Zombeer
- January 30, 2015
- Moonbite Games
- 3h median play time
Zombeer is, in all honestly, a cute idea stiffly marinated in Leisure Suit Larry sensibilities, Duke Nukem- like execution, and Stubs the Zombie inspirations. However, this title succeeds almost only in resurrecting those title's shortcomings while piling on some of its own. Stale at best and tedious at worst, Zombeer consistently feels like the guy who comes late to the party and spends the whole evening laughing at his own jokes. With its atrophied mechanics and lame narrative, you will need a beer of your own to wash away the memories of this rotted corpse.
"Zombeer" is a single-player horror shooter game with hilarious references to classic zombie films and beer-drinking. In this game, you play as "K," a zombie virus survivor who must balance sobriety and carnage while searching for his girlfriend in a pandemic-stricken world. The updated version boasts new narrative content from Comedy Central writers and visually appealing graphics.
Reviews
- The game is filled with humorous pop culture references and easter eggs that can be entertaining for fans of the genre.
- The art style and graphics have a unique charm that adds to the overall goofy atmosphere of the game.
- The concept of managing a 'zombeer' level to avoid turning into a zombie is a creative mechanic that adds a layer of strategy.
- The gameplay is plagued by poor mechanics, including unresponsive shooting and lack of hit detection, making combat frustrating.
- The game is very short, clocking in at around 2 hours, and ends abruptly without a satisfying conclusion.
- The protagonist's constant one-liners and the need to frequently drink 'zombeer' can become irritating and detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay99 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its unpolished mechanics and repetitive nature, with many players finding the core mechanic of drinking beer to prevent zombification more of a nuisance than an engaging feature. While some appreciate the humor and pop culture references, the overall experience is marred by poor weapon handling, glitches, and a lack of depth, leading to a short playtime of only 2-3 hours that many feel does not justify the price. Despite some moments of enjoyment, the gameplay ultimately fails to deliver a satisfying experience.
“The gameplay has very simplistic run-and-gun mechanics, yet somehow I found it more enjoyable than a lot of first-person shooters released in the past decade.”
“Its balance is constantly being affected and it's a neat game mechanic forcing you to consume zombeer in order to not become a zombie and not over-drinking becoming dead.”
“It's got a sort of postal charm to it after a while and the gameplay, though repetitive, can be pretty fun in stages where you get a new weapon.”
“The signature mechanic of drinking beer to ward off the infection is little more than a nuisance since there's beer everywhere in the levels, so there's no danger of running out and turning into a zombie unlike some other zombie games with a similar infection-medicine mechanic.”
“The beer drinking mechanic sucks.”
“With its atrophied mechanics and lame narrative, you will need a beer of your own to wash away the memories of this rotted corpse.”
- humor76 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it mildly amusing but often juvenile and reliant on pop culture references that can feel forced or cringy. While some appreciate the abundance of easter eggs and light-hearted moments, others criticize the humor as lacking depth and originality, leading to a divide in enjoyment. Overall, it appeals to fans of lowbrow comedy and those looking for a light-hearted zombie-themed experience, but may not resonate with everyone.
“The game is definitely a bit clumsy but the weapons, animation, art style, and humor are pretty solid.”
“Chalked full of easter eggs and humor, and zombies and beer.”
“It's an honestly funny game, with a fairly decent story, some of the best references in a game.”
“I wanted to like this game, but the amount of gags and references is cringy and not funny at all.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as competent and stylized, with a unique art style that some players appreciate, reminiscent of titles like "Gotham City Impostors." While the visuals are not groundbreaking and can suffer from glitches, they are considered enjoyable and fitting for the game's humorous and cartoony aesthetic. Overall, the graphics are seen as decent but not a major selling point, with some players noting that they do not significantly impact the gameplay experience.
“Personally, I'm a huge fan of the art style found in this game.”
“Character design is great and surroundings have an art style you just don't see anymore.”
“Great graphics - stylized in an aesthetically pleasing way.”
“The graphics are cartoony, the controls are simplistic, the parody references are both random and arbitrary, and the humor is juvenile.”
“Still look the same way when it was released to PlayStation Network and still have lots of issues and bugs; the game so far doesn't provide all graphics configuration.”
“Gameplay can get pretty repetitive after a while and the graphics aren't going to wow you in any way, but for a game that really was just a port from the PS3, it's not all that bad.”
