Project Zomboid
First of all I would like to give a special thanks to an anonymous friend who purchased Project Zomboid for me some time ago. To be honest, I do not believe anything I say can bring justice to how fantastic this game is to me. Though I will attempt to keep this review as professional as possible, I do apologize if there are outbursts of bias within the contest. Project Zomboid is a top-down zombie survival game in which the player must create a character destined to die in the world with the goal of determining exactly how long they survived during the grueling face of an overrun population, with plagued populations of undead serving as the opposing force. Since this game is currently in Early Access at the time of this review’s posting, it does not yet contain all of the features that are planned for the full release. However, in its current build, I would recommend it at its current sale price.
Here are just a few of the things that make Project Zomboid such an amusing title:
The Developers - I realize that this point is not a core component while playing the game itself, but I feel as though I must give recognition to the development team of Project Zomboid. I personally have never witnessed such a respectful cast of individuals when it comes to interacting with players and the game itself. As a primary mention, these individuals send notifications to subscribers consistently every Monday, termed Mondoid Monday by the Indie Stone, which provides readers with updates as to what ideas are to be implemented, answering questions from contributors, and informing players of the current build’s status. Though the game is currently in Early Access at the time of this review’s writing, these constant updates presented by the developers have the potential to comfort players such as myself as to the condition of the completed product. Project Zomboid may be considered by some to be concluded as it stands; this is much more satisfying in strict comparison to other Early Access titles that stereotype the build and tend to break promises.
Pre-Game Setup - In the general disarray that encompasses the world regarding defeating and surviving against an endless undead hoard, there are certainties in the abundance of pre-game editing that tailor the experience as one that is unique to the individual player.
/// I would first like to speak about the initial world composition, which allows simple attributes while playing through modes such as Sandbox to be altered. With these features, the player creates how the apocalypse occurs by selecting a premade map, modifying certain functions such as how long a typical in-game day lasts-ranging from five minutes to a realistic twenty-four hours out of game-, and the period of time in which electricity and water will remain operational throughout the selected world. These attributes can be set to be more random while in Sandbox mode, but add so much to customization that they should not be overlooked; of course, the game was updated many times since my last online play-time so I may be missing out on some features as it stands.
/// Character creation appears to be very simplistic but its intricate nature is revealed while the players flesh out their individual during play. The player selects a basic set of clothing as well as a profession, traits, and look; a character’s profession outline starting equipment and statistics while the character’s appearance is merely cosmetic. Character traits are where the game excels, though, as these allow the player to outline how they will possibly play. For example, a character with claustrophobia will be plagued with fear while indoors, but may have a trait which counteracts this. As players select possible traits, negatives must also be selected to even things out, so there is decent balance to this system.
Undead Artificial Intelligence (AI) - The enemy AI react to players as you would expect them to: merciless, in a one-directional path with the intent of slaughtering the player’s created character to produce the end-game indication. As simple as this may sound, the undead AI in Project Zomboid is actually quite brilliant, as they can track your movements only if you are in a presented location-such as on the other side of an open window; a hoard crowds a character if a gunshot is heard. Interaction with these enemies intensifies the atmosphere of lay, and has likely been improved with more recent updates. Though neutral non-player characters are not yet present in Project Zomboid in the time of this review’s writing, tests by the developers suggest a promising finished product.
Gameplay and Mechanics - Your character has much more depth in-game then what is in their biography and statistics sheet. There are multiple conditions which must be monitored by the player-including thirst, hunger, fear, mood, and physical strain. Given status effects may afflict the player such as fatigue, and determine the player’s tactics, with enough openness to allow the use of multiple approaches; with a world infested by the undead this is highly necessary as the game’s open-world style should permit such an approach. Unlike other top-down zombie survival titles, Project Zomboid features an impression of realism few others can accomplish: line of sight is paramount for your character, which enhances the survival aspect perfectly; be sure to watch your back! Apart from the conditions and base statistics associated with your character, they can also learn new skills such as farming, carpentry, and cooking to perform unique and useful tasks by taking time in-game to read related books. This system permits the player to specialize in specific skills that may enhance play.
