Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993)

Preliminary: I was unsure about this one when reading about it, but I am loving the aesthetics of it so far. The colors, the font style remind me of Pajama Sam oddly, and the campy horror antics are done in a cozy way. Also the music for the first level was nice. I finished the first level quickly, and apparently I found everybody, all intuitively, so that's a good sign. But 54 levels is a lot, so we shall see.

Cute Day of the Tentacle/Maniac Mansion reference and the music continues to be good and gameplay tight enough. Had to read the manual now that I'm having more items but intuitive enogh so far.

Day 1

Lol when you think you're savinga toddler but it has an axe and smacks you. Also , I like the Monster power up thing and I can go bash through walls, since the Key mechanic is the only slightly annoying thing so far (tho logical/reasonable enough). I really like the silly vocalization antics in the music lol even if some of it isn't my favorite style, the vocal "oh"s/grunts cheer me up :-p Oh and it's cute that I'm saving these soldier guys :-p

For the most part the controls and Play mechanics are very tight. Only complaint is often the collision masks for "collecting" a Victim are odd, especially when they're moving.

This chainsaw level is getting harder. 54 levels is a lot but I suppose I wont dock them for that: people definitely got their money's worth. And each level has had its own theme so far. But if I'm already struggling now... lol. They just take so many hits, even when I'm a monster.

I returned to this later after dinner. The music definitely doesn't have the same allure as I'm naering level 10. Nothing bad but just more of the spooky focused and none of the fun vocalizations etc.

It's definitely losing some of its fun with the difficulty increasing. I think I will try to complete Level 10. I suppose I can't fault it for 54 levels, nothing wrong with that as longa s plenty to enjoy. And I am curious about the 2 player version. Just wish the music had stayed as good

Meh the giant baby was cute but frustratingly hard (it's so fast!) and I couldn't get into the skull door. I figured it was time to quit before I end up outright mad at the game. Neat game.

Look: 8/10

Sound: 7.5/10 Started off super strong and saw this as a 4 or 5 star, but got a bit dry as things went on.

Play: 7.5/10 Overall quite tight, but the mediocre collision masks with the Victims and the slight delay when turning-and-shooting became more and more relevant in the later levels. I can only imagine the endgame levels.

Feel: 7.5/10

Attachment: 7.5/10 I wanna play 2 player with one of my brothers or my husband. But the difficulty level is too high for me to regularly replay or play all the way throiugh

Overall: 7.6/10

Completion: Partway through the level with the giant baby

Playtime: ~1h 15m

I really wanted to like this one, but I quit half-way through, it is simply not as fun as as engaging as it is trying to be, the difficulty is simply ridiculous, it may look like it is skill-based, but it is actually luck based, there is no telling how the enemies will behave. Not to mention the annoying infinite respawns, this is supposed to make the game fast-paced and give you a sense or urgency, but it is just tiring, you don't have the proper time to learn how to master the several different weapons (they are actually quite fun to use) because there is either not enough ammo because of the infinite respawns, or enough time, to familiarize yourself with them, the boss levels are the most frustrating ones.

I really don't recommend this one, not