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Zombies are everywhere in gaming these days but seldom do the games have a name as bad as ZombiU. Of course, this is just my opinion but what cannot be argued is that based on my survival skills, the game could easily have been called Zombies Often Eat U.
The game certainly wastes no time in getting you started. I find my character in London. It is night and the local council really need to have a look at the lighting in this street. There is just enough light for me to spot some locals up ahead. It seems that zombies have been doing the tourist thing in London and possibly infected a few people whilst out and about. I pause. A CCTV camera spots me, cautiously watching before a voice reaches out. The zombies are instantly alerted, the voice might as well have shouted “He’s over here”. Like a group of teenage girls seeing One Direction members in the street, the zombies are dashing towards me. These zombies are not of the slow shuffling variety so it is time for a sharp exit and at this point control is handed over to the player. The main difference with the One Direction analogy is that all the screaming is coming from me. Into the underground station the voice commands. There is no time to argue and I enter the underground station with the haste of someone about to miss the last train home. The zombies follow and don’t stop to buy a ticket. I’m not sure where I am going but wherever I am going I want to get there in a hurry. Various control scheme commands pop up on screen to shatter the illusion a little but I’ve no time to pay attention to them. I spot some ladders and attempt to climb to safety. A hand grabs my leg... ok, let’s try this again.
This frantic attempt at an escape is easily the most stressful tutorial I have ever experienced and I certainly can’t recall a time I have died during the tutorial section. It is nigh on impossible to absorb the button command information as you frantically try to find a safe haven. It is one of the most memorable beginnings to any game I have played and certainly both the worst and best tutorial ever.
The tutorial gives a fine indication of what lies ahead though; this is a survival horror game and the odds are not in your favour. You are not in control of an ex-military type who has endless supplies of weapons and ammunition. You control a normal person who is completely vulnerable and has no previous experience of any zombie apocalypse. The game certainly likes to remind you of your vulnerability which makes for a thoroughly tense experience. Like all good horror films and games, much of the time the fear is all in your head. It is brilliantly done and at times, incredibly unsettling.
I made it through the tutorial at the 2nd attempt and into the safe house but there is little time to enjoy the safety. The voice that sparked the mad panic formally introduces himself as Prepper but I notice he isn’t apologising for alerting the zombies to my presence. He explains a bit about the current predicament and then casually sets you a task which, not surprisingly, involves you heading out of the safe house. It seems that settling down for the evening is not an option. You had better get used to running errands, Prepper has a To Do list and his name isn’t against any of the tasks.
The immersion of the introduction dampens a little at this point. Having barely escaped (at the 2nd attempt!) from the zombies, why on earth would I want to head straight back out to perform a task that doesn’t really sound important to me as an outsider of sorts? Of course, sitting in the corner stubbornly refusing to go out wouldn’t make for the most interesting of games so I grudgingly agree.
I find myself cautiously shuffling out of the safe house in an almost zombie like manner but I doubt it will fool the zombies though. Fortunately Prepper doesn’t send the player out completely unprepared. You get a very handy scanner which, for the player, is the Wii U gamepad. Shown on the gamepad screen, the scanner lights up the area allowing you to survey your surroundings and identify items to collect and locating zombies. Items which you analyse are marked on the map for reference. It certainly pays to scan each room or new area you reach before proceeding. There are still some surprises out there but it pays to be as prepared as you can be.
The torch also proves to be very useful. It isn’t bright enough to dazzle the zombies but you’re not going to be spending too much time in well lit locations. It isn’t as bright as the scanner but you aren’t able to move when using the scanner whereas the torch has no such limitations. It does however come with a battery life which you need to keep a careful eye on. It charges quickly but it will seem like a lifetime if it leaves you completely blind while it charges as the zombies don’t need a torch to find you.
Self defence comes in the form of a cricket bat. Who can guess what this is for? It is just as useful as the torch and scanner but a bit more fun. This provides an element of comfort but you can learn the hard way that there is a little more to survival than just swinging the bat wildly. The time between a missed swing and the follow up is just enough for a zombie to come for a hug. You are armed but still very vulnerable. The bat requires an element of composure in situations that leave you anything but composed. Seldom will you feel 100% certain when confronting a zombie and at times, all it takes is one little mistake and it’s all over.
