Dead Season
- October 8, 2024
- Snail Bite
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Dead Season" is a single-player turn-based tactics game set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies. As the leader of a group of survivors, you must scavenge for resources, complete objectives, and engage in unforgiving combat against the undead. Level up and unlock new abilities to increase your chances of survival in this harsh and brutal world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game is well-polished with no bugs or crashes, providing a streamlined experience.
- The black-and-white comic reel presentation of the story is unique and engaging.
- The gameplay is addictive and offers a good challenge, especially on higher difficulties.
- The game is too short, with a campaign lasting around 6-9 hours, leading to a feeling of brevity.
- Randomly losing items between missions is frustrating and feels like a poor design choice.
- The hit chances for attacks are often low, leading to frustrating gameplay moments.
- story42 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is presented through an engaging black-and-white comic reel, enhancing the indie aesthetic, but many players find it too short, with only 8-10 missions that can be completed in about six hours. While the narrative includes multiple forks that encourage replayability, the abrupt ending and the mechanics of losing items between missions detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the entertaining gameplay and tactical elements resonate well with fans of classic tactical games, though players express a desire for more content and a deeper story.
“It looks great for an indie game, and the way they present the story is very enticing.”
“There are multiple 'forks' in the story where you'll get to play one of two different missions; you'll need to play the game again from the beginning if you want to experience all of the options.”
“I like the comic book style of storytelling, and the game looks decent graphically.”
“In total, there were something like 8-10 missions, and I played the game through completely (on normal) in about 6 hours.”
“Its short, cheap, the story sucks, but was entertaining and didn't give me issues (only one bug that froze items in place during trade).”
“The AK and chainsaw I nearly died for in mission 1 (which jammed every other round anyway) were then promptly removed from my inventory because apparently we just 'lost' the only worthwhile loot in the stage.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of simple turn-based tactical mechanics and atmospheric graphics, but it suffers from limitations such as a short campaign, slow pacing, and a lack of depth in RPG elements. While some players appreciate the intuitive flow and balanced combat, others criticize the repetitive nature of movement and the frustrating loss of gear due to game mechanics. Overall, the gameplay offers a fun experience but may not justify the full price for all players.
“This game is an exceptional adaptation of the original game with nice atmospheric graphics and challenging tactical gameplay.”
“On the whole, I was very impressed by the graphics and how the intuitive gameplay flowed and easily translated almost everything the player needs to accomplish the objectives.”
“- well balanced combat mechanics”
“It's a reasonably fun and simple turn-based tactical action game, but with less than 5 hours of gameplay I can't recommend the game at full price.”
“I get this is supposed to be moving and survival, but I believe the slow tactical nature of turn-based gameplay does not work very well without being able to plan for the future.”
“Gameplay is horrendously slow because movement is too short, you have to spend the time between your turns watching every single zombie move, and any environmental effect replays every round for as long as it's in play as the camera constantly pans over to all these things every single round.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the atmospheric and comic book style visuals as impressive for an indie title, while others criticize the rendering issues and lack of cutting-edge quality. Overall, the graphics are noted to enhance the gameplay experience, but technical problems and low hit percentages detract from the overall enjoyment for some users.
“This game is an exceptional adaptation of the original game with nice atmospheric graphics and challenging tactical gameplay.”
“On the whole, I was very impressed by the graphics and how the intuitive gameplay flowed and easily translated almost everything the player needs to accomplish the objectives.”
“I like the comic book style of storytelling and the game looks decent graphically.”
“You will find it slow and plodding where others find it deep and strategic with a few squares making a huge impact... you will just be bored and complain about the graphics (not a strong point at all).”
“For me: no brainer buy it if you like XCOM and zombies and slow-paced tactical shooter games without cutting-edge graphics.”
“I love the game and the graphics, but hit % with weapons is incredibly low, like... ridiculously low.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its beautifully recreated graphics and oppressive sound design, contributing to a challenging and immersive experience. Reviewers appreciate the balance between the atmospheric elements and the tactical gameplay, enhancing overall enjoyment.
“This game is an exceptional adaptation of the original game with nice atmospheric graphics and challenging tactical gameplay.”
“The atmosphere is nice and beautifully recreated.”
“I really like the oppressive atmosphere and the sound design.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unbalanced, particularly due to the endless spawning of zombies on every level, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and pace of the gameplay.
“But I will say that having never-ending spawning of zombies on every single level makes the entire game seem tedious and kind of takes the fun away.”
“Right now it's slow, unbalanced, and really tedious.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While users appreciated the character design, ambiance, and music, there is no specific mention of character development in the reviews, suggesting that this aspect may not have been a focal point for players.
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for enhancing the overall ambiance and complementing the character design, contributing to a captivating experience.
“I loved the character design, ambiance, and music.”
