Zombie focused releases really have been a core part of the video game experience for decades, and given how well they tend to do, it’s little surprise the developers keep returning to that particular well to see what they can pull up.
Whether it’s a simple case of running and shooting them in games like Days Gone or more of a narrative focused, choice based release like the Telltale Walking Dead games there’s a little something out there for everyone who’s a fan of the living dead.
Given just how many zombie titles there have been since the concept first entered the medium of video games it’s pretty rare these days to find one that does things differently but upcoming release might just have all the ingredients to make for a pretty unique experience in an oversaturated genre.
Keep Your Citizens Safe in Quarantine Zone: The Last Check
Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is an upcoming zombie simulation game in which you work at a checkpoint on the way into the safe portion of a dying city, overrun by hordes of those who should be dead but aren’t.
If you have ever played Papers, Please then you’ll be familiar with the general concept, Only this time you’ll be contending with life and death stakes every time you let someone in, as opposed to just the oppression of a dictatorial regime.
As part of your daily duties, you’ll be screening survivors, managing increasingly scarce resources and trying to hold back the hordes of rotting undead who continue to try to infiltrate the safety of the area you’re guarding so closely.
The gameplay loop is also one of the more interesting that you’ll come across in any game. As you let in more healthy survivors, the population begins to steady and things will seem a little more rosy than they were before.
Unfortunately, this brings with it the added complication of needing to provide for your newfound citizens, all of whom will want something to eat and drink that isn’t brains or blood.
At the same time, you’ll be using technology to identify contraband or the infected, as well as potential collectibles, all of which can be upgraded as your settlement grows, assuming you manage it in an efficient way.
You can also enter the always murky waters of human testing to try to better understand the disease that’s claiming so many lives, and to keep your citizens safer as they move forward with their lives.
Quarantine Zone: The Last Check is set to release on 12 January, so you don’t have long to wait at all to give it a go for yourself. There’s also a totally free demo that you can try for yourself right now, so give that a go if you’re unsure if you want to look out for the full game.