Batting becomes more troublesome when faced with multiple zombies and this is where the firearms come into play. Joining the cricket bat is a pistol with other more powerful firearms to be found later on. As fate would have it, ammunition is rare so it is best to leave the firearms as a last resort. You also have to consider that firing a gun attracts a lot of attention. Using a gun isn’t a guaranteed get out of jail card however. Headshots are the best way to stop a zombie whether using a gun or cricket bat. When using a gun, this precision requires time to aim which is easier said than done in a panic, especially since the zombies don’t tend to wait for you. At one point I had a couple of zombies coming my way which was an ideal opportunity to try out the double barrel shotgun that I had recently acquired. This is going to be a piece of cake and my plan was going swimmingly well right up until the point where the zombies didn’t follow the script and crumple to the ground in a dead heap. What followed was some desperate back peddling and some frantic button mashing to try and reload the gun. At times, the best weapon is your feet... RUN!
Other items such as flares to light up darkened areas, land mines to do the obvious and Molotov cocktails to heat things up are available should you find them. There are also a variety of health packs but as with everything, the availability is not generous.
There are nice audio touches where you character can nervously giggle when beating a zombie which matches my own emotions when playing. Other times I’m not sure if the panting breath is coming from the game or me. You can certainly sense the stress in the character, I just hope they aren’t aware of mine.
As well as being the scanner and map, the gamepad is how you interact with your backpack. All the items you pick up on your travels go in your backpack, provided you have enough free space. There are some slots for quick change of the equipped item which frees up a little space. Just like it would in real life, the world carries on while you have your head buried inside your backpack and with all eyes on the gamepad a zombie can launch a surprise attack. Even the quick switch slots require taking your eyes off the screen in order to press the relevant icon. It adds a little tension to a relatively mundane task and adds a lot of tension when you need a health boost urgently and have some company.
The smug feeling from climbing up to a higher platform will be removed the instant you see that the zombies are fairly mobile and anywhere that you can go, they can too. Your actions tend to give them ideas and that brief moment of feeling safe vanishes when you realise you have climbers coming from either side. The zombies can climb, ascend ladders, crawl through spaces, climb through open windows and open doors so you’ll need to keep your wits about you. Boards can be used to nail doors shut which will restrict their movements. It also restricts yours so best check you have an escape route if the zombies expose a flaw in your plan. I speak from experience here.
An interesting concept that ZombiU introduces comes in death, something I’ve experienced more than a few times. Rather than game over, you find yourself back in the safe house in control of another survivor. Their name and occupation are all you know but it does reinforce the concept of an ordinary person trying to survive. You do of course lose all the items and weapons you had previously collected but your previous character is now a zombie and still has that backpack with all those goodies. Despite spending a considerable length of time in the company of the last character, there is no time for sentiment and you’ll now want to clobber him or her and raid the backpack. It’s a novel twist to death in a game.
The setting is very atmospheric with a nice mix of indoors and outdoors, open spaces and claustrophobic corridors, well lit places and dark and dingy places. The signs of previous struggles are very evident wherever you go but I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see any Royal family zombies in my trip round the palace. You will be visiting some of the locations more than once and this can lead to some complacency, a mistake you can be swiftly punished for. My favourite location was a single room which at one point was a house party. The music is still pumping and is rather catchy and for a brief moment I was taken out of the current situation. And then I saw the revellers. That scene is a real test of nerves.
If I was to be picky then the story could be better. The objectives primarily start out as fetch quests which seem of little relevance to your survival but it does expand a bit later into the game. Somehow the story and the quests seem totally insignificant as the game draws you right in to the survival aspect with tension which seldom lets up and you may be a little wary the next time you visit some of these locations in London. This is an incredibly atmospheric game and one of the best survival horror games I have played.
