013
Released in 2013 by Sony, this action-adventure survival horror game features Joel, who is trying to get Ellie across the US in a post-apocalyptic setting. Their enemies include other humans, as well as mutated creatures with cannibalistic tendencies that we could describe as zombies. It also had a surprisingly good multiplayer mode, which put two teams of four against each other, using weapons and resources found in the environment.
The follow-up, The Last of Us Part II came out in 2020 and instead focuses on a now older Ellie. The sequel expands upon all the core concepts found in the original, but further refines them to allow for greater gameplay and graphics. It was well-received by critics and they pointed out that the deep story behind it, the gameplay, the music, and the characters were among the elements that had been improved since the release of the original.
These are just a few of the great zombie games worth checking out. Others that have made a big impression on players include Plants vs Zombies, DayZ, and Left 4 Dead 2. As long as the world continues to be fascinated by what would happen to humans in a zombie apocalypse, we will continue to see games that let us attempt to survive this type of scenario.
