Project Zomboid has been on my radar for a very long time, so when I had the chance to get a copy from The Indie Stone, I jumped on it, unlike the zombies you see in most games and movies. Huge shout-out to them. This review is actually a joint effort, as my daughter Kaitlin logged more than a few hours into this one as well. When I would go to work or sleep, she would play; then when I had time, I would play. We actually had vastly different experiences but came to much the same conclusions.
For example, for a game that first released into early access around 2013 and has 42 builds, the game still looks damn good. Now I will openly admit, I am not an expert at the game. In fact, I am not even good at the game. After about 20 hours, I wouldn’t even consider myself “adequate” at the game; I have simply played the game enough to tell you if it is worth your money.
For example, the game runs pretty damn smoothly, and the controls take a bit of getting used to. This isn’t because they are hard; it is because there are a lot of them. You can learn the basics in the 10-minute tutorial. See, the learning curve isn’t a curve really; it is a whole damn mountain, and just when you think you have it down, you discover you have simply hit a plateau on which you are resting before you continue the climb. I say this as a compliment, because if you ever wanted a realistic zombie survival game, this is it. Every single decision matters. Your character will get bored, just like you do. You fix this the same way you do: watch TV, read a book, etc. You have to cook meals, fix a car, build a fence, and your character needs to know and practice these skills.
This, however, does come with some drawbacks. Not everyone wants to play a game like this, and it does lead to some frustrating moments. How hard is it really to make a damn steak? My 9-year-old can do it; why can the veteran character I created just toss it in the damn oven at 400 degrees ferienheit until it’s done? (Don’t worry for the people that don’t use freedom units, celsius is an option)
This all leads to what to my daughter and me is an 8/10 experience. The realism at times was its biggest downfall in many ways because it also meant I couldn’t do realistic things. I needed a certain knife to cut certain meat or a certain tool to fix a certain thing, which really meant I couldn’t do it the way I would in real life. Sometimes, in a pinch, any hammer will do the job. But is the game worth the $25? Oh yeah, this game will be in my rotation for a very long time to come. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
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Savior Gaming 