9
The game certainly wastes no time in getting you started. I find my character in London. It is night and the local council really need to have a look at the lighting in this street. There is just enough light for me to spot some locals up ahead. It seems that zombies have been doing the tourist thing in London and possibly infected a few people whilst out and about. I pause. A CCTV camera spots me, cautiously watching before a voice reaches out. The zombies are instantly alerted, the voice might as well have shouted “He’s over here”. Like a group of teenage girls seeing One Direction members in the street, the zombies are dashing towards me. These zombies are not of the slow shuffling variety so it is time for a sharp exit and at this point control is handed over to the player. The main difference with the One Direction analogy is that all the screaming is coming from me. Into the underground station the voice commands. There is no time to argue and I enter the underground station with the haste of someone about to miss the last train home. The zombies follow and don’t stop to buy a ticket. I’m not sure where I am going but wherever I am going I want to get there in a hurry. Various control scheme commands pop up on screen to shatter the illusion a little but I’ve no time to pay attention to them. I spot some ladders and attempt to climb to safety. A hand grabs my leg... ok, let’s try this again.
This frantic attempt at an escape is easily the most stressful tutorial I have ever experienced and I certainly can’t recall a time I have died during the tutorial section. It is nigh on impossible to absorb the button command information as you frantically try to find a safe haven. It is one of the most memorable beginnings to any game I have played and certainly both the worst and best tutorial ever.
The tutorial gives a fine indication of what lies ahead though; this is a survival horror game and the odds are not in your favour. You are not in control of an ex-military type who has endless supplies of weapons and ammunition. You control a normal person who is completely vulnerable and has no previous experience of any zombie apocalypse. The game certainly likes to remind you of your vulnerability which makes for a thoroughly tense experience. Like all good horror films and games, much of the time the fear is all in your head. It is brilliantly done and at times, incredibly unsettling.
I made it through the tutorial at the 2nd attempt and into the safe house but there is little time to enjoy the safety. The voice that sparked the mad panic formally introduces himself as Prepper but I notice he isn’t apologising for alerting the zombies to my presence. He explains a bit about the current predicament and then casually sets you a task which, not surprisingly, involves you heading out of the safe house. It seems that settling down for the evening is not an option. You had better get used to running errands, Prepper has a To Do list and his name isn’t against any of the tasks.
The immersion of the introduction dampens a little at this point. Having barely escaped (at the 2nd attempt!) from the zombies, why on earth would I want to head straight back out to perform a task that doesn’t really sound important to me as an outsider of sorts? Of course, sitting in the corner stubbornly refusing to go out wouldn’t make for the most interesting of games so I grudgingly agree.
I find myself cautiously shuffling out of the safe house in an almost zombie like manner but I doubt it will fool the zombies though. Fortunately Prepper doesn’t send the player out completely unprepared. You get a very handy scanner which, for the player, is the Wii U gamepad. Shown on the gamepad screen, the scanner lights up the area allowing you to survey your surroundings and identify items to collect and locating zombies. Items which you analyse are marked on the map for reference. It certainly pays to scan each room or new area you reach before proceeding. There are still some surprises out there but it pays to be as prepared as you can be.
The torch also proves to be very useful. It isn’t bright enough to dazzle the zombies but you’re not going to be spending too much time in well lit locations. It isn’t as bright as the scanner but you aren’t able to move when using the scanner whereas the torch has no such limitations. It does however come with a battery life which you need to keep a careful eye on. It charges quickly but it will seem like a lifetime if it leaves you completely blind while it charges as the zombies don’t need a torch to find you.
Self defence comes in the form of a cricket bat. Who can guess what this is for? It is just as useful as the torch and scanner but a bit more fun. This provides an element of comfort but you can learn the hard way that there is a little more to survival than just swinging the bat wildly. The time between a missed swing and the follow up is just enough for a zombie to come for a hug. You are armed but still very vulnerable. The bat requires an element of composure in situations that leave you anything but composed. Seldom will you feel 100% certain when confronting a zombie and at times, all it takes is one little mistake and it’s all over.
