MileHighGaymer Reviews

Dead State

PC / Steam - Developed by DoubleBear Productions

By Jason Anderson

Edited by Greg Dinkelman

Welcome folks to another review by the Mile High Gaymer, where we bring you games that you should or shouldn’t be playing. This week we’re bringing some zombie goodness with Dead State, a new take on the typical zombie game.

*Please be aware this is a beta so screenshots and gameplay may change in the final version

So what games come to mind when you think of the zombie genre? Resident Evil? House of the Dead? Dead Rising? Well let’s just say that Dead State isn’t one of those games.

Let’s quote the creator Brian Mitsouda (From the Forbes interview):

“There are too many zombie games out there, period. And I don’t mean that in an “afraid of the competition” way, but in a “just stop it” way. There are zombies slapped in just about everything now – zombie shooters, zombie pajamas, zombie toilet cleaners – and it’s getting to the point that people just zone out when anything vaguely zombie is mentioned, especially games.”

DoubleBear productions in all honesty are trying to make a zombie game that gives the feel of a classic zombie thriller i.e. a Romero film. I myself am a fan of the zombie genre and own a copy of the Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z (Don’t talk to me about the movie…) so having a game that deals with what could happen during an actual zombie apocalypse or outbreak is more refreshing than the run of the mill zombie game.

Story

Dead State takes place in town of Splendid, Texas as the protagonist, Brian, wakes up from a plane wreck. Having just been rescued from the wreckage the player wakes up in the basement of the local school. There he meets other survivors of the down, and he is filled in on the situation plaguing the state.

From here the player can answer small questions about his background as well leave town to find supplies. For the beta the main mission is to repair the fence of the school to protect your new home.

Gameplay

The game is a turn based rpg similar to the likes of X-COM. Players can run across the field and interact with objects by clicking on them with the mouse. When they enter combat with a zombie or looters, the player based on initiative will either get the first or second strike.

In battle each character has a set number of AP or Action Points that regulate what a player can do. In battle movement costs one to two points per square while attacking costs a number AP based off the weapon. For example a hit with a sledge hammer costs more AP than a hit with a knife. Certain weapons can be offset for different reasons. With guns while the AP maybe very cheap, shooting one will bring in more zombies.

To shoot or not to shoot that is the question...

As you procure more survivors to base you’ll also notice that each one has a certain proficiency for a certain skill, like healing or fighting. How the player implements these characters as they explore the area around Splendid is really up to you.

One of the nifty things that Dead State does implement is fast travel. Players will either walk to a location or, possibly in the future, by car. This allows you to revisit or find certain areas as you explore the location.

Damn why couldn’t I have landed in Austin...

Art

The art is very reminiscent to the Sims, but you shouldn’t be really dissuaded by something like that. The art itself is very barebones, but that may change in future updates. Focus on the gameplay on this one.

Final Verdict

The game itself is a great concept, having players focus more on survivablity instead of what’s the next zombie to shoot makes for an excellent change of pace for players. My only qualm was that the game seemed to be too slow for my taste, but for other players who like the action turn based RPG they should feel right at home. While I was a tad lost at first when I picked it up (It didn’t really give a tutorial scenario) the controls were easy to pick up.

So if you’re looking for a new type of zombie game, pick up Dead State and enjoy an actual normal zombie apocalypse.