Dead State: Reanimated

Satisfying, pen-and-paper-style zombie storytelling that's somewhat blandly presented and burdened by bugs. A worthy RPG that would've benefited from more budget.

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Dead State is a single-player horror turn-based strategy RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world. As the leader of a survivor group, you must manage resources, negotiate with other factions, and defend against the undead, with an emphasis on survival. The game features base building, tactical combat, and reactive storylines, with a mix of humor and a wholesome story in a full-fledged RPG experience. However, it is known to have many bugs and can be very grinding.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,463 reviews

story112 positive mentions

stability124 negative mentions

Engaging story and character development with unique personalities and backstories.
Interesting mix of turn-based combat, resource management, and base building.
Atmospheric setting that captures the tension of a zombie apocalypse.

Frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay.
Combat mechanics can feel tedious and unbalanced, especially against human enemies.
Inventory management is clunky and not user-friendly, making it frustrating to manage resources.

story
430 mentions
26 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with many players praising its immersive environmental storytelling and character-driven narratives that evoke a sense of realism in a zombie apocalypse. However, criticisms arise regarding the pacing, lack of depth in character interactions, and numerous bugs that disrupt quest progression, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness and a diluted narrative experience as the game progresses. Overall, while the foundation of the story is compelling, it suffers from execution issues that detract from its potential.
- “The story told a fantastic zombie narrative through the immersion it produced, like all great zombie movies and shows, through the measured layering of pace, atmosphere, story, and gameplay.”
- “The story is where this game really shines, with choices and consequences that lend it some replayability.”
- “The writing and dialogue are simply great, with well-developed storylines for the survivors and various locations that have a lot of atmosphere, often telling their own little stories.”
- “Unfortunately, Dead State doesn't offer as much in the way of character customization or NPC interaction with multiple quest outcomes or dialogue options, so vast that multiple playthrough attempts may not unearth every one.”
- “The story feels non-existent; the characters are super bland and boring after the first few.”
- “The game is buggy with storylines and graphics, but it's truly something different.”
gameplay
323 mentions
22 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is a mix of base-building, turn-based combat, and character management, drawing comparisons to classic RPGs like Fallout and XCOM. While the mechanics offer depth and strategic elements, many players report significant bugs, crashes, and a lack of variety in combat, leading to repetitive gameplay. Despite its flaws, the game provides a compelling atmosphere and story, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate tactical gameplay and survival elements, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its execution and pacing issues.
- “It's base-building, people management, player leveling with a skill tree, important dialogue choices, multiple endings, and turn-based combat with a sound mechanic.”
- “The game has a unique gameplay for an RPG since your character levels up based on what you achieve for the group of survivors.”
- “This is a fantastic turn-based tactical combat game with base management and survival mechanics.”
- “The gameplay is often slow and somewhat repetitive, but I didn't mind that.”
- “The biggest downside is that combat is pretty stripped down; no stance chances, no targeting specific body parts, no movement formations, and no cover mechanics.”
- “This game is a pile of bugs and broken mechanics.”
graphics
154 mentions
17 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are dated and plagued by bugs and glitches, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the game's aesthetic and atmosphere, others criticize the lack of polish and the poor performance on higher resolutions. Overall, the visuals are considered functional but not impressive, often described as reminiscent of older titles, which may not appeal to players seeking modern graphics.
- “The feel of the graphics also contributed to the great atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are clean and detailed, the storyline, and of course the base building management.”
- “The graphics are good for a small development team, but not exceptional.”
- “First of all, with the technical issues: this game is a mess of bugs and graphical issues, and severely lacks polish.”
- “The graphics are also a mess: there is no native borderless windowed fullscreen option, leaving you to either play the game in a windowed state or in a fullscreen state that's really irritating and keeps trying to resize the system default.”
- “The initial blurb followed by the 1990's graphics meant I couldn't continue.”
stability
131 mentions
5 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players have managed to enjoy the game despite these issues, many express frustration over the lack of polish and ongoing technical problems, suggesting that it remains a buggy and unfinished product. Overall, players recommend caution, as the game's stability issues can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- “The game appears more or less bug free at this point; in 111 hours, I encountered only two bugs (an unlootable medicine chest due to bad door placement, and a one-time event where a baseball bat allowed a ranged attack).”
- “But other than that, I've been pretty much bug free.”
- “Despite what other reviewers may have said, this game is relatively bug free.”
- “The game is fun enough, but the graphical glitches are enough to kill an epileptic person.”
- “However, there are a lot of quality of life features missing, and along with quite a few glitches and some bad decisions from the devs, they can take quite a bit away from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “In what was the most apparent and appalling cash-grab I have ever seen by any professional entity, Double Bear Studios knowingly and willingly released this game in an unfinished, buggy, crash-ridden state.”
replayability
57 mentions
21 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability, with some players finding significant value in multiple endings, character interactions, and unique choices that encourage replaying the game. However, many others express disappointment due to predictable gameplay, repetitive elements, and a lack of substantial new content upon subsequent playthroughs, leading to an overall sentiment that replayability is limited for most players.
- “Game is a ton of fun with a lot of replayability.”
- “In addition, the hidden characters, unique items, and story arcs make this game highly replayable.”
- “There are multiple endings and hours of replayability with the many different dialog trees.”
- “It lacks replayability; however, it's simple enough to complete all of the content in a single playthrough.”
- “The big downside for me is the replayability; it is absent, the game is the same over and over again.”
- “There is almost zero replayability.”
grinding
49 mentions
2 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players noting that inventory management and combat become monotonous over time. Many reviews highlight the slow pace of combat and the lengthy wait times during battles, which detract from the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment in the community management and base-building elements, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game suffers from excessive grind, making it less appealing for casual players.
