Project Zomboid is the debut project of the indie studio The Indie Stone. Its genre is a mix of survival horror and RPG. The game weighs around 40 megabytes (with expansions gradually increasing the content) and features quite old-fashioned graphics, but that's not the main point of Project Zomboid. 'Project' offers a chance to personally experience what lies beneath the horrifying phrase – a zombie invasion.
The storyline of the game is as follows. A terrible cataclysm occurs in the city, causing almost all residents to die or turn into horrid zombies. The main characters – a husband and wife – are attacked by the walking dead, but they manage to escape from the aggressive monsters craving tasty human flesh. On the outskirts of the city, they find an abandoned house where they decide to hide until the stinking dead go away. Nevertheless, the enemies of all mankind are unwilling to leave without a fight and persist in attempts to infiltrate the humans’ shelter. The unfortunate refugees barricade themselves as best they can, but alas – in addition to zombies, various looters roam near the house.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the husband’s wife (forgive the 'captaincy') has broken her leg during the escape, and there’s little help to expect from her – she’s like a cow that gives no milk. She lies in bed while her husband takes care of her. Thus, the poor guy has to dash out of their relatively cozy refuge in search of food, medicine, and various useful items.
Despite the rather mediocre graphics, Project Zomboid can captivate anyone who has even a slight interest in 'zombies.' The developers from The Indie Stone, a team of three (studios can be small as well as large), decided not to make their creation a bloody and senseless slaughter, but instead created a game where one must strive to survive by all available means. Characters need to eat, sleep, heal, and go on raids for supplies. Collecting should be done in the morning and during the day, when zombies are not as active and dangerous. If an unexpected encounter does occur, there’s no need to open fire in all directions, at least not immediately. One wandering zombie can be dealt with using makeshift means, like a stick or a baseball bat. The point is that gunfire attracts zombies from all around, potentially leading to major problems.
If the heroes fall into despair – use antidepressants or mood-stabilizing tablets. Did a passing creature bite you? Then go ahead and get the serum and bandages while you’re still alive, to avoid dying from infection or turning into a walking dead. Additionally, Project Zomboid offers all possibilities for crafting – hundreds of different options for creating items, medicines, or mechanisms necessary for survival are provided. You can even cook soup, after which you can have lunch with your family – a neurotic husband and a woman with a disability.
Monitoring your charges has to be done very carefully, almost like in the well-known game series Sims. Control over the characters’ actions is the key to survival, as in Project Zomboid, you can die only once – save points are not available. This approach from the developers only adds flavor, but sooner or later, the heroes will have to die – living in a city filled with zombies becomes more difficult day by day.