Batting becomes more troublesome when faced with multiple zombies and this is where the firearms come into play. Joining the cricket bat is a pistol with other more powerful firearms to be found later on. As fate would have it, ammunition is rare so it is best to leave the firearms as a last resort. You also have to consider that firing a gun attracts a lot of attention. Using a gun isn’t a guaranteed get out of jail card however. Headshots are the best way to stop a zombie whether using a gun or cricket bat. When using a gun, this precision requires time to aim which is easier said than done in a panic, especially since the zombies don’t tend to wait for you. At one point I had a couple of zombies coming my way which was an ideal opportunity to try out the double barrel shotgun that I had recently acquired. This is going to be a piece of cake and my plan was going swimmingly well right up until the point where the zombies didn’t follow the script and crumple to the ground in a dead heap. What followed was some desperate back peddling and some frantic button mashing to try and reload the gun. At times, the best weapon is your feet... RUN!
Other items such as flares to light up darkened areas, land mines to do the obvious and Molotov cocktails to heat things up are available should you find them. There are also a variety of health packs but as with everything, the availability is not generous.
There are nice audio touches where you character can nervously giggle when beating a zombie which matches my own emotions when playing. Other times I’m not sure if the panting breath is coming from the game or me. You can certainly sense the stress in the character, I just hope they aren’t aware of mine.
As well as being the scanner and map, the gamepad is how you interact with your backpack. All the items you pick up on your travels go in your backpack, provided you have enough free space. There are some slots for quick change of the equipped item which frees up a little space. Just like it would in real life, the world carries on while you have your head buried inside your backpack and with all eyes on the gamepad a zombie can launch a surprise attack. Even the quick switch slots require taking your eyes off the screen in order to press the relevant icon. It adds a little tension to a relatively mundane task and adds a lot of tension when you need a health boost urgently and have some company.
The smug feeling from climbing up to a higher platform will be removed the instant you see that the zombies are fairly mobile and anywhere that you can go, they can too. Your actions tend to give them ideas and that brief moment of feeling safe vanishes when you realise you have climbers coming from either side. The zombies can climb, ascend ladders, crawl through spaces, climb through open windows and open doors so you’ll need to keep your wits about you. Boards can be used to nail doors shut which will restrict their movements. It also restricts yours so best check you have an escape route if the zombies expose a flaw in your plan. I speak from experience here.
An interesting concept that ZombiU introduces comes in death, something I’ve experienced more than a few times. Rather than game over, you find yourself back in the safe house in control of another survivor. Their name and occupation are all you know but it does reinforce the concept of an ordinary person trying to survive. You do of course lose all the items and weapons you had previously collected but your previous character is now a zombie and still has that backpack with all those goodies. Despite spending a considerable length of time in the company of the last character, there is no time for sentiment and you’ll now want to clobber him or her and raid the backpack. It’s a novel twist to death in a game.
The setting is very atmospheric with a nice mix of indoors and outdoors, open spaces and claustrophobic corridors, well lit places and dark and dingy places. The signs of previous struggles are very evident wherever you go but I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see any Royal family zombies in my trip round the palace. You will be visiting some of the locations more than once and this can lead to some complacency, a mistake you can be swiftly punished for. My favourite location was a single room which at one point was a house party. The music is still pumping and is rather catchy and for a brief moment I was taken out of the current situation. And then I saw the revellers. That scene is a real test of nerves.
If I was to be picky then the story could be better. The objectives primarily start out as fetch quests which seem of little relevance to your survival but it does expand a bit later into the game. Somehow the story and the quests seem totally insignificant as the game draws you right in to the survival aspect with tension which seldom lets up and you may be a little wary the next time you visit some of these locations in London. This is an incredibly atmospheric game and one of the best survival horror games I have played.
9
chasfh wrote:
I remember looking at some of the info on this game a while back, and thinking to myself that it almost makes me want to buy a Wii U.
Still haven't, and probably won't, but it is awfully tempting...
The lack of games on the PS4 that I foudn appealing drew me towards a Wii U. Other than the zombie nightmares, I've not regretted it one bit.
I remember looking at some of the info on this game a while back, and thinking to myself that it almost makes me want to buy a Wii U.