- “Now, this would be a big change, but one that would breathe some more life into an already interesting, if not grindy game.”
- “In fact, it's mostly the memory of increasingly tedious inventory management that's keeping me from replaying Dead State right now.”
- “The game just becomes boring and tedious to play.”
- “Worst is that some of the larger levels/larger zombie hordes can take ages to resolve a turn or complete the level, making it a tedious chore that involves a lot of waiting.”
atmosphere
43 mentions
56 % positive mentions
37 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and realistic qualities, effectively enhancing the storytelling and gameplay experience. Players appreciate the detailed environments, well-crafted narratives, and the ability to evoke a sense of foreboding typical of zombie-themed media. However, some critiques mention that minimalistic sound design detracts from the overall atmospheric impact, despite the game's strong visual and narrative elements.
- “It told a fantastic zombie story through the immersion it produced, like all great zombie movies and shows, through the measured layering of pace, atmosphere, story, and gameplay.”
- “The environments are well designed and very atmospheric.”
- “This game creates a tremendous sense of atmosphere and freedom: every place, however insignificant, has a story if you look closely, and the game throws plot events at you at a slow but believable pace that lets you explore and deal with the crises that emerge naturally from the dynamics of the world and your own play style.”
- “The only game that ever brought the atmosphere of Night of the Living Dead to a video game.”
- “Minimalistic sound and music design serve to the detriment of the game’s atmosphere.”
- “It's a slow burn and starts to shine some hours in; it oozes atmosphere and thoughtfulness, but dang is it dull sometimes.”
music
41 mentions
15 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive, bland, and unmemorable, particularly criticizing the combat themes as irritating. While some appreciate the eerie atmosphere created by the soundtrack, others feel it lacks variety and fails to enhance the game's emotional depth. Overall, the music is often described as minimalistic and forgettable, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Single player only; story, character development, and music in this gem are fantastic.”
- “The soundtrack is eerie.”
- “The music and sounds fit the scenery well and add to the already creepy/scary atmosphere.”
- “The music is repetitive, mostly bland, and the combat themes are just atrocious.”
- “Audio is unfortunately quite poor as music variety is quite limited and static, and there is almost no voice in the game.”
- “There is no audio where there should be, there is 'music' but it's the same depressing music, while at the school and the same music for combat... ho hum boring.”
humor
16 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever writing and a blend of subtle and dark humor, reminiscent of titles like "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines." Players appreciate the humorous character interactions and references to pop culture, which enhance the overall experience despite the game's bleak setting. While the humor is generally well-received, some aspects, such as the combat system, can be frustrating, but the developers' engagement and commitment to refining the game add to its charm.
- “The writing is quite good, with numerous clever references to other games and an undeadly dose of subtle humor, akin to VTMB.”
- “The game has a nice sense of humor to it, despite the bleak setting.”
- “If you really follow what the characters say, it's even very funny.”
optimization
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
54 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting frequent crashes and performance issues even on high-end systems. Many have noted that the game struggles to run smoothly on lower settings, leading to stuttering and freezing, while some users found it runs better on Linux with Proton. Overall, the optimization is described as abysmal, detracting from an otherwise enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “Runs smoothly on Linux with Proton.”
- “Once you have 20+ mouths to feed, you have to be sure everything is gonna run smoothly.”
- “- A great mix of Fallout/Wasteland 2/Fallout Tactics/XCOM and even... The Sims :) Turn-based combat and real-time movement, when time is running only when you want it to run, makes gameplay run smoothly, at your own preferred pace.”
- “Beneath the poor optimization, constant and incessant crashing (on Windows 10), there is a true isometric gem.”
- “The optimization in this game is abysmal.”
- “The game crashes constantly, it's literally not optimized whatsoever, and loot is entirely static at this point in development.”
emotional
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its unique and heartbreaking storytelling, with well-developed characters that evoke genuine feelings. While the morale system adds an interesting layer to character interactions, it can lead to frustrating moments due to NPCs' unpredictable emotional states. Overall, the writing and narrative depth are praised, though the game's sound design falls short in enhancing the emotional atmosphere.
- “Every run through is a little different and the stories are equally unique and heartbreaking.”
- “The writing of most characters is very well done, to the point that it creates some genuinely emotional moments.”
- “And that storytelling is what held my interest throughout the entire game - I nearly could forgive all the monotonous scavenging if it meant more lovingly written, well-researched bits about how the world fell to the zombies, about astronauts losing their minds on the ISS, interactions between survivors, between militia groups, and the little emotional ecosystem going on in the shelter.”
character development
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is widely praised for its depth and integration into the narrative, with players appreciating the well-crafted backstories and engaging dialogue options that allow for meaningful choices. While some reviews note that the graphics and animations may not meet high standards, the writing and character arcs are highlighted as standout features that enhance the overall experience. The game successfully combines character development with gameplay mechanics, such as base management and negotiation skills, making it a compelling choice for players who value storytelling.
- “There's pretty decent character development; the base management portion of the game is interesting without being overly complicated, and there's plenty of areas to explore.”
- “Single player only; story, character development, and music in this gem are fantastic.”
- “I really, really liked this game when it came out as it was exactly what I was looking for: a survival turn-based strategy game with an actual backstory, base management, and character development.”
- “However, animation-wise as well as character development-wise, it falls miles and miles short of even Telltale's The Walking Dead.”
- “If having to spend a dull 30 minutes scavenging in the late game doesn't scare you off, the game's worth picking up for its writing, character development, and select tense encounters.”
- “It reminds me of Jagged Alliance 2 with way better character development and zombies.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Users find the monetization strategy frustrating, comparing it unfavorably to watching advertisements, suggesting it detracts from the overall gaming experience.
- “It's worse than watching an advertisement.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and frustrating.”
- “I can't enjoy the game because of the constant push for in-game purchases.”