Before you go running off at the thought of yet another thought about zombies, let me give you an overview of what I see in the shambling corpses. Zombies are only scary because they were once human, someone we knew or cared about - someone we couldn't bear to kill even if we had to. That is the deep end of zombies that no one seems to explore in games. The closest we ever seem to have gotten to this end of the spectrum is the cop in Resident Evil 2, who aided the player early on, but turned right in front of their eyes later on. This social aspect is the most important detail of zombies, but is all but forgotten in modern offerings.
What's Missing?
When you think of a zombie game, you likely think of Dead Rising, Plants vs. Zombies, or Left 4 Dead. These games, while fun, are using zombies as just a generic enemy. They're not human, so it's okay to kill them, especially because they just want to kill you. They're brainless automatons. That's it. There's no connection between the zombie and their humanity.
If you think of Resident Evil, you've got a similar problem. However, there's a bit more effort to make them seem once human - the journals found throughout the older games. You have survivors writing about running low on ammo, locking or blocking doors, and how their friend is starting to look a little ill. While this gives you perspective, you have no real connection to these characters. Their time has passed, and you only have the record of their existence. Which zombie wrote that journal?
Games like Dead Rising and Left 4 Dead really frame another key issue with zombie games. Zombies in George Romero's movies are a backdrop for a social statement, an examination of society through a small group of survivors - the zombies are a core part of the equation. Quite frankly, Dead Rising is a beat-em-up game with zombies, and Left 4 Dead is an action game with zombies. They are zombie games because they include zombies, but zombies are not the core feature. They are not actually vital to the equation.
What Can We Do?
We need to get the player to care about the other characters in the game. This can be incredibly difficult, as most "helpful" NPCs end up doing more harm than good. If the other characters are controlled by players, then beware the griefer or the 14-year-old-rager - problems that need to be solved regardless of genre. NPCs need to offer some value to the player. By providing some service (crafting ammo, gear maintenance, fortification, medical attention), the player is more inclined to care. Writing is incredibly important - making the NPC personable with varied dialogue keeps the player from viewing them as just as service (this is something Dark Souls did to great effect by having certain characters show concern for the player, while others are cruel). Only if the player cares about the NPCs does it matters if one is infected.
Zombies themselves should have some character. I know it's technically difficult to have enough variation in how each zombie looks, but Left 4 Dead had a great solution. With a only a few core zombie models, they randomized the clothing and other such features. This method could be applied in a non-random way to create plenty of unique zombies. We can increase a zombie's character by leaving journals, key items, or fluff items (e.g. a toy horse given to a father by his daughter) that can be found on the corpses. Any reminder that the zombies were once human can really get into a player's head.
Really, zombies just need to be improved across the board. We need zombies that continue to attack the player even when they've been dismembered. As long as the head is intact, they need to keep attacking the player. We need zombies that look like the living dead. We need zombies that behave like zombies. They may be unintelligent, but they're instinctual. They react to sound and smell. They moan and wail when they sense a meal, and others react to that noise. We need zombies that are expertly crafted to fill their role as zombies, not some generic enemy.
Then there's the player. We need to player to feel the desperation of a survivor. Resources must be finite and limited. Health is not restored instantly by using a med-kit. Injuries are lasting. Every bite is dangerous and horrifying. Every encounter must ask the question, "Fight or flight?" Basically, the gameplay elements we're accustomed too need to be removed - familiar is comforting.
Finally, the matter of infection. The only games I know of that touched on infection were in the Resident Evil Outbreak series. They used infection as the equivalent to a time limit by increasing the player's infection level slowly over time. Once the player is fully infected, it's game over (in single player). Resident Evil has infected their heroes on occasion, but always a cure is just down the road. What if the player were infected during gameplay? What if the player turned?
There's so much that's unexplored in a topic that's become so very tired, but there's an entire genre that's practically unexplored.
Monday, May 14, 2012
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