Xbox Indie Review: Zombie Estate

In the cynical zombie comedy, Fido, owning a zombie is a type of status symbol, so the bourgeoisie show off how many undead servants they can afford much like a videogame reviewer proves his street cred by referencing somewhat obscure flicks. The once-dead wear collars that tame them like the metallic masks that brainwashed the evil (read: carnivorous) dinosaurs in Dino Riders. Thus, the typically terrifying movie monsters spend their days cleaning dishes and preparing supper.

Perhaps that introduction is a bit misleading because apparently Zombie Estate doesn’t have anything to do with an impressive manor staffed by a flock of loyal zombies; it turns out the Zombie Estate zombies are more of the we-want-to-devour-your-face -and-turn-it-into-feces brand of undead. That’s probably to the game’s betterment since zombies in aprons probably make for better cinema than games.

What does make for thrilling games is good old-fashioned carnage, and this zombie estate comes complete with three-and-a-half bloodbaths full. It’s essentially Left 4 Dead done 8-bit style, but unlike that other awesome NES Left 4 Dead retro fan creation, Zombie Estate actually maintains the intensity and social atmosphere of the original gorefest.

Players can choose from a huge selection of pixilated avatars, some of which represent a wide variety of people, while others are a tad more ridiculous such as a cat or gingerbread man. Nothing quite instills fear in the undead hearts of the undead quite like a gingerbread man with a flamethrower.

The game is broken into rounds or waves of zombies, which increase in both number and variety. It is sort of like a twin-stick shooter where the left stick moves the character and the right stick aims the weapon. It is a bit different from other shooters such as Beat Hazard and JoyJoy because you still have to pull one of the triggers to fire the weapon. Having to actually push a button to unload death upon the dead is refreshing because it makes me feel more in control of the game; I like having the tactile feeling of pushing a button to decapitate a zombie instead of just pointing in its direction and saying “you over there, die.”

When the zombies do die, they frequently leave behind ammo and money, which can be used in between rounds to purchase new weapons from a vendor. The selection of weapons is impressive, and the money is actually balanced to the point where purchasing a new weapon may mean not being able to afford another upgrade for several rounds. It can be tough to decide whether to break the bank on the flamethrower knowing the rocket launcher or laser shotgun is maybe only a round or two away.

The zombies themselves also look impressive, in a charming 8-bit style. There is something almost endearing about the little critters as wave after wave come traipsing across the lawn only to be blown in half by a shotgun or immolated with the flamethrower. The animations are sparse, but detailed and show just enough gore to really bring the zombies to life.

The camera is zoomed pretty far out from an isometric view which allows a ton of zombies and all the players to run around the same screen with ease; playing with other players doesn’t feel too constrained as long as there is a some level of communication.

Despite the plethora of weapon upgrades, Zombie Estate can be a bit challenging and a little tedious to play solo. It doesn’t necessarily require other people to play, but they surely help. There is also only one map present in the game, which hampers the replay value quite a bit. Thankfully, it’s fairly large and contains a house with several rooms a large yard to host your undead soirees. A save point would also really help out the game, which has to be completed in one sitting. I know the purpose of a wave-based game like this is to start at the beginning and build up and up, but it is asking a lot to dedicate the full time required to survive the twenty-five levels.

Zombies have pierced their teeth deeply into the Indie Marketplace and may have long worn out their welcome for some, but Zombie Estate shows the undead genre isn’t quite deceased yet.  For only a buck, it really doesn’t get any easier to recommend than Zombie Estate, especially if you have some friends around to watch your back.

Visit the Xbox Live Marketplace to add a free demo of Zombie Estate to your Xbox 360 download queue.

Zombie Estate was provided for review by the developer and the review is based on the full game. It is available for 80 MS points ($1)

By Mike Wall at January 11, 2011.

About Mike Wall

Mike grew up and lives near Philadelphia and has been intrigued with games ever since his parents preached that they rotted his brain. He studied journalism at Penn State and got his master's degree in secondary education before realizing that not even summers off would make that job palatable. He now works in marketing and is trying to find time to continue writing a book about zombies, aliens, vampires, the end of the world, and a talking cat.