How Long Will You Survive?

I’m not incredibly high on the Wii U at the moment. That may change as we get closer to launch, but right now nothing has really piqued my interest – nothing, that is, except for ZombiU.

At the risk of sounding like I hate everything – I’m also not a fan of the horror genre, at least not in the “jump scare and gore” way it is usually presented. I tend to go for more psychological horror found in the original F.E.A.R. or my current survival horror champion, Fatal Frame 2.

Based on looks alone, ZombiU manages to find a balance of both. The trailer shows off plenty of jump scares, with zombies coming seemingly from nowhere, intent on recruiting you to their cause (and scoring a nice meal in the process). Where ZombiU differs, however, is everything happens in real time. For instance, you can use the Wii U GamePad’s second screen to scan levels for enemies or other useful items. There’s no pause while scanning, so while you’re intently scanning for something, a zombie can catch you off guard. The same goes for inventory management. You ferret through your inventory (or item drops) using the GamePad’s touchscreen, all while zombies shuffle around you.

Even more interesting is you only have one life, adding a little more pressure to an already hectic situation. ZombiU takes place in a post zombie apocalypse London. You play as one of hundreds of survivors trying to make it to safety. Though you likely won’t face waves of zombies, ZombiU’s undead are a little tougher than what you’ll find in other games. A single bite is usually enough to put you down and supplies are limited, meaning you’ll need to plan your attacks carefully. In other words, you’re forced to actually survive rather than comfortably falling into the safety net of save game reloads.

Knowing you only have one life is, I think, what makes ZombiU such an appealing title. There's something to be said about having to prioritize your actions and think through them. For me, at least, its adds a real sense of both "survival" and "horror" to a genre that has, in some part, devolved into action games with zombies in them.

Death isn’t the end of your adventure. After dying, you take the role of another survivor and start the game over from ground zero. You’ll lose all of your experience and abilities from your previous character, but can set out to find your now zombified character. Take them out and you can reclaim any weapons or gear from your last playthrough.

Of the game’s shown off for the Wii U so far, ZombiU looks like one of the few really capitalizing its various features. In addition to acting as a scanner and inventory, the touchscreen acts as a sniper rifle and, when necessary, a keycode panel. It also doubles as a mini-map, flashlight and motion detector.

The jury is still out on if ZombiU can push me towards taking the plunge on a Wii U, but it’s an impressive game and looks like it could be a huge title for the system.