Zombies are notorious for being extremely hard enemies to incorporate into a video game. On the one hand, they need to be as dangerous as possible in order to pose themselves as a serious threat to the player, but on the other, they can’t be unfair in how they move and attack, otherwise they can end up beingmore of an annoyancerather than an intimidating enemy.
Luckily, because zombies have been used as the main enemy in a plethora of games, developers have gradually figured out how to make them believable, dangerous, and terrifying when including them in their games. This has also allowed developers to create some truly challenging games where the zombie hordes can easily tear the player and their allies apart if proper care isn’t taken. For anyone looking to sink their teeth into a zombie game that will push them to their absolute limit, these titles listed below are among some of thehardest zombie gamesavailable right now.
Before theco-op survival gameLeft 4 Deadcame along in 2008, zombies in video games would often be slow in their movements, but they could still dish out tons of damage if they managed to get their hands on the player.Left 4 Deadcompletely switched this around, making each and every zombie incredibly fast while dialing down their damage just a little bit to make them a bit easier to manage individually.
With that being said though, if someone is unlucky enough to get caught by a horde, they can be killed in mere seconds due to just how many enemies can appear at once. It’s also incredibly easy to trigger the horde in this game, whether it’s by scaring a Witch, setting off a car alarm, or simply making too much noise in the street, it can be a real nightmare for new players who aren’t yet familiar with the mechanics.
State of Decayis a zombie survival game that places a lot of emphasis on resource management, making ita very immersive experiencethat really is a dream come true for anyone who’s ever fancied their chances at surviving in a zombie apocalypse. The truth is though, while building a fortified base and recruiting survivors definitely improves the player’s chances of survival, the zombies are a true force to be reckoned with and will continue spawning indefinitely.
They can also move just as fast as the characters, meaning if someone catches the attention of a horde, they’re more or less done for if they don’t have a specific Trait or a vehicle to help them out. There are plenty of resources and tools inState of Decaythat will aid in the player’s survival, but it only takes one wrong move for everything to go horribly wrong.
The originalResident Evilis often credited for ushering zombies back into mainstream popularity, and there are a few ways thatShinji Mikamiand the team managed to make them seem so scary in this beloved title. For one, the environment of the Spencer Mansion is packed full of small rooms and cramped corridors, meaning players can’t just run circles around the undead to escape from their clutches, and were instead encouraged to be more tactical with how, and when, they moved between rooms.
Additionally, the player was also given barely any equipment or ammunition to handle even a single zombie, which instantly made them seem far more formidable as an enemy, despite them still being very slow. Players will need to be very strategic in how they move around the environment, and how much ammunition they can spare to have any chance of making out of the terrifying Spencer Mansion in one piece.
While the lacklusterlife-cycle of the Wii Uhas been well documented over the years, one new IP for the system that a lot of people actually enjoyed jumping into wasZombiU, a first-person survival game that drops players right in the center of a zombie outbreak in London. The gameplay loop is fairly straightforward; find supplies and resources to stay alive long enough to make it out of the city, but because of how weak the weapons are, and how immensely strong the zombies can be, it means that it’s incredibly easy to get overwhelmed.
Ubisoft Montpellier also made the bold decision to implement a permadeath mechanic into the game, meaning that if the player dies, their character will become a zombie, and they will then take the role of another survivor, losing all their equipment in the process. Pair this with some pretty challenging puzzles and a fairly clunky stealth system, and it results in a very unforgiving zombie title that only true survival experts will be able to complete.
Back 4 Bloodwas advertised as being an homage to the classicLeft 4 Deadseries, and while it did a decent job at replicating the fun and frantic co-op gameplay from those games, it was clear that the game decided to ramp up the difficulty to a whole new level. Part of this was by design, particularly withthe Card system, which players would need to utilize strategically in order to have enough perks and benefits to even make it through an area alive.
However, there are also a few technical issues that end up making the game needlessly difficult, such as noise alerts being very difficult to spot, and scripted boss enemies being placed in the most awkward places. Added to this, the campaign is also incredibly long and packed full of random difficulty spikes which can feel more or less impossible to take on when playing solo, meaning it’s pretty much essential to play as a team of four to have any hope of reaching the end.
Project Zomboidhas slowly becomethe ultimate zombie RPGexperience, with the game granting players a massive sandbox that they can explore to get their hands on any weapons, food, and equipment they may need to hold out against the mindless zombies that roam the streets. Players can’t just hide away from the zombies though, as they will need to keep their hunger, thirst, and stress meters in check by scavenging for supplies, something that becomes incredibly intense and difficult the longer a game goes on.
While the zombies themselves may be on the slower side, they are also pretty clever in how they act, often surrounding the player until they have nowhere else to run. There are also a few special zombies who are a lot faster than others and will relentlessly chase down the player as soon as they set their eyes on them. To add to the immersion, the game also features a dynamic weather system which can make things even harder, especially when there’s a storm. All in all,Project Zomboidpresents the ultimate challenge for anyzombie buffsout there.