Still haven't, and probably won't, but it is awfully tempting...
The lack of games on the PS4 that I foudn appealing drew me towards a Wii U. Other than the zombie nightmares, I've not regretted it one bit.
I remember looking at some of the info on this game a while back, and thinking to myself that it almost makes me want to buy a Wii U.
Still haven't, and probably won't, but it is awfully tempting...
Still haven't, and probably won't, but it is awfully tempting...
Zombies are everywhere in gaming these days but seldom do the games have a name as bad as ZombiU. Of course, this is just my opinion but what cannot be argued is that based on my survival skills, the game could easily have been called Zombies Often Eat U.
The game certainly wastes no time in getting you started. I find my character in London. It is night and the local council really need to have a look at the lighting in this street. There is just enough light for me to spot some locals up ahead. It seems that zombies have been doing the tourist thing in London and possibly infected a few people whilst out and about. I pause. A CCTV camera spots me, cautiously watching before a voice reaches out. The zombies are instantly alerted, the voice might as well have shouted “He’s over here”. Like a group of teenage girls seeing One Direction members in the street, the zombies are dashing towards me. These zombies are not of the slow shuffling variety so it is time for a sharp exit and at this point control is handed over to the player. The main difference with the One Direction analogy is that all the screaming is coming from me. Into the underground station the voice commands. There is no time to argue and I enter the underground station with the haste of someone about to miss the last train home. The zombies follow and don’t stop to buy a ticket. I’m not sure where I am going but wherever I am going I want to get there in a hurry. Various control scheme commands pop up on screen to shatter the illusion a little but I’ve no time to pay attention to them. I spot some ladders and attempt to climb to safety. A hand grabs my leg... ok, let’s try this again.
This frantic attempt at an escape is easily the most stressful tutorial I have ever experienced and I certainly can’t recall a time I have died during the tutorial section. It is nigh on impossible to absorb the button command information as you frantically try to find a safe haven. It is one of the most memorable beginnings to any game I have played and certainly both the worst and best tutorial ever.
The tutorial gives a fine indication of what lies ahead though; this is a survival horror game and the odds are not in your favour. You are not in control of an ex-military type who has endless supplies of weapons and ammunition. You control a normal person who is completely vulnerable and has no previous experience of any zombie apocalypse. The game certainly likes to remind you of your vulnerability which makes for a thoroughly tense experience. Like all good horror films and games, much of the time the fear is all in your head. It is brilliantly done and at times, incredibly unsettling.
I made it through the tutorial at the 2nd attempt and into the safe house but there is little time to enjoy the safety. The voice that sparked the mad panic formally introduces himself as Prepper but I notice he isn’t apologising for alerting the zombies to my presence. He explains a bit about the current predicament and then casually sets you a task which, not surprisingly, involves you heading out of the safe house. It seems that settling down for the evening is not an option. You had better get used to running errands, Prepper has a To Do list and his name isn’t against any of the tasks.
The immersion of the introduction dampens a little at this point. Having barely escaped (at the 2nd attempt!) from the zombies, why on earth would I want to head straight back out to perform a task that doesn’t really sound important to me as an outsider of sorts? Of course, sitting in the corner stubbornly refusing to go out wouldn’t make for the most interesting of games so I grudgingly agree.
I find myself cautiously shuffling out of the safe house in an almost zombie like manner but I doubt it will fool the zombies though. Fortunately Prepper doesn’t send the player out completely unprepared. You get a very handy scanner which, for the player, is the Wii U gamepad. Shown on the gamepad screen, the scanner lights up the area allowing you to survey your surroundings and identify items to collect and locating zombies. Items which you analyse are marked on the map for reference. It certainly pays to scan each room or new area you reach before proceeding. There are still some surprises out there but it pays to be as prepared as you can be.
The torch also proves to be very useful. It isn’t bright enough to dazzle the zombies but you’re not going to be spending too much time in well lit locations. It isn’t as bright as the scanner but you aren’t able to move when using the scanner whereas the torch has no such limitations. It does however come with a battery life which you need to keep a careful eye on. It charges quickly but it will seem like a lifetime if it leaves you completely blind while it charges as the zombies don’t need a torch to find you.
