Who is Zombie

Genre: Arcade

Players: 1

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Review:

Who is Zombie, released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2022, is a game I would loosely define as an Arcade-style gam, though it’s much easier to compare it to the game it was clearly styled after, the classic PC game Papers, Please. However, as the title indicates, this game puts a Zombie spin on that formula, having players taking the role of someone manning a post at a shelter for survivors during a zombie apocalypse, trying to let in only people who aren’t infected and aren’t lying about their identity.

There are a few issues with this, however. Players don’t have all the information in front of them, ready to go. In addition to the ability to accept or reject someone seeking shelter, you can also ask additional questions, or consult both an instructional guide or newspaper updates to see what traits to be wary of. Not only does this cross-checking slow down the game’s pacing, but it all happens while a clock is ticking down, making it frustrating to have to search for information at a time when you often aren’t completely sure what you’re looking for.

At one point early into the game, the local river gets infected, and you need to reject anyone who’s been swimming lately. But… how do you determine that if they’re not dripping wet? You keep asking questions until they tell you, I suppose… all while the clock is ticking down.

Making things even worse, the menu controls here are absolutely terrible, and it’s a pain trying to select the menu option you want. What’s more, when selecting a question to ask, it takes an absurdly long amount of time for the question to clear, and players eager to clear the message may try pressing a button to get rid of it, only to find that pushes your character to ask the next question in the list. It’s a mess.

The presentation here is at least okay, using cartoony 2D visuals for characters and backgrounds. This is joined by an acoustic guitar theme that sounds far to dour for a game with visuals this cartoony and silly.

In the end, Who is Zombie is still a game copying a winning formula and applying it to a different scenario that seems like it would be a great fit. However, the execution here leaves a lot to be desired, and the clunky menu navigation, unforgiving timer, and the need to sift through various menu options to find important information all make this a far less satisfying experience than the game it’s copying. In the end, this isn’t a game that I’d recommend.

tl;dr – Who is Zombie is an Arcade-style game that copies the formula of Papers, Please and applies it to a guard at a shelter for survivors during a zombie apocalypse, trying to let in hapless survivors and keep out threats. It’s a great premise, but it’s really harmed by terrible execution, with horrible menu controls, an unforgiving timer, and poorly-organized information. The result is a game that falls well short of its inspiration.

Grade: C-

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