Zombie Exodus

Note: This review is based on the full version of Zombie Exodus with all the DLC. I bought it a long time ago, back when each extra chapter was still a dollar each. (If I recall the price correctly.)

Zombie Exodus is a pretty substantial adventure with a fairly strong use of gameplay mechanics. First written in Stone Age CoG, it came out at a time where the HG library was still pretty rough around the edges. Still, with an inventory and stat system which is woven well into the game, it does capture that zombie action shooter feel in a text game.

The gaming feedback is pretty well done, as you pick items for adventures and go out on adventures where you get to put them to use. There are encounters with a good bit of branching and which constantly test your loadout, giving you the sense that actions have impact an on the game. The game also introduces interesting variations into the challenge every now and then, such as losing most of your items or having to deal with item usage limits.

The writing was a little rough in the first two chapters, although I think it did get much better later on. There were a few parts which I felt were a little contrived, such as the game taking away your choice and making you accept a very difficult mission thrown on you when you had the option to refuse earlier ones. Still, overall, the gameplay elements are strong, and still do a good job of conveying the sense of exploration and danger in a zombie plagued world.

I had only managed to unlock a couple of endings in the game - although I know there are quite a lot of them. Some require pretty specific actions on your part.

Zombies aren't really my thing, but I did really enjoy this back in the ancient days of CoG. Ahh... the memories.