Self defence comes in the form of a cricket bat. Who can guess what this is for? It is just as useful as the torch and scanner but a bit more fun. This provides an element of comfort but you can learn the hard way that there is a little more to survival than just swinging the bat wildly. The time between a missed swing and the follow up is just enough for a zombie to come for a hug. You are armed but still very vulnerable. The bat requires an element of composure in situations that leave you anything but composed. Seldom will you feel 100% certain when confronting a zombie and at times, all it takes is one little mistake and it’s all over.
Batting becomes more troublesome when faced with multiple zombies and this is where the firearms come into play. Joining the cricket bat is a pistol with other more powerful firearms to be found later on. As fate would have it, ammunition is rare so it is best to leave the firearms as a last resort. You also have to consider that firing a gun attracts a lot of attention. Using a gun isn’t a guaranteed get out of jail card however. Headshots are the best way to stop a zombie whether using a gun or cricket bat. When using a gun, this precision requires time to aim which is easier said than done in a panic, especially since the zombies don’t tend to wait for you. At one point I had a couple of zombies coming my way which was an ideal opportunity to try out the double barrel shotgun that I had recently acquired. This is going to be a piece of cake and my plan was going swimmingly well right up until the point where the zombies didn’t follow the script and crumple to the ground in a dead heap. What followed was some desperate back peddling and some frantic button mashing to try and reload the gun. At times, the best weapon is your feet... RUN!
Other items such as flares to light up darkened areas, land mines to do the obvious and Molotov cocktails to heat things up are available should you find them. There are also a variety of health packs but as with everything, the availability is not generous.
There are nice audio touches where you character can nervously giggle when beating a zombie which matches my own emotions when playing. Other times I’m not sure if the panting breath is coming from the game or me. You can certainly sense the stress in the character, I just hope they aren’t aware of mine.
As well as being the scanner and map, the gamepad is how you interact with your backpack. All the items you pick up on your travels go in your backpack, provided you have enough free space. There are some slots for quick change of the equipped item which frees up a little space. Just like it would in real life, the world carries on while you have your head buried inside your backpack and with all eyes on the gamepad a zombie can launch a surprise attack. Even the quick switch slots require taking your eyes off the screen in order to press the relevant icon. It adds a little tension to a relatively mundane task and adds a lot of tension when you need a health boost urgently and have some company.
The smug feeling from climbing up to a higher platform will be removed the instant you see that the zombies are fairly mobile and anywhere that you can go, they can too. Your actions tend to give them ideas and that brief moment of feeling safe vanishes when you realise you have climbers coming from either side. The zombies can climb, ascend ladders, crawl through spaces, climb through open windows and open doors so you’ll need to keep your wits about you. Boards can be used to nail doors shut which will restrict their movements. It also restricts yours so best check you have an escape route if the zombies expose a flaw in your plan. I speak from experience here.
An interesting concept that ZombiU introduces comes in death, something I’ve experienced more than a few times. Rather than game over, you find yourself back in the safe house in control of another survivor. Their name and occupation are all you know but it does reinforce the concept of an ordinary person trying to survive. You do of course lose all the items and weapons you had previously collected but your previous character is now a zombie and still has that backpack with all those goodies. Despite spending a considerable length of time in the company of the last character, there is no time for sentiment and you’ll now want to clobber him or her and raid the backpack. It’s a novel twist to death in a game.
The setting is very atmospheric with a nice mix of indoors and outdoors, open spaces and claustrophobic corridors, well lit places and dark and dingy places. The signs of previous struggles are very evident wherever you go but I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see any Royal family zombies in my trip round the palace. You will be visiting some of the locations more than once and this can lead to some complacency, a mistake you can be swiftly punished for. My favourite location was a single room which at one point was a house party. The music is still pumping and is rather catchy and for a brief moment I was taken out of the current situation. And then I saw the revellers. That scene is a real test of nerves.