- story24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story is criticized for being rushed and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting a need for more lore and character development at the beginning. While some appreciate the humor and pop-culture references, the overall narrative is described as disjointed and lacking substance, culminating in an unsatisfying conclusion with arbitrary endings. Many feel that the game would benefit from additional content to flesh out the story and improve coherence.
“It's an honestly funny game, with a fairly decent story, some of the best references in a game.”
“Was a fun yet short game, could have used more bosses and weapon choices, but if they release a sequel or some DLC to flesh out the story more.”
“Would my story be different if the game had more substance? More than likely so.”
“The story is way too rushed; at the beginning of the game, there should be some lore explained about the world before diving into the characters.”
“Even the game’s conclusion, which is a choice between three arbitrary endings that seem to have nothing to do with the story, leaves the entire game disappointingly without a conclusion.”
“There's no real story here, just pop-culture references from the last 30 years.”
- music18 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating the nice soundtrack and its effective use in specific settings. However, some users noted that music is only present in certain areas, which limits its overall impact, and there are requests for additional features like a music toggle option. Overall, while the soundtrack is enjoyable, its implementation could be improved for a more consistent experience.
“Really fun to play with a nice soundtrack.”
“Nice soundtrack - superb use of music in the correct settings.”
“And a shame, the soundtrack is quite nice and for the length it could have been appropriate to listen to it.”
“There are a few glitches, and I would love it if they added a turn music setting.”
“Only in certain areas where there is a crowd of zombies or some zombie cheerleaders do you get some music.”
“The soundtrack is lacking and feels repetitive.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 82 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, often citing issues with unsatisfying gunplay and challenging mechanics that detract from the overall experience. The repetitive nature of wave fights and the need to manage gauges while battling contribute to a sense of monotony and dissatisfaction.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Tedious at best.”
“Having to worry about the gauge while I’m trying to focus on fighting (which is pretty low grade as well) is tedious.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game experiences significant stability issues, with players reporting numerous glitches such as falling through the map and getting stuck in walls, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience. While these issues do not render the game unplayable, they create frustration and hinder enjoyment. Additionally, problems with the options menu further complicate the user experience.
“Between the fact the game lies about this and the fact the options screen glitches to Timbuktu, I found it hard to play the game, let alone enjoy it to any extent.”
“I ran into so many glitches during my gameplay, like falling through the map and getting stuck inside walls. It doesn't make the game unplayable, but it definitely affects the experience.”
“Yes, there are a few glitches, and I would love it if they added a turn music setting.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is mixed; while it generally runs well on lower to mid-range PCs with solid performance, users report frequent issues such as forced beer-drinking mechanics and a significant lack of overall optimization. Additionally, there is a minor sound glitch when muting volumes.
“Rock solid performance - only a minor sound glitch when trying to mute the volumes.”
“Performance-wise it’s not that pretentious, so it will run on lower-mid range PCs.”
“Terrible forced beer-drinking (very frequent) and unoptimized as hell.”
“Performance-wise, it’s not that pretentious, so it will run on lower-mid range PCs.”
“Terrible forced beer-drinking (very frequent) and unoptimized as hell.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a fun, cartoonish vibe that combines idiotic dialogue and absurd references, reminiscent of a B-movie. However, some players feel that the overall experience is marred by a disappointing ending, impacting their overall recommendation.
“The game's atmosphere is a chaotic mix of idiotic dialogue and absurd references that feel more like a B-movie cartoon than an immersive experience. Unfortunately, the ending ruined it for me, so I can't recommend it.”
“The atmosphere is cartoonish and feels like a B-movie, which can be entertaining, but it ultimately detracts from the overall experience.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development is praised for its exceptional design, complemented by a unique art style that stands out in the current gaming landscape.
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers a few hours of entertainment with limited replayability, making it a reasonable choice compared to other titles that may charge more for less content.
“There are games out there that charge you more for even less, but with this one, for the couple of hours of amusement and a small chance of replayability, it is okay.”
Critic Reviews
Better off buried – Zombeer review
Zombeer is, in all honestly, a cute idea stiffly marinated in Leisure Suit Larry sensibilities, Duke Nukem- like execution, and Stubs the Zombie inspirations. However, this title succeeds almost only in resurrecting those title's shortcomings while piling on some of its own. Stale at best and tedious at worst, Zombeer consistently feels like the guy who comes late to the party and spends the whole evening laughing at his own jokes. With its atrophied mechanics and lame narrative, you will need a beer of your own to wash away the memories of this rotted corpse.
35%PC Review - 'Zombeer'
30%