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Night of the Dead is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game. It was developed by Jackto Studios and was released on May 31, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Survive, exploring a vast island where everything is interactive and covered with zombies. - Build and upgrade bases using materials obtained by cutting down trees, mining up stones and collecting artifacts. - Get food through hunting and farming, cook and eat. - Build fortresses and traps to guide zombie movements to defend the flocking zombie waves. - Collect various items, weapons and costumes …

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77%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,544 reviews
gameplay115 positive mentions
optimization42 negative mentions

  • The game features a unique blend of tower defense and survival mechanics, making it engaging and fun.
  • Base building and crafting systems are well implemented, allowing for creativity in designing defenses against zombie hordes.
  • The game has a vast open world with a variety of zombies and resources to explore, providing a rewarding experience.
  • The game suffers from performance issues, especially during horde nights, leading to significant frame drops.
  • AI companions can be more of a hindrance than a help, often blocking paths and getting stuck.
  • The combat mechanics are clunky and inconsistent, with hitboxes that can lead to frustrating gameplay.
  • gameplay
    424 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Night of the Dead" has received mixed reviews, with players praising its engaging base-building, resource management, and tower defense mechanics, which create a compelling survival experience. However, many users have noted issues with bugs, stiff mechanics, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While the game shows potential with its unique features and continuous developer support, it requires further refinement to fully realize its capabilities and improve player satisfaction.

    • “Gameplay in 'Night of the Dead' is highly engaging, combining base-building, resource management, combat, and exploration into a cohesive experience.”
    • “The mechanics and features are very well thought out, and it's come a long way since it was first released into early access!”
    • “The gameplay is challenging yet fair, the story lore adds depth, and the optimization ensures a smooth experience.”
    • “This game is so cringe most of the time, the building system is stiff, the gameplay is kinda buggy, it feels rough to play, it's just not ready.”
    • “The survival, building, and crafting mechanics were tedious and frustrating.”
    • “The core gameplay loop revolves around base building and scavenging/exploring, only the narrative clashes with this, so you're just left with a sloppy mess of a lack of clear direction on what the game even is.”
  • story
    397 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the quest chains and the integration of a narrative that provides context for gameplay, while others criticize it for being generic, poorly executed, and lacking depth. Many players noted that the voice acting and dialogue detract from the experience, and some found the quest system confusing or buggy. Overall, while the story adds a layer of engagement, it is often seen as underwhelming and in need of further development.

    • “The game has a series of quest chains that carry throughout the whole game.”
    • “The intricately designed quests and challenges allowed for a truly immersive experience, while the attention to detail in character development and storytelling further enhanced my enjoyment.”
    • “The addition of the journal really brings the game together by the captivating back story throughout the game as you attempt to find all the journal entry clues to escape.”
    • “The story is a clichéd, disjointed mess for the most part.”
    • “The story flat was just thrown together at the last minute to give the game a story, and it shows entirely.”
    • “The main gameplay loop goes this way: ignore the main story for the most part, loot buildings for gear & basic/advanced resources, find some research paper, harvest basic resources as you go, and by the night go back to your home.”
  • graphics
    295 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as decent to good, particularly in comparison to similar titles like "7 Days to Die." However, many users criticize the graphics for being outdated, poorly optimized, or cartoonish, leading to performance issues and immersion-breaking experiences. Overall, while there are moments of aesthetic appeal, significant improvements in optimization and graphical fidelity are needed to meet modern standards.

    • “The visuals strike a balance between gritty realism and stylized art, creating an atmospheric setting that immerses players into the bleakness of a world on the brink of collapse.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, great company, known as 'unreal engine'.”
    • “The graphics are very good, character animation is excellent and the building side of the game is spot on.”
    • “The graphics are terrible, the optimization is terrible, the animations are terrible, the voice acting is terrible, there is no random seed generation, the party system is terrible (and each player must individually complete the exact same quest - to include building the exact same redundant workstations over and over).”
    • “Overall gameplay is fun but the graphics are nauseatingly bad.”
    • “The graphics are so-and-so.”
  • optimization
    158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent crashes, and lag, particularly in multiplayer settings and during intense gameplay scenarios. While some updates have shown improvement, the consensus is that the game still requires substantial optimization to enhance stability and performance across various hardware configurations. Despite its potential, many users feel that the current state of optimization detracts from the overall experience.

