When Days Gone premiered at E3 2016, many weren’t sure what to make of it, but everyone took away one key visual. The game’s zombie waves is perhaps the game’s most striking hook. This is when hordes of undead move in unison like something out of World War Z. At that E3, the Days Gone zombie waves got people talking. It’s yet another example of an innovative way game designers have used the undead in recent years. Zombies are an ever-present threat in games in many different ways. While we wait to ride out Days Gone‘s zombie waves, let’s count down 10 more ways games surprised us with zombies over the years.
The Days Gone (Amazon Link) zombie waves we saw in 2016 were impressive. However, we’ve seen less of that tech over the last two years. Some hands-on previews mention these battles, but the trailers have focused more on the game’s post-apocalyptic story. It makes sense to play to Sony’s strengths as a publisher, but there’s a lot about the world that Bend Studio has created which cribs from other material. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it makes the potential combat fun all the more important. We have plenty of games about bikers but far less about having to deal with a literal tidal wave of monsters.
Of course, we could have at least one other example of the Days Gone zombie wave concept. Saber Interactive’s World War Z is coming out around the same time, and their source material invented the zombie wave concept. Saber’s game won’t be in direct competition due to a multiplayer focus. Still, two big releases in the already crowded market of games about the undead? That’s a lot of zombie games.
Will Days Gone have what it takes to compete? Will it be gone from the sales chart in a matter of days? We won’t have long to wait and find out.
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Days Gone Zombie Innovations
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Days Gone's Zombie Waves and 10 other undead innovations
Upon the airing of its first E3 showcase, Days Gone picked up steam for one reason: zombie waves crashing against the ground, flowing as one solid mass of undead fury. While there have been lots of zombie games, the quality example atop the pile run with unique hooks that set them apart from the competition. Here are some examples. -
Dead Rising
A generation ago, just the sheer number of slow zombies in Dead Rising was enough to raise eyebrows. The fact that they existed as a barrier for Frank West rather than a real threat was also innovative. He couldn't stop the invasion, he could only hop on their heads and move around them. -
Left 4 Dead
The special zombies are what sets Left 4 Dead's horde apart from the others. From the explosive Boomer to the destructive Witch, these player-controllable mini-bosses created a new style of co-op fun that games like Vermintide 2 are still riffing on to this day. -
Plants vs. Zombies
Even though zombies are inherently representative of a lot of humanity's fears, that doesn't mean we can't laugh at them. Plants vs. Zombies cast the undead as a comedic obstacle to overcome, a kid-friendly strategy that has led to several successful spinoffs. -
Telltale's The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is about using zombies as a metaphor in all its forms, and especially in Telltale's seasons-long story adaption. Acting as a looming threat throughout the saga, zombies here aren't the focus, they're just the cause for the chaos. -
Zombie Night Terror
Zombie games can be in any genre, even ones not typically prone to the type of violent gore that these characters generation. Zombie Night Terror is a puzzle game similar to Lemmings, only you're controlling undead walkers instead of cute green-haired creatures. -
Atom Zombie Smasher
Another strategic take on the undead is Atom Zombie Smasher, which is a top-down tactics game where you're trying to evacuate citizens from the map as the swarm closes in. With procedurally-generated cities and buildings that crumble, it's a realistic yet abstract take on surviving the apocalypse. -
Undead Horde
Sometimes, you just want to cause the apocalypse instead of surviving it. Undead Horde has you causing the end of the world by summoning zombies and overtaking villages in a medieval countryside. It's a zombie real-time strategy game if you will, although with fun material gathering. -
They Are Billions
Or, if you want to strategize on the other side of things, you get the ominously titled They Are Billions. It's another unstoppable horde, and you just have to hold them off with your building skills. It's like the circle in a battle royale, only with more teeth and claws. -
Stubbs The Zombie
Back to comedy, no game has successfully captured playing as the undead quite like Stubbs The Zombie. You rip your limbs off to perform moves, you feast on brains and you've got a retro vibe to revel in. Bowling for zombie heads anyone? -
Sunset Overdrive
Zombies don't even have to be the "undead." The zombie mutants from Sunset Overdrive turned due to a soda laced with unfortunate chemicals. It leads to some creative designs, showing that if zombies are here to stay, we can at least get some variety in.
