Zombies are well-represented in video games. From apocalyptic survival settings to mindless meatbag bullet sponges to plant-based cartoon warfare it’s not hard to find a popular AAA title that summons the digital undead for your amusement. So, at a glance, Zombie Night Terror might appear to be the latest in a string of games to cash-in on the zombies = cool fad. But a glance doesn’t give a very deep look, and it doesn’t even take a long look to know that Zombie Night Terror offers something a little different for genre nerds and gamers alike.
The premise is simple. Players have to control the actions of the undead, who shamble mindlessly through 2D platformer puzzles in search of human flesh and, ultimately, an exit to another level. This isn’t a twitchy shooter, and zombies aren’t the bad guys or backdrop for overwrought post-apocalyptic exposition. They aren’t quite heroes either, as they don’t act especially brave or intelligent. Instead, the zombies are like your babies and you must guide them and nurture them through levels full of tasty victims and nasty criminals. In this version of a zombie apocalypse, the disease surfaces in the form of a side effect to a potent street drug. So armed thugs and occasional cops pose the most immediate threat to your zombies.
The standard rules apply, i.e. the bitten become zombies in your horde, and the undead are simple minded. They walk slowly in one direction without fail, and will plummet off cliffs or go headlong into firing squads and booby traps unless you take action. If you’ve ever played Lemmings (and I did. And I loved it) then Zombie Night Terror makes sense almost immediately. If you haven’t, Zombie Night Terror represents a game unlike almost any other. You manage the horde through a variety of zombie mutations that imbue some of your creatures with special abilities. Early on, this means things like the Overlord mutation which turns a zombie into a detour sign. Instead of walking off a cliff, the Overlord will point in the other direction and zombies will turn around and go the other way. This basic mechanic conveys a surprising amount of depth once things like staircases, timed gameplay and fleeing targets get involved.
Beyond the Overlord you gain access to zombies that crawl and climb, or explode, or scream a dizzying howl that stuns foes and awakens other zombies on the level. Scouting levels often means searching for specific power-ups on a level which provide the clues you need to solving what is essentially a platforming maze. Power-ups come in bright green toxic barrels, adding the right splash of supersaturated neon funk.
What makes Zombie Night Terror work isn’t just the mechanics, but the aesthetics surrounding them. The game is largely grayscale in tone, with the occasional splash of red blood or green mystery ooze. The campy horror movie vibe (and all the accompanying stereotypes) keep the story engaging, and the chapter-based narrative means it’s easy to play Zombie Night Terror in short bursts or a prolonged binge. I found myself fatiguing around the 90-minute mark during most play sessions, as the trial-and-error nature of the puzzle solving often means realizing the solution once it's too late and then starting a level over from the start. Bonus goals for short completion times seem impossible at first, but after spending 30 minutes figuring out a solution you will find yourself executing it in three.
Zombie Night Terror also succeeds at delivering a LOT of content. There are around 40 levels to conquer spread across four acts. The difficulty and challenge scales nicely, staying just hard enough to hook you for a level but easy enough that you can walk away for a few hours or days and pick up where you started. Zombie Night Terror isn’t just another zombie game. It’s a fresh take on a stale motif that appeals to horror nerds and puzzle junkies alike. Check it out.