    • “After the last update, the optimization has clearly improved and with this, the playability.”
    • “The developers clearly prioritized a stable and enjoyable performance, which enhances the overall experience.”
    • “While already an extremely optimized, well thought-out game, with a bit more polish and time, this game will be the first indie game I've ever seen that has reached a status of AAA.”
    • “The performance of this game is abysmal.”
    • “The game is very poorly optimized!”
    • “It's so badly optimized that I can't even run it for five minutes anymore, and you can't even disable any of the graphical effects, only set them to 'low'.”
  • grinding
    154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding resource gathering to be excessively tedious and unbalanced, often leading to frustration. While some appreciate the depth and longevity that grinding provides, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, making progression feel slow and unrewarding. Despite these criticisms, a few players noted that automation and later-game mechanics can alleviate some of the grind, allowing for a more engaging experience as they progress.

    • “A lot of items, weapons, and buildings can be crafted, but the amount of resources required to build is reasonable and not tedious.”
    • “Base building isn't too grindy, and there is lots of customization.”
    • “Me and my daughter also agree that this game is not grindy - didn't find that at all.”
    • “The gathering is so incredibly grindy and unrewarding.”
    • “The grindy quests range from finding and killing 20 to 60 targets.”
    • “Gameplay is repetitive and there is nothing much to do besides grinding the same tasks over and over.”
  • stability
    116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern among players, with many reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, including issues with combat, building mechanics, and AI behavior. While some users acknowledge that the game is still in early access and express hope for future improvements, the overall consensus is that it feels unfinished and often frustrating to play. Despite these issues, a few players have noted that the game runs well on certain hardware configurations, suggesting that performance may vary.

    • “Runs great even in 4K on semi-dated hardware.”
    • “I play this on a laptop and it runs great.”
    • “So far, it's optimized really well. I have a mid to high-tier PC, and it runs great. Some areas in the town do have lower FPS, but for so early on in development, I'd say it's really good.”
    • “This one is a lazy buggy mess.”
    • “It's an unpolished, buggy mess with horrible AI.”
    • “The game is extremely buggy; sure, the developer does many fixes every week or so, but to fix them all is going to take ages.”
  • replayability
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed among players. While some appreciate the potential for multiple playthroughs, especially with different difficulty settings and crafting options, others feel it lacks the depth and variety found in similar titles like "7 Days to Die." Many believe that future updates could enhance replay value, but currently, it may not sustain long-term interest for all players.

    • “What else can I say? There is so much more and so much replayability it's not even funny. If I were to compare it to other games, it's like 7 Days to Die, Rust, Fortnite, Ark, and Minecraft were to have a baby.”
    • “I think it has a good amount of replay value. It plays well solo, supports multiplayer (which is where I think it would shine), and has a ton of replayability.”
    • “Building different bases in different difficulty modes is what gives it a lot of replayability.”
    • “Update game has actually zero replay value, unlike 7 Days to Die with random map generator and all the mods.”
    • “Replayability: personally I don't see this game lasting very long, it will be a game that gets boring really fast, because really all you do is build a base and get attacked by waves of zombies every night.”
    • “Once you understand the mechanics of the game, and what you're supposed to do, it can be beaten too easily and with almost no desire for replayability.”
  • humor
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its absurd and chaotic interactions, particularly involving zombies and traps, which players find both hilarious and entertaining. Many reviews highlight the comedic elements of the physics-based combat, quirky AI voice acting, and the unpredictable nature of traps, creating a lighthearted atmosphere even amidst the game's challenges. Overall, the humor is described as a significant and enjoyable aspect, enhancing the replayability and fun of the gameplay experience.

    • “I'm sorry, but slashing a zombie's arms and legs off with your katana and watching them pitifully attempt to get to you is one of the most hilarious things you can experience.”
    • “The voice acting for the beginning quest had me tearing up from laughing; it's one of those moments that's so 'good' it becomes hilarious.”
    • “It's really funny to see how the head of a really tough zombie flies off in the air after he is stuck on your deviously planned trap(s).”
  • music
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it underwhelming and opting to turn it off for a better experience. While the ambient sounds and occasional wave-triggered music enhance the atmosphere, many feel that the overall soundtrack lacks presence and variety, leading some to prefer using their own music while playing. However, there are mentions of effective sound design that contributes to the game's eerie ambiance, particularly during intense moments.

