It seems everywhere you look these days there are zombies. TV shows and movies dedicated to the undead, zombie walks and runs, and of course video games. Some games center on a zombie apocalypse, while others tack on undead DLC that has little to do with the original story. HeadUp Games has recently released a survival RPG, Dead Age, that breathes some life into this decaying genre.
Dead Age is a survival RPG with turn-based combat that throws you right into the middle of the undead apocalypse. You play as a character that wakes after a car accident to find his sister is missing. Immediately, you are forced to battle vicious zombies. You are found by a sheriff that lends you a hand in your fight, then brings you back to his survivors’ camp. From this base you will wage your war on the walking corpses that seem to be everywhere.
The game is divided into several areas, explorable during both the day and night. Each area contains different resources that you will need to survive. Each visit to an area, no matter if you go for a single round or 20, will take up one day of game time. Not only will you have to kill the zombies in the area, but you can also hunt or scavenge for supplies or complete missions for the other survivors. Luckily you can have other members of the camp join you on your expeditions. Those that you leave at camp can be assigned to job around camp like guard duty, hunting or crafting new weapons. Your overall survival depends on how well you outfit your team and delegate responsibility. In this game death is permanent and your choices directly affect your relationships with those around you.
Even though death is permanent, it isn’t necessarily fatal. As you play through the game you will complete challenges. Each challenge will earn you a specific number of medals. If you die, you are able to use all the medals you have earned to upgrade your character before they start out on their next adventure. These upgrades can mean the difference in completing the game and an early grave.
The graphics in the game are good, but the backgrounds for the fights can get a bit repetitive. There are tons of enemies to defeat and most are fairly unique. You will not only battle hordes of the undead, you will find yourself being attacked by scavengers, Punks, and even other civilians. The soundtrack is well suited for the genre. You will however notice that some sound effects are re-used often. Most zombie attacks and injury sounds are the same.
Dead Age is out now on Xbox One and Steam. With a cost of $14.99 there is a ton of game to play. Each playthrough is different so even though you may meet the same survivors, they will arrive at different times and have different quests. You will have hours of zombie killing fun and hoping you will make it through to the next day.
