Darwin said something like the species that's most likely to survive isn’t the strongest or the most intelligent, but the one most able to adapt.
If that’s the case, then zombies really should inherit the Earth, because according to the ceaseless onslaught of undead games we’ve seen recently there’s nothing they can’t turn their rotting hands to.
Although there are elements of social progression (or dominance, anyway) in Zombie Tycoon, its title is perhaps a tad misleading. Your objective isn’t really to build some kind of conurbation from beyond the grave so much as to take over the existing civilisation with the intention of killing everything.
Perhaps that fits the definition of fringe tycoonery, but really we’re looking at more of an RTS than an empire-building sim.
From this writer’s perspective that’s no bad thing, as zombies are far better suited to destruction than construction, and coupled with the innate humour of the game’s premise the undead under your control make for a uniquely entertaining jaunt around the afterlife.
As a crazed scientist with a new zombiefying formula to test on the population, your task is to control a collective of three different types of flesh eater in an effort to take over the world one sleepy village at a time. The control system is ingenious in its simplicity, and allows each of these three aspects of your life-challenged army to either operate independently, or as one complete army.
The red, blue and green zombies each have their own button, so clicking on a building with the triangle, for example, sends the green zombies on the attack. The fourth button, X, is used to send a command to all three regiments, so if you want to move your stricken soldiers en mass, it’s as easy as sending a single command.
This makes it remarkably easy to administer your nightmarish troops about the town in quite complex, multitasking patterns with nothing more than a button click.
More undead are added to your ranks by capturing clinics, where people are knocking on death's door anyway and are therefore easier to ‘convert’ into the living dead. The missions differ quite a bit, however, so you’re not simply beating down the doors to buildings about town - although setting your ghoulish horde to that task is one of the primary strategies employed in spreading death about the country.
Although the gameplay mechanics don’t vary quite so much as you might expect from a premium PSP game, the overall quality of Zombie Tycoon’s production belies its budget price status.
From visuals to voice acting, animation and sheer gameplay imagination, everything about Zombie Tycoon screams quality, and will provide impressive value for money for any gamers looking for a light-hearted RTS romp with plenty of meat on its bones.
Zombie Tycoon
A game that only six months ago would have justifiably been a full price title is an unmissable and highly entertaining bargain at four quid. That’s a lot of rotten meat for your money
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.