“Night of the Dead” is a confused open world zombie survival game. Empty world, forced generic story, every night, a relentless wave of zombies assaults your base. While the base defence mechanic adds a thrilling aspect to the game, it also exposes several significant flaws that hinder the overall experience.
The core gameplay loop is familiar to fans of the genre: collect resources, craft gear, and venture further into the world. However, most resources end up being thrown into base building rather than upgrading equipment. On that note, the best gear is usually found by looting zombies and exploring structures rather than crafting.
Base defence is the only part of the game that stands out and it delivers a genuinely tense experience. Of course many games have done a similar premise, the likes of 7 days to die comes to mind, “Night of the dead” switches it up a little. Each night brings a new challenge, and without proper fortifications and strategies, your base can be quickly overrun. This nightly onslaught can be overwhelming but is also the most engaging aspect of the game. You can really delve into creating intricate corridors of traps to fight against an oncoming horde of the undead. The day night cycle is longer than I have experienced in any game and for the first day it definitely dragged as I was not aware just how bad the night gets but after my initial wave I realised I made a grave mistake by not taking the base defence seriously and spent half the next day collecting resources, the second half rectifying my mistake.
Unfortunately, the first half of day 2 was not very exciting as the game’s world is bland and uninspired. The environment consists mostly of ruined buildings in remote areas or small cities, with little variation or standout locations. Buildings often feature repetitive, copy-paste interiors, of oversized props which makes exploration feel monotonous. The world design lacks the care and creativity needed to make it truly immersive, relying heavily on generic asset store items that are poorly integrated. With that in mind , the game is heavily ‘inspired’ by other games in the zombie survival genre. the character creator is a typical MMO screen with body sliders and the likes but then you into picking traits and flaws. sound familiar?
When this screen popped up I felt a bit sad because to so blatantly take the idea from project Zomboid that made creating every character a mini puzzles to figure out which flaws are bearable and worth the risk of taking to accommodate for the traits you deem necessary. in “Night of the Dead” this mechanic is butchered as there is no weight behind it. My character has 5 high level traits without the need of a single flaw. I had a look through and realised, the traits I have is all I need so why would a bother with picking a flaw? And so i began my adventure.
The play wakes up in a lab stasis pod of sorts and is greeted with a quick tutorial. basic movement, attacks and a couple interactions with containers later you are let out into the world. While there is a story that guides you from location to location, it is very much secondary to the gameplay. The narrative feels more like an afterthought, providing minimal context and motivation for your actions. If you’re looking for a deep, engaging story, you’ll be disappointed. It doesn’t help that the game is poorly translated, for example, where the word ‘confirm’ should be is instead replaced with ‘decision’. I personally don’t have an issue with that and it does add some charm to the whole ordeal but for a story that’s already so neglected I would rather not waste my time and skip the dialog all-together which renders the ‘main quest’ an annoying text box telling you which direction to head.
Now I mentioned the base defence with crazy traps but what about the overall open world encounters with zombies, blowing heads off the undead is why we’re here after all. well the combat in “Night of the Dead” is a major let down. The animations for swinging weapons and tools feel awkward and unnatural, breaking immersion. Zombie reactions to hits are inconsistent; they either get stun-locked or completely ignore your attacks as if you’re wielding a toy. The game also introduces a companion early on, which adds another layer of frustration. Companion-friendly fire means that her kicks can stagger you, leaving you vulnerable to zombie attacks and making it difficult to protect her. Later on I decided it would be a good idea to give ‘Anna’ a shield . Imagine my surprise when sprinted to save her from being overrun, I leaped in and swung my fiery axe from hell at the zombie horde, and ‘Anna’ parried my attack, leaving me staggered and almost dead. It sure gave me a chuckle but when it happened multiple times in tight corridors I decided she’s better off with just a machete.
Before I get into my final thoughts I have to bring up the monetisation, has been in early access for 4 years. Now in full release being more expensive most 10/1 indie titles that have been popping up. And yet “night of the Dead” has a costume DLC that is almost the same price as the game. I think the price should be reflective of the product itself and when a your final product is only slightly more expensive than a cosmetic DLC it tells you a lot about the final product.
“Night of the Dead” had potential, especially with its base defence mechanics and the nightly zombie waves that keep you on your toes. However, after 4 years it’s still hampered by un inspired world design, poor combat mechanics, and a weak story. The game might be enjoyable with a few friends if you can get it at a steep discount, but at its current price, it’s hard to recommend.
In summary, if you’re a die-hard fan of zombie survival games and can overlook significant flaws for the thrill of defending your base night after night, you might find some enjoyment here. For everyone else, just play 7 days to die.
“Night of the Dead” had a full release on 31st May on Steam.
