Forgive the pun, but zombie games have been done to death. Occasionally, a developer will come along who thinks their game can breath new life into the undead. Usually, this isn’t the case which is why Zombie Society: Dead Detective has a lot to prove in it’s Kickstarter campaign.
Developer, Francesco Dell’Anna Muia, (Muja to his fans) is asking for $2,116 to create a point and click adventure game. The unique twist of Zombie Society: Dead Detective is that it skips over the whole zombie apocalypse cliché to deliver a silly zombie detective story set in a world where zombies have already conquered the planet. It’s a cute premise, that unfortunately may not go far enough to help the project stand out.
The story’s protagonist, Detective Margh and his partner, Ghvnn must puzzle their way through 4 bizarre zombie-centric cases. Despite the retro pixel art, Zombie Society: Dead Detective makes use of a modern interface and unique gameplay mechanics. Players will need to collect evidence so they can form “deaductions” and solve cases. Along the way they have access to an easy to use hint system and a magnifying glass which highlights interactive items.
Different, But Not Too Different
Despite the noir send-up the project is more comedy than horror. Zombies walk with their arms out-stretched and communicate in grunts and moans. The project may have flipped things by making zombies into the protagonists, but the campaign hasn’t done much to shake up the standard zombie tropes. Zombies remain obsessed with eating brains and quipping about being undead. It’s cute and goofy, but may become tedious when used to pad out a full game.
The first case is available as a demo over on GameJolt to give potential backers and idea of what to expect. The developer has also put the project up for voting on Steam Greenlight ahead of its expected September 2017 release.
