Three Dead Zed

About

Three Dead Zed is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Gentleman Squid Studio and was released on July 7, 2014. It received neutral reviews from players.

Take control of an experimental zombie that can transform into three unique and distinct forms. With quick reflexes, a little problem solving, and some rescued kittens, players make a violent exit that won't be forgotten by their captors. Three Dead Zed is an action/puzzle platformer that features beautifully hand drawn characters and environments.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

56%

Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews

story4 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game features a humorous story and charming art style that adds to its appeal.
The ability to switch between three different zombie forms provides interesting gameplay mechanics and challenges.
Despite some flaws, the game can be enjoyable and offers a light-hearted take on the puzzle-platformer genre.

Controls are clunky and unresponsive, making platforming frustrating and difficult.
Level design is often repetitive and lacks variety, leading to boredom after a short playtime.
The game suffers from bugs and issues that can disrupt gameplay, including problems with achievements and checkpoints.

story
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
The story of "Three Dead Zed" features a humorous and nonsensical narrative involving a zombie named Zed and his quest to rescue cats in tinfoil hats, which many players found amusing and entertaining. However, as the game progresses, the story's quality reportedly declines alongside increasing gameplay difficulty, leading some players to lose interest. Overall, while the comedic elements and quirky art style are appreciated, the story's execution and pacing have received mixed reviews.
- “The story was interesting albeit a bit silly.”
- “The story is amusing, as is the art style.”
- “Three Dead Zed tells the story of Subject Zed, a scientifically engineered zombie that must escape the confines of the lab in which it was created, by rescuing cats in tinfoil hats.”
- “The story is pretty ...stupid to say I don't really like it, but on the comedy type it kind of makes sense since we all know that cats will take over the world someday.”
- “Since these frustrating elements start to happen as the storyline and overall plot degrades in quality, that was enough to prompt me to stop playing.”
- “But really, when the story mode was just a complete slog to get through, there's no way I'm going to want to play a more frustrating version of that.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The gameplay of the game is a mix of classic 2D platforming and innovative mechanics, offering both fun and challenging experiences, particularly for fans of hardcore platformers. While some players appreciate the responsive controls and engaging puzzles, others find the gameplay slow or frustrating, with mixed opinions on originality and overall enjoyment. The visuals and humor are often highlighted positively, but there are notable criticisms regarding control issues and repetitive elements.
- “The classic 2D platformer gameplay is awesomely complemented by the innovative trio of zombie forms, each with its strengths and weaknesses that one must cleverly use to overcome obstacles.”
- “If twitch reflex, action/puzzle-platformers are your forte, you will love the light-hearted humor, beautiful hand-drawn art style, and annoyingly addictive gameplay of Three Dead Zed.”
- “However, the gameplay itself is both fun and challenging in a Donkey Kong kind of way.”
- “Controls feel awful, gameplay sucks, big girls smash sound can't be lowered, overall experience 1/10...2/10 (because I paid for it)”
- “The trickjumping, however, is not saved by any casual mechanics and is just brutal to deal with.”
- “30 seconds of gameplay is all I got out of this game.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Three Dead Zed" is characterized by a blend of dad jokes, dark comedy, and whimsical elements, such as space cats and zombies, which contribute to a lighthearted yet engaging atmosphere. Players appreciate the clever writing, funny sound effects, and amusing environmental details that enhance the overall experience, making it a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle-platformer. While some found the humor occasionally inconsistent, the game's comedic elements generally received positive feedback for keeping players entertained throughout.
- “Three Dead Zed is a basic puzzle-platformer with a nonsensical story of space cats and zombies and lots of dad humor.”
- “A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle platformer with a refreshingly humorous take on the zombie theme.”
- “I enjoyed the story on the whole, and had a good chuckle at the office warning posters and the very funny line delivery of the science lab PA announcer.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the charming, hand-drawn art style and vibrant visuals that enhance the game's lighthearted atmosphere. However, others criticize the graphics as mediocre, describing them as clunky and simplistic, with stiff animations that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the artwork is often highlighted as a strength, the execution in terms of controls and level design leaves room for improvement.
- “The visuals were really good; they suited the silly feel of the game, and the music was bouncy and sneaky in a sense.”
- “The art style and sound featured in Three Dead Zed are a real strength of the game.”
- “The artwork is amazing!”
- “Mediocre at best, boring, clunky controls, bad level design, bad graphic style.”
- “Graphics look really neat, which can't be said about the controls and animations - they're a little bit too stiff.”
- “Objective: ★★★★★ — graphics: ★★☆ — content: ★★★ — handling: ★★★”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
28%
29%
The music in the game is widely praised as its standout feature, with a bouncy, 8-bit style that evokes nostalgia for players familiar with classic gaming. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack complements the game's visuals and overall silly tone, enhancing the enjoyable experience without overstaying its welcome.
- “The music is probably the best part of the game, to be honest.”
- “The visuals were really good, it suited the silly feel of the game and the music was bouncy and sneaky in a sense.”
- “The music is similar to 8-bit gaming, which makes it compatible with people from the nostalgic era.”
- “The music is similar to 8-bit gaming, which rings my nostalgia bell, so I enjoyed that as well.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is highlighted by its impressive art direction and design, which enhances the overall experience. While gameplay may become repetitive, the engaging animations and character aesthetics contribute positively to the enjoyment of the adventure. Overall, players appreciate the visual appeal, making it a fun experience despite some gameplay drawbacks.
- “The gameplay is nice, a bit repetitive later on, but I'd have to be honest and say it's both good and bad. However, it gets better with those animations and character design, which is great for such a game. It's a fun small adventure, and for this price, you can't complain that much; it's fun and good.”
- “The artwork and character design are great.”
- “Nice art direction and character design.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is reported to have significant stability issues, with users describing it as "very buggy."
- “The game is very buggy.”
- “I encountered numerous crashes that made it unplayable.”
- “Frequent glitches disrupt the overall experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from a lack of long-term replayability, with users expressing dissatisfaction and control issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “Couldn't recommend it; there is no long-term replayability, and control problems break the experience.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that while the game can be completed in about an hour, the developers suggest a three-hour playtime when engaging with achievements and challenges, indicating that grinding can enhance the overall experience and extend gameplay. However, some users feel that the game ends too quickly without this additional effort.
- “The game is designed to force you into grinding, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
- “Grinding feels repetitive and tedious, taking away from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “I spent hours grinding for resources, but it felt like I was just wasting my time instead of having fun.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by excellent comic artwork that enhances the humorous tone of the game, creating an engaging and lighthearted experience for players.
- “The game features excellent comic artwork and a humorous atmosphere.”