Summary
The zombie genre has remained a fairly consistent part of the gaming landscape for around four decades now, with some of the biggest horror gaming franchises around putting a strong focus on the classic enemy type.Dying Light 2andDead Island 2are just the latest in a long line of high-budget zombie games and they’re both a pretty great example of just how far the genre has come in the last few decades.
BothDead Island 2andDying Light 2offer some of the most advanced gore systems in all of gaming, allowing players to savagely tear apart their zombie foes with ease. Both games also lean heavily into both the horror and satire elements of the genre, delivering plenty of intense sequences as well as moments of humorous absurdity. But whileDead Island 2andDying Light 2offer some of the bestzombie-based gaming experiencesaround, they’re a little too similar to one another, and it would be great to see the genre produce something completely different in the coming years.
It’s Time for Some Fresh Meat in the World of Zombie Video Games
As alluded to up top, there have been countless zombie-based video games over the last few decades, but only a handful still stick in the mind all these years later. The most influential cornerstones of the zombie gaming world rarely share the same gameplay format. For instance,1996’sResident Evilwas one of the first games to really popularize zombies as an enemy type, and itssurvival horror gameplaywas unlike anything gamers had seen at the time. The firstHouse of the Deadgame was also released in 1996, offering a completely different experience thanks to its light-gun shooter gameplay.
In the decades that followed, several other highly influential zombie games were released, each one providing a new type of experience.Left 4 Deadchanged the co-op shooter landscape forever,Dead Risingdelivered some of the first open-world zombie games, andTelltale’sWalking Deadraised the bar for narratives in video games. In all of these cases, zombies were a major part of the experience, but they weren’t the only draw.
Dead Islandforged a distinct identity by bringing together beloved elements from previous zombie games.
ThenDead Islandreared its head in 2011. Rather than bring something new to the table itself,Dead Islandforged a distinct identity by bringing together beloved elements from previous zombie games, such asLeft 4 Dead’s co-opandDead Rising’s open-world. A few years later, many ofDead Island’s original developers would go on to adopt a similar approach withDying Light, and eventually, both series' sequels would end up forging a bit of a rivalry, withDying Light 2and the long-awaitedDead Island 2still fighting one another for dominance over the zombie video game space today.
Zombie Gaming Fans Deserve Something New
But withDying Light 2andDead Island 2both offering a fairly similarfirst-person action-adventure experience, there’s a growing desire to see something new come out of the zombie genre. While this goal is probably very difficult to achieve, with zombie games adopting a slew of different genres over the last few decades, it’s not impossible. There are still a few gaming genres that zombies have yet to infect. From a high-budget Metroidvania or roguelike to something a bit more out-of-left-field like a zombie life-simulator, there are still ways the zombie genre could be revitalized.
It might be time to bring back some long-dead zombie franchises.
In failing that, it might be time to bring back some long-dead zombie franchises. The aforementionedDead Risingserieswould be great to see return, and though its hack-and-slash gameplay is similar toDead Island 2andDying Light 2, there are enough differences there to make it feel like a refreshing take on the zombie genre.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
WHERE TO PLAY
It’s been 20 years since the events of the original game. The virus won, and humanity is slowly dying. You play as Aiden Caldwell, a wandering Pilgrim who delivers goods, brings news, and connects the few remaining survivor settlements in barren lands devastated by the zombie virus. However, your true goal is to find your little sister Mia, who you left behind as a kid to escape Dr. Waltz’s torturous experiments. Haunted by the past, you eventually make the decision to confront it when you learn that Mia may still be alive in Villedor — the last city standing on Earth.You quickly find yourself in a settlement torn by conflict. You’ll need to engage in creative and gory combat, so hone your skills to defeat hordes of zombies and make allies. Roam the city, free run across Villedor’s buildings and rooftops in search of loot in remote areas, and be wary of the night. With every sunset, monsters take control of the streets.