TL:DR - I regretfully can say that there are some features such as the Steam Workshop and Creative mode that I have not yet experienced, however the base game is so fantastic that I would like to vouch for it being worthy of its current retail price of fifteen dollars. If you enjoy more realistic survival games and combatting or running from hordes of undead while scavenging a rather large world, then this game is most definitely for you. This title is also recommended for players who enjoy roleplaying as characters in an open-world adventure; I prefer to write journals for my characters to enhance this aspect. Please give this game a go even in its current Early Access state. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted September 23, 2015. Last edited May 1, 2018.
Here are just a few of the things that make Project Zomboid such an amusing title:
The Developers - I realize that this point is not a core component while playing the game itself, but I feel as though I must give recognition to the development team of Project Zomboid. I personally have never witnessed such a respectful cast of individuals when it comes to interacting with players and the game itself. As a primary mention, these individuals send notifications to subscribers consistently every Monday, termed Mondoid Monday by the Indie Stone, which provides readers with updates as to what ideas are to be implemented, answering questions from contributors, and informing players of the current build’s status. Though the game is currently in Early Access at the time of this review’s writing, these constant updates presented by the developers have the potential to comfort players such as myself as to the condition of the completed product. Project Zomboid may be considered by some to be concluded as it stands; this is much more satisfying in strict comparison to other Early Access titles that stereotype the build and tend to break promises.
Pre-Game Setup - In the general disarray that encompasses the world regarding defeating and surviving against an endless undead hoard, there are certainties in the abundance of pre-game editing that tailor the experience as one that is unique to the individual player.
/// I would first like to speak about the initial world composition, which allows simple attributes while playing through modes such as Sandbox to be altered. With these features, the player creates how the apocalypse occurs by selecting a premade map, modifying certain functions such as how long a typical in-game day lasts-ranging from five minutes to a realistic twenty-four hours out of game-, and the period of time in which electricity and water will remain operational throughout the selected world. These attributes can be set to be more random while in Sandbox mode, but add so much to customization that they should not be overlooked; of course, the game was updated many times since my last online play-time so I may be missing out on some features as it stands.
/// Character creation appears to be very simplistic but its intricate nature is revealed while the players flesh out their individual during play. The player selects a basic set of clothing as well as a profession, traits, and look; a character’s profession outline starting equipment and statistics while the character’s appearance is merely cosmetic. Character traits are where the game excels, though, as these allow the player to outline how they will possibly play. For example, a character with claustrophobia will be plagued with fear while indoors, but may have a trait which counteracts this. As players select possible traits, negatives must also be selected to even things out, so there is decent balance to this system.
Undead Artificial Intelligence (AI) - The enemy AI react to players as you would expect them to: merciless, in a one-directional path with the intent of slaughtering the player’s created character to produce the end-game indication. As simple as this may sound, the undead AI in Project Zomboid is actually quite brilliant, as they can track your movements only if you are in a presented location-such as on the other side of an open window; a hoard crowds a character if a gunshot is heard. Interaction with these enemies intensifies the atmosphere of lay, and has likely been improved with more recent updates. Though neutral non-player characters are not yet present in Project Zomboid in the time of this review’s writing, tests by the developers suggest a promising finished product.
Gameplay and Mechanics - Your character has much more depth in-game then what is in their biography and statistics sheet. There are multiple conditions which must be monitored by the player-including thirst, hunger, fear, mood, and physical strain. Given status effects may afflict the player such as fatigue, and determine the player’s tactics, with enough openness to allow the use of multiple approaches; with a world infested by the undead this is highly necessary as the game’s open-world style should permit such an approach. Unlike other top-down zombie survival titles, Project Zomboid features an impression of realism few others can accomplish: line of sight is paramount for your character, which enhances the survival aspect perfectly; be sure to watch your back! Apart from the conditions and base statistics associated with your character, they can also learn new skills such as farming, carpentry, and cooking to perform unique and useful tasks by taking time in-game to read related books. This system permits the player to specialize in specific skills that may enhance play.
TL:DR - I regretfully can say that there are some features such as the Steam Workshop and Creative mode that I have not yet experienced, however the base game is so fantastic that I would like to vouch for it being worthy of its current retail price of fifteen dollars. If you enjoy more realistic survival games and combatting or running from hordes of undead while scavenging a rather large world, then this game is most definitely for you. This title is also recommended for players who enjoy roleplaying as characters in an open-world adventure; I prefer to write journals for my characters to enhance this aspect. Please give this game a go even in its current Early Access state. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted September 23, 2015. Last edited May 1, 2018.
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