If I was to be picky then the story could be better. The objectives primarily start out as fetch quests which seem of little relevance to your survival but it does expand a bit later into the game. Somehow the story and the quests seem totally insignificant as the game draws you right in to the survival aspect with tension which seldom lets up and you may be a little wary the next time you visit some of these locations in London. This is an incredibly atmospheric game and one of the best survival horror games I have played.
9
The game certainly wastes no time in getting you started. I find my character in London. It is night and the local council really need to have a look at the lighting in this street. There is just enough light for me to spot some locals up ahead. It seems that zombies have been doing the tourist thing in London and possibly infected a few people whilst out and about. I pause. A CCTV camera spots me, cautiously watching before a voice reaches out. The zombies are instantly alerted, the voice might as well have shouted “He’s over here”. Like a group of teenage girls seeing One Direction members in the street, the zombies are dashing towards me. These zombies are not of the slow shuffling variety so it is time for a sharp exit and at this point control is handed over to the player. The main difference with the One Direction analogy is that all the screaming is coming from me. Into the underground station the voice commands. There is no time to argue and I enter the underground station with the haste of someone about to miss the last train home. The zombies follow and don’t stop to buy a ticket. I’m not sure where I am going but wherever I am going I want to get there in a hurry. Various control scheme commands pop up on screen to shatter the illusion a little but I’ve no time to pay attention to them. I spot some ladders and attempt to climb to safety. A hand grabs my leg... ok, let’s try this again.
This frantic attempt at an escape is easily the most stressful tutorial I have ever experienced and I certainly can’t recall a time I have died during the tutorial section. It is nigh on impossible to absorb the button command information as you frantically try to find a safe haven. It is one of the most memorable beginnings to any game I have played and certainly both the worst and best tutorial ever.
The tutorial gives a fine indication of what lies ahead though; this is a survival horror game and the odds are not in your favour. You are not in control of an ex-military type who has endless supplies of weapons and ammunition. You control a normal person who is completely vulnerable and has no previous experience of any zombie apocalypse. The game certainly likes to remind you of your vulnerability which makes for a thoroughly tense experience. Like all good horror films and games, much of the time the fear is all in your head. It is brilliantly done and at times, incredibly unsettling.
I made it through the tutorial at the 2nd attempt and into the safe house but there is little time to enjoy the safety. The voice that sparked the mad panic formally introduces himself as Prepper but I notice he isn’t apologising for alerting the zombies to my presence. He explains a bit about the current predicament and then casually sets you a task which, not surprisingly, involves you heading out of the safe house. It seems that settling down for the evening is not an option. You had better get used to running errands, Prepper has a To Do list and his name isn’t against any of the tasks.
The immersion of the introduction dampens a little at this point. Having barely escaped (at the 2nd attempt!) from the zombies, why on earth would I want to head straight back out to perform a task that doesn’t really sound important to me as an outsider of sorts? Of course, sitting in the corner stubbornly refusing to go out wouldn’t make for the most interesting of games so I grudgingly agree.
I find myself cautiously shuffling out of the safe house in an almost zombie like manner but I doubt it will fool the zombies though. Fortunately Prepper doesn’t send the player out completely unprepared. You get a very handy scanner which, for the player, is the Wii U gamepad. Shown on the gamepad screen, the scanner lights up the area allowing you to survey your surroundings and identify items to collect and locating zombies. Items which you analyse are marked on the map for reference. It certainly pays to scan each room or new area you reach before proceeding. There are still some surprises out there but it pays to be as prepared as you can be.
The torch also proves to be very useful. It isn’t bright enough to dazzle the zombies but you’re not going to be spending too much time in well lit locations. It isn’t as bright as the scanner but you aren’t able to move when using the scanner whereas the torch has no such limitations. It does however come with a battery life which you need to keep a careful eye on. It charges quickly but it will seem like a lifetime if it leaves you completely blind while it charges as the zombies don’t need a torch to find you.
