Fort Zombie

About

"Fort Zombie" is a survival game from 2009, now available on Steam, where players must build and defend a fort against hordes of zombies. The game features a unique shift between first-person shooter and isometric views for camera and inventory controls. This is the last public build of the game, with no further updates planned by the developers.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 93 reviews

humor3 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

Fort Zombie offers a unique charm and nostalgia for players who appreciate its quirky mechanics and humor.
The game features solid RPG elements, allowing players to customize their character's skills and approach to survival.
Despite its bugs and crashes, many players find the gameplay enjoyable and engaging, especially for fans of zombie survival games.

The game is plagued by frequent crashes and technical issues, making it difficult to play for many users.
Its graphics and overall design feel very dated, which can detract from the experience for new players.
The AI and game mechanics can be frustratingly unbalanced, leading to inconsistent gameplay and difficulty.

stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely described as unstable and plagued by bugs, with frequent crashes and unbalanced gameplay. Despite its rough and janky appearance, many players find it enjoyable and worth trying, especially for fans of survival zombie games. Overall, while the game is playable, its numerous technical issues detract from the experience.
- “This game is old, buggy, and unbalanced, and crashes all the time.”
- “This game is janky, broken, and buggy as hell.”
- “It runs, and is playable, but it's buggy as hell and a lot of the features don't work.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The story is engaging and offers a simple RPG experience where players control a customizable character, Ben Riley, navigating a randomly generated town filled with missions to find survivors and supplies. However, the narrative is often overshadowed by unbalanced gameplay and poor AI, leading to frustrating moments during missions. While the premise is fun, technical issues and lack of polish detract from the overall storytelling experience.
- “The story and the way it's played is very simple; since it's an RPG, you're playing as Ben Riley, who can be customized with different backgrounds, skills, and traits. Each of them provides you with different experiences depending on how you play.”
- “Every time you conduct a mission, the town is randomly generated, so every mission will never quite be the same.”
- “You get missions to go out and look for survivors, weapons, or food/supplies.”
- “The AI of your survivors on raiding parties is terrible to the point I'd say don't bring them along if you're on a survivor mission - there is a decent chance they'll get stuck in a house and force you to leave them behind because they mess the scenery up to the point you physically can't get them out.”
- “The AI is atrocious, the game is honestly pretty ugly, it's crash and bug-happy, you do missions at night or get too many zombies in the scene (looking at you final battle) and the game lags like no tomorrow.”
- “Was on 4 HP on a survivor mission, I met a little girl and an 86-year-old man, both of which denied my offer to join my group, left the safe area, and died in 5 seconds outside of where they denied me.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated and subpar, reminiscent of early 2000s titles, which detracts from the overall experience. Many players note significant performance issues, including lag during intense moments, and a general lack of polish due to numerous bugs. While some fans of zombie survival games may still find enjoyment despite these shortcomings, expectations should be tempered regarding visual quality and technical performance.
- “Great game if you dig zombie survival, albeit with dated graphics.”
- “If you can get around the graphics and figure the game out, you will have a great time.”
- “Apart from being really dated and having fairly poor graphics by today's standards, the chief problem is an enduring one... the game design is fairly janky, there's a slew of bugs that never got fixed... it's generally un-fun to play because the game control handling is frustrating and immersion breaking.”
- “The AI is atrocious, the game is honestly pretty ugly, reminds me of Red Dead Revolver, literally early 2000's generation graphics; it's crash and bug-happy.”
- “Do not expect 2023 levels of quality and graphics.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The gameplay is characterized by straightforward mechanics that blend RPG elements with squad-based strategies, allowing players to build a fort and prepare for an impending zombie horde. Fans of unconventional gameplay and zombie themes may find enjoyment, especially if they approach the game with an open mind and without high expectations regarding graphics. Overall, the experience is engaging and offers a mix of humor and challenge.
- “I appreciate the effort put into the gameplay, especially the zombies.”
- “The mechanics of the game are pretty straightforward: pick a base and conduct missions by heading out into town to collect guns, supplies, and survivors to help prepare your base for a mega horde of zombies.”
- “I suggest you watch some gameplay on YouTube and decide if this game is for you!”
- “The mechanics of the game are pretty straightforward: pick a base and conduct 'missions' by heading out into town to collect guns, supplies, and survivors to help prepare your base for a mega horde of zombies.”
- “Combining elements of RPG with squad-based gameplay, you build a fort and have two weeks to prepare for a horde of zombies coming from Indianapolis.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated by players, particularly those who enjoy unconventional mechanics and a lighthearted take on zombie themes. While the graphics may feel dated, the comedic elements and engaging gameplay create a fun and enjoyable experience, leaving players with a sense of warmth and amusement.
- “If you go in with no expectations, are a big fan of zombies, are into non-traditional mechanics, don't mind 'dated' graphics, I reckon you're gonna find yourself having your funny bone tickled and a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart... or maybe you're infected... well either way, it feels great.”
- “A great and funny game about zombies.”
- “And I've played a lot, which is funny if only this game got to be finished.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, as it has not been updated to function effectively on modern gaming PCs, leading to performance problems.
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “I experienced constant lag and long loading times, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
- “Despite having a high-end PC, the game still struggles to run smoothly, indicating poor optimization.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling it exploits nostalgia rather than offering genuine value, suggesting it capitalizes on abandoned titles for profit.
- “This seems to have been put on Steam as a nostalgia gouge, or just a cash grab to try to profit from abandonware.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
- “I can't believe how many microtransactions are crammed into this game; it ruins the overall enjoyment.”