SurrounDead

While there may be a ton of other games that look like SurrounDead, I am always down for trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse. I have actually played so many of these games that I have to assume in a real zombie apocalypse, I would be some kind of grand leader who takes things too far and has people rise up to take them out. Anyway, I have spent a good chunk of time playing this one and wanted to share my thoughts on it and talk a little about how it stands up against other similar games.

Five Years Later!

Let's be honest, is it possible to tell an original story set in a zombie apocalypse? SurrounDead follows the trend of a person trying to survive when not only are the dead still roaming around looking for a tasty human snack. A great chunk of what is left of humanity has turned really evil and will kill you in order to take the supplies that you have. The fact that the game takes place a few years after a zombie outbreak is kind of cool, as that does mean it makes a little more sense that there would still be some resources that could be found in various places.

Head On A Swivel

Think of other zombie survival games like DayZ, and I guess even World War Z to a degree, and you will have a basic idea of what to expect here with SurrounDead. This is a 3rd person… I guess I would say that it is a mixture of a 3rd person shooter and a survival game. Anyway, you need to scavenge the land for supplies, fight off zombies, humans, and animals, and also try to make a life for yourself. This comes in the form of visiting settlements, building a place of your own, and doing some farming. There is a progression system here, as the more you do something, the better at it you get, and there is a skill tree at play here. As I write this, the game has been in early access for quite a while, and from what I understand, the updates have been pushed back a little, which has made some of the people who play the game pretty mad.

Thank You, Goodbye

The thing with a game like SurrounDead is that many of us come into these expecting to get many, many hours out of them. For me, that was not the case. I played this on my own for a little bit and then with a couple of buddies, and while we were playing it. We were having a fun time, we were building a little base, coming up with a system for getting out in the world, and watching each other's backs. We were genuinely having a fun time. However, there came a time when we kind of hit a wall and felt like we were just doing the same thing over and over again. Hey, that is part of games like this, I get it. But I just feel like it needs something more. I liked how there was a quest system, and it had little bits of story with it. However, for us, we reached a point where we had decided that we had had our fill with the game, and we moved on.

Ring Out!

One way that SurrounDead tries to stand out from this crowded genre, with games like Dayz is with its visuals. The world that the game is set in has a more realistic look to it. However, the characters are actually pretty unique, and the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the characters in the game was the original Virtua Fighter game. That is not meant as any kind of disrespect to either game, but the characters here have a blocky, polygonal look to them that I do think is pretty cool. Especially as the environments have a more realistic look to them. Games that tend to have polygonal looking characters will have a similar style for the world in which the game takes place. This tries something a little bit different, which is kind of awesome.

Pros:

• This was a fun time while it lasted
• I liked the 5 years after a zombie outbreak setting
• The polygonal characters look interesting
• With some buddies, this can be a fun gaming night

Cons:

• I liked it, but I did lose interest
• The updates seem to come very slowly

SurrounDead is a survival simulator that will show you a full-fledged zombie atmosphere and help you develop the necessary skills for survival. The apocalypse has spread across the planet and you can only expect help from yourself. However, that doesn't stop you and other survivors from starting your own settlement. A safe zone is not a prosperous paradise, so you still have to go out for the necessary. Clear the nearby zones of dead people and bring food to the safe zone. One loss and you'll have to start over.

Pros of the game:

• Cooperative mode will allow you to create a real society
• Produce water and weapons from scratch