    • “The sound design further enhances this atmosphere, with haunting ambient noises, eerie music, and the relentless groans of zombies that keep players on edge at all times.”
    • “Great audio work haunts the corpse-riddled, vomit-retching, rotting landscapes of Night of the Dead with heart-pounding placement such as the natural sounds of the environment playing during most of the day, but once a wave appears, menacing music starts up with a purified all-consuming evil.”
    • “Furthermore, the game's soundtrack was a delightful complement to the overall experience.”
    • “The soundtrack in the game is underwhelming.”
    • “I just turn the music off and the game improves tenfold, in my opinion.”
    • “The only music you'll hear is during the night; for the rest of the game, it's an awkward backtrack that you can barely hear with no music or anything.”
  • atmosphere
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its engaging blend of gritty realism and stylized visuals, effectively immersing players in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world. The sound design, featuring haunting ambient noises and eerie music, enhances the horror vibe and intensifies the survival experience. Overall, the combination of compelling visuals, atmospheric storytelling, and strategic gameplay creates a memorable and immersive environment.

    • “The visuals strike a balance between gritty realism and stylized art, creating an atmospheric setting that immerses players into the bleakness of a world on the brink of collapse.”
    • “The world feels dead and empty (no pun intended), there is absolutely no atmosphere at all.”
    • “The sound design further enhances this atmosphere, with haunting ambient noises, eerie music, and the relentless groans of zombies that keep players on edge at all times.”
    • “The carefully selected compositions enhanced the mood of each scene, immersing me further into the game's universe and creating a truly unforgettable atmosphere.”
  • character development
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising the intricate quests and storytelling that enhance immersion, while others criticize the limited progression and lack of traits. The character designs, particularly for zombies and the main character, have been noted as visually appealing, but overall, players feel that more depth and variety in character development is needed. Additionally, technical aspects like voice acting and animations have been described as subpar, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Playing with 4 other buddies and the base building, crafting, and character development makes it a much richer experience than expected.”
    • “The intricately designed quests and challenges allowed for a truly immersive experience, while the attention to detail in character development and storytelling further enhanced my enjoyment.”
    • “Equal parts exploration, hunting/crafting, base/trap building, and character development.”
    • “The voice acting is painful to listen to, the animations are amateurish at best and just downright embarrassing at worst. The graphics look like a 2005 tech demo for Unreal Engine 2, and the laziness of character design is evident; the first NPC you meet is you, with the same model, same outfit, and same skin. That's just lazy.”
    • “Lack of traits, character development, or progression.”
    • “Character development is limited for now; I hope they can add more to it later because I was maxed out by day 9.”
  • monetization
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players criticizing the DLC as mere cosmetic cash grabs and expressing disappointment over a lack of substantial content updates. However, others appreciate the developers' ongoing efforts and commitment to improving the game, contrasting it with many early access titles that feel exploitative. Overall, while there are concerns about monetization practices, the game's potential and developer engagement have garnered some positive recognition.

    • “It's a fun game overall if you catch it on sale under $20. The DLC is not great, with no real added content, just cosmetic cash grabs. The fact that the devs already gave up on the game affects my rating; I give it a 6/10. If the devs were still actively adding content or even discussing a part 2 or a whole added expansion DLC, I would have rated it higher.”
    • “Yep, that's right, it's impossible to fire without ads.”
    • “This game has the makings of the next best zombie base building game, if only the dev had the will, time, and of course money. Many shy away from early access games for good reason; many are just cash grabs, enough to call a game but never add content, taking their money and running.”
  • emotional
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a mix of disappointment and frustration regarding the emotional impact of the game, citing issues like lack of updates, repetitive gameplay, and technical glitches that detract from the experience. The narrative and combat are described as uninspiring, leading to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction, particularly after investing in the game. While some appreciate the survival elements, the overall emotional engagement appears to be lacking.

    • “No, you made me feel like I suck after paying for the game - and I don't suck.”
    • “The basics get a bit repetitive; for better resources, you can sometimes find yourself in trouble. Maybe you are in a closed location spotted by zombies, and the only way out is to fight your way out. I see this as a good thing; others may not. Also, the basics don't last that long; you chew through wood and stone quickly, and using a lot of ammo on a wave is heartbreaking, but it's a survival game—what do you expect?”
    • “The story failed to evoke any real emotions, leaving me feeling disconnected from the characters.”
    • “Despite the game's attempts at emotional depth, it felt superficial and unengaging.”
    • “I found the emotional moments to be forced and lacking authenticity, which diminished my overall experience.”
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14h Median play time
35h Average play time
5-47h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 35 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Night of the Dead is a open world role playing game.

Night of the Dead is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 35 hours playing Night of the Dead.

Night of the Dead was released on May 31, 2024.

Night of the Dead was developed by Jackto Studios.

Night of the Dead has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its optimization.

Night of the Dead is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include No One Survived, HumanitZ, Mist Survival, 7 Days to Die, Enshrouded and others.