Self defence comes in the form of a cricket bat. Who can guess what this is for? It is just as useful as the torch and scanner but a bit more fun. This provides an element of comfort but you can learn the hard way that there is a little more to survival than just swinging the bat wildly. The time between a missed swing and the follow up is just enough for a zombie to come for a hug. You are armed but still very vulnerable. The bat requires an element of composure in situations that leave you anything but composed. Seldom will you feel 100% certain when confronting a zombie and at times, all it takes is one little mistake and it’s all over.
Batting becomes more troublesome when faced with multiple zombies and this is where the firearms come into play. Joining the cricket bat is a pistol with other more powerful firearms to be found later on. As fate would have it, ammunition is rare so it is best to leave the firearms as a last resort. You also have to consider that firing a gun attracts a lot of attention. Using a gun isn’t a guaranteed get out of jail card however. Headshots are the best way to stop a zombie whether using a gun or cricket bat. When using a gun, this precision requires time to aim which is easier said than done in a panic, especially since the zombies don’t tend to wait for you. At one point I had a couple of zombies coming my way which was an ideal opportunity to try out the double barrel shotgun that I had recently acquired. This is going to be a piece of cake and my plan was going swimmingly well right up until the point where the zombies didn’t follow the script and crumple to the ground in a dead heap. What followed was some desperate back peddling and some frantic button mashing to try and reload the gun. At times, the best weapon is your feet... RUN!
Other items such as flares to light up darkened areas, land mines to do the obvious and Molotov cocktails to heat things up are available should you find them. There are also a variety of health packs but as with everything, the availability is not generous.
There are nice audio touches where you character can nervously giggle when beating a zombie which matches my own emotions when playing. Other times I’m not sure if the panting breath is coming from the game or me. You can certainly sense the stress in the character, I just hope they aren’t aware of mine.
As well as being the scanner and map, the gamepad is how you interact with your backpack. All the items you pick up on your travels go in your backpack, provided you have enough free space. There are some slots for quick change of the equipped item which frees up a little space. Just like it would in real life, the world carries on while you have your head buried inside your backpack and with all eyes on the gamepad a zombie can launch a surprise attack. Even the quick switch slots require taking your eyes off the screen in order to press the relevant icon. It adds a little tension to a relatively mundane task and adds a lot of tension when you need a health boost urgently and have some company.
The smug feeling from climbing up to a higher platform will be removed the instant you see that the zombies are fairly mobile and anywhere that you can go, they can too. Your actions tend to give them ideas and that brief moment of feeling safe vanishes when you realise you have climbers coming from either side. The zombies can climb, ascend ladders, crawl through spaces, climb through open windows and open doors so you’ll need to keep your wits about you. Boards can be used to nail doors shut which will restrict their movements. It also restricts yours so best check you have an escape route if the zombies expose a flaw in your plan. I speak from experience here.
An interesting concept that ZombiU introduces comes in death, something I’ve experienced more than a few times. Rather than game over, you find yourself back in the safe house in control of another survivor. Their name and occupation are all you know but it does reinforce the concept of an ordinary person trying to survive. You do of course lose all the items and weapons you had previously collected but your previous character is now a zombie and still has that backpack with all those goodies. Despite spending a considerable length of time in the company of the last character, there is no time for sentiment and you’ll now want to clobber him or her and raid the backpack. It’s a novel twist to death in a game.
The setting is very atmospheric with a nice mix of indoors and outdoors, open spaces and claustrophobic corridors, well lit places and dark and dingy places. The signs of previous struggles are very evident wherever you go but I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see any Royal family zombies in my trip round the palace. You will be visiting some of the locations more than once and this can lead to some complacency, a mistake you can be swiftly punished for. My favourite location was a single room which at one point was a house party. The music is still pumping and is rather catchy and for a brief moment I was taken out of the current situation. And then I saw the revellers. That scene is a real test of nerves.
If I was to be picky then the story could be better. The objectives primarily start out as fetch quests which seem of little relevance to your survival but it does expand a bit later into the game. Somehow the story and the quests seem totally insignificant as the game draws you right in to the survival aspect with tension which seldom lets up and you may be a little wary the next time you visit some of these locations in London. This is an incredibly atmospheric game and one of the best survival horror games I have played.
9