A thrilling “zombie apocalypse” strategy game with decidedly action-oriented elements!

“Now, wait a minute!” you might say, “Did you just say ‘zombie apocalypse’ strategy game?” Why, yes, of course! Pray tell, which gaming magisterium ever dogmatized that notion that zombie apocalypse games have to be shooters always? 

Now, evidently, the game shows some mixed signs that can understandably lend to confusion. Starting with its title, it’s increasingly difficult not to compare it with State of Decay (the survival zombie shooter published by Xbox Game Studios in 2013). I mean, even the logo itself seems to borrow heavily from the one on that PC/console launch! 

Despite this, the gameplay here is markedly dissimilar in many respects. Sure, State of Decay also has real-time strategy and settlement-management elements, so there may naturally be some overlaps. Where State of Survival differs substantially, however, is in how the “meat of the action” is carried out, primarily because there are virtually no shooter mechanics.

Some may ask, “But what about the ‘Explorer Trail’?” To which I respond: The “Explorer Trail” doesn’t have shooting mechanics in the strictest sense since you don’t get to decide where and how the shooting is made. You simply position the player like you would in normal missions, with the difference being that you control player movement as if you were playing a hack-n-slash title, with other supporting characters simply going with the motions.

Even if that weren’t the case, you’d be playing the game in its standard real-time strategy format most of the time anyways (“Clash of Clans”-style but with doomsday skins, essentially).

The game’s story is not really hard to follow: An enterprise named Gigacorp leaked a virus that turned dudes into zombies across the globe (I’m sure you’re beginning to see the pattern already!) You play as one of the few lucky survivors trying to stay afloat amidst the dystopic chaos that ensued.

You’ll be first greeted by a chick named Becca, who will extend you an invitation to her settlement. She’ll then “teach you the ropes” - namely, train units, craft equipment, attack zombies, go against (or defend) other settlements, upgrade buildings, and all that jazz. You’ll soon get the gist of how to collect and manage resources too. 

You occasionally get visits from some “unwanted guests” looking to eat your leftover burritos, so you must blow their frigging heads off before they even dare approach the fridge. By “unwanted guests,” I mean zombies who want to make a “human burrito” out of you!

On an unrelated note, as I began playing the tutorial, I noticed a steep downgrade in the visuals department. They were nothing - and I mean nothing! - like what I saw in the teaser trailers! 

Not gonna lie. I was so shocked by this contrast that I nearly felt like putting the game down for good. Were it not for the game being moderately fun, I probably wouldn’t even be writing this review to begin with! Graphics get slightly better in “Explorer Trail,” but goodness gracious, those character models in the main game are an abomination! (and not in a good “scary” way!) The maps themselves don’t look overly offensive, though they’re not exactly how I imagined them.

Lastly, don’t be fooled by the “free-to-play” tag! You can get the game and play, for sure! But, if you wish to fare well in your multiplayer matches and not get “pwned” by State of Survival tycoons, you better get your wallet ready. That’s because building/upgrade times are incredibly elongated, so your settlement will never match up! If you don’t have that spare cash to speed things up, I suggest you stick to the main campaign and move on after beating it (if you can, that is).

State of Survival has some shining moments here and there, but the experience is slightly marred by some poor design choices and an approach to monetization which leaves a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, if you’re a patient individual who doesn’t mind waiting, single-player campaigns are a far better option (unless, of course, you’re comfortable spending some of that allowance cash to remain competitive).

How about you? Did you “survive” this game? Let me know in the commentary box below!