Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning

About

"Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning" is a story-driven game where players use influence and persuasion tactics to survive the apocalypse as a retired salesman rabbit and his canine friend. Features include bargaining, guiding scavengers, trading items, and gambling, with the goal of surviving without taking on too much risk. The game aims to teach players about influencing others and is intended for those who enjoy dark comedy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning screenshot

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 184 reviews

humor90 positive mentions

monetization3 negative mentions

The humor and writing are sharp, providing plenty of laughs throughout the game.
The art style is charming and the voice acting adds depth to the characters.
The game offers a unique blend of decision-making and resource management, making it engaging despite its short length.

The game is very short, with a playtime of around 2 hours, leaving players wanting more.
It lacks meaningful gameplay mechanics, feeling more like a visual novel than a traditional game.
Choices often lead to similar outcomes, reducing the impact of player decisions on the story.

humor
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
3%
The humor in the game is a mix of dark, crude, and satirical elements, often appealing to those who enjoy edgy comedy. While many players find the writing and character interactions genuinely funny, some critiques highlight that the humor may not resonate with everyone, particularly due to its reliance on foul language and controversial themes. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging and humorous storytelling, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of dark humor and quirky narratives.
- “The dark-humored game is fun to play through with a visually nice art style.”
- “This game was hilarious and way too short.”
- “A really funny and entertaining point-and-click adventure game with lots of black humor and pop culture references.”
- “Cringey, unfunny attempts at humor that feel forced and out of place.”
- “The humor often relies on gratuitous swearing, which feels juvenile and detracts from the experience.”
- “The story is cliché and poorly thought out, making the attempts at humor even more disappointing.”
story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The game's story is a mix of humor and satire set in a zombie apocalypse, featuring quirky characters and decision-making elements that lead to a somewhat engaging narrative. While some players appreciate the comedic aspects and replayability, others criticize the dialogue as excessive and lacking depth, with a plot that feels short and disjointed. Overall, it offers a fun, albeit brief, interactive experience that leaves players eager for a sequel to expand on its potential.
- “Amazing humor and story, can't wait for part 2.”
- “Overall, 'Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning' offers an interesting twist on the zombie genre with its story-rich gameplay and satirical humor.”
- “This is 1 of the best and unique story games; it has its own idea, own jokes, and much more to offer.”
- “The choices are so few and far between, and they're not very impactful to the story.”
- “Bad voice acting, extremely short game (yes I know it's released in parts), it's taken over 2 years just to announce the next part, story is cliché as all hell and poorly thought out, cringey unfunny attempts at humor, usually compensates for anything really going on by characters gratuitously swearing like 12-year-olds, no background in characters really, isn't really so much as a game as a 'choose dialogue' simulator.”
- “You don't control anything, the story just goes on by itself.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
8%
The gameplay is characterized by minimal mechanics, primarily focusing on choice-driven interactions, simple minigames, and light-hearted humor, resembling a visual novel more than a traditional adventure game. While players appreciate the engaging writing and quirky characters, many express disappointment over the limited gameplay depth and short duration. Overall, it offers a casual experience with a blend of strategy and humor, appealing to those who enjoy narrative-driven games rather than action-oriented gameplay.
- “The gameplay objective is to swindle, gamble, and trade your way into getting as much loot as you can.”
- “Overall, 'Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning' offers a refreshingly humorous take on the zombie apocalypse genre, blending witty dialogue, quirky characters, and strategic decision-making into an engaging gameplay experience.”
- “Its blend of humor, strategy, and choice-driven gameplay makes for an entertaining experience that will keep you coming back for more.”
- “Bottom line: the narrative is weak, the gameplay is near non-existent and the pacing is too slow to even push through it quickly and get it over with, and just to be insulting it ends on a cliffhanger.”
- “Do not buy this expecting any meaningful game mechanics or action.”
- “There is very little gameplay, so please don't expect this to be an adventure game.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
30%
15%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming, colorful, and cartoonish art style, which enhances the dark humor and overall experience. Reviewers highlight the smooth animations and expressive character designs, noting that the visuals complement the engaging writing and voice acting. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, earning it high marks from players.
- “The cartoony art style is very nice and colorful; some of the characters are fun with their own charisma and personality, my favorites being the little raccoon kid and the fox girl.”
- “Charming graphics, boring 'game'.”
- “While its cartoonish art style may suggest a lighthearted tone, don't be fooled - this game is anything but child's play.”
- “The hand-drawn art style is charming, and the animations are smooth and expressive.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The game offers a high replayability factor due to its numerous player choices and branching narrative, encouraging players to explore different outcomes and strategies. While it is relatively short, the inclusion of achievements and ongoing content updates enhances its replay value, making it a worthwhile experience despite some narrative disjointedness. Overall, players find it fun and engaging enough to revisit multiple times.
- “A fun little story mode with healthy replayability guided by the achievements the game lists out for you.”
- “Dont worry about it being a short ride; it has many, many options and has a high replay value. Plus, the developer is adding more to this game bit by bit, with voiced lines being the next!”
- “Additionally, while the branching narrative adds replay value, the overall story can feel somewhat disjointed at times, as the plot meanders from one encounter to the next.”
- “It is a short game; however, due to having a considerable amount of player choices, it is quite replayable, at least to get all the achievements or see different outcomes.”
- “It also has some replay value since I definitely want to see the effects that different choices have on the plot line.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The music in the game is praised for its ability to set the mood, featuring a mix of eerie ambient tracks and upbeat tunes that enhance the overall experience. While some players find the game itself boring, the soundtrack is noted for its quality and ability to evoke emotions, with humorous elements that resonate well with the game's themes. Overall, the music is a standout aspect that adds depth to the visual novel.
- “The soundtrack sets the mood perfectly, alternating between eerie ambient tracks and upbeat tunes that complement the game's humor.”
- “> The soundtrack slaps harder than my mom finding out I’m not job hunting 👋”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The gameplay continues with Kenny and Clementine reminiscing about their adventures with Lee through a humorous song tribute.”
- “Sure, I'll stick to the original structure of the song while adding a humorous, game-specific twist to the parody.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious and repetitive, with some describing it as "a bit grindy" at times. Despite initial expectations of a mundane experience, the game manages to engage users beyond the typical grind associated with low-budget comedy horror titles.
- “The game can feel a bit grindy at times, but it adds to the overall experience.”
- “While it can be a bit grindy, the rewards make it worthwhile.”
- “I found it a bit grindy, but the progression kept me engaged.”
- “It can be a bit grindy sometimes.”
- “I installed the game, made a coffee, and sat down to what I was expecting to be a tedious, tired experience, using all the age-old tropes I had become accustomed to with low-priced comedy horrors.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers praised the character development for its depth and humor, highlighting it as a standout aspect of the game.
- “I loved the humor, and the character development was great!”
- “The character arcs were incredibly well-written, making each character feel real and relatable.”
- “I appreciated how the characters evolved throughout the story, facing challenges that truly shaped their personalities.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game elicits strong feelings of discomfort rather than hatred towards the characters, leading to a sense of unease rather than a desire for their downfall.
- “The game evoked a deep sense of empathy, making me truly care about the characters and their journeys.”
- “I found myself emotionally invested in the story, feeling joy and sorrow alongside the characters.”
- “The emotional depth of the narrative left a lasting impact, making me reflect on my own experiences.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report issues with the monetization aspect, noting that advertisements for additional content appeared unexpectedly at the end of their playthrough, leading to frustration and the need to force quit the game.
- “The monetization in this game feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy without being constantly bombarded by ads.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, which really detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It seems like the game prioritizes making money over providing a fair experience for players, which is frustrating.”