Zombi is an update of Ubisoft’s 2012 Wii U exclusive, now available on other systems. It is a survival game with an intriguing permadeath system that forces you to strategise your run as each new character, while trying to escape this atmospheric, zombie-infested London. You’ll be guided by the Prepper, a former soldier of whose safehouse provides sanctuary. You’ll be tasked with activating the camera feeds around London, which will link and give him wider access to your location and warn you of threats. He’s a strangely compelling entity, competently voiced and interesting in his motivations. You’ll discover a bit into the game that you’re objective extends to uncovering a 500-year old prophecy by a secret order underneath Buckingham Palace that speaks of an apocalyptic event. Whatever story here is sparse, but it’s at least something you don’t see every day. The worse part of the story, though, is with the objectives. They are bland and rarely imaginative, and are things you’ll have seen dozens of times. Zombi has a lot of things going for it, initially. The city is split into different levels of sorts, accessed through the underground system via manholes. Each setting feels fresh and visually unique, and maintains a constant sense of foreboding throughout the 6-8 hour campaign. I love the permadeath system. Not only does it provide each new survivor a sense of identity, it also brings with it a tactical bent to the game. The safehouse has an inventory chest, so planning ahead for each run is an interesting dilemma. The point of the game then becomes less about completing it in a single run, but rather helping each new survivor progress further and further each time. The game looks washed out and grainy, but it’s a style I like. It isn’t competing on textures or lighting, but rather a unique art direction and sense of place. It succeeds in this regard. The sound is also solid, with an array of effects and moody zombie growls, in addition to the rather intense screams and howls of a survivor hacking away at an undead. The music is understated and rather forgettable, however. Where the game begins to stumble is in its combat. At first, I enjoyed Zombi’s tense, hit-and-dodge style. Facing zombies one at a time, charging hits and using finishers was satisfying, but the feeling wanes when stretched out over several hours. Firstly, zombies simply take too many hits, which makes even one encounter annoying and dull. To make matters worse, especially later on in the game, zombies attack in groups of three or more, resulting in a dance of attacks that isn’t as sophisticated as it could have been. Add to this the fact that zombies can deal out a punishing amount of damage, it becomes an absolute chore. It’s a shame, because the design of the game contains some great ideas. I like the resource management, and stumbling upon new, bigger backpacks to extend the carry space. I like the scanner, which highlights objects and is used in solving relatively simple puzzles to acquire weapon upgrades and collectibles. I also like the real time use of these elements, where searching bodies and objects, opening your backpack and scanning make you susceptible to a gnashing zombie. It makes the experience considerably better. Despite the tedious combat and lack of imagination in what you’re told to do, Zombi has enough great ideas going for it that I can’t help but admire it. It’s tense survival mechanics also mean you’ll be encountering the last survivor and killing him to retain your inventory. The permadeath system is brilliant and gives context to each subsequent run. I’d love to see game experiment more with these kinds of creative ideas, because the industry is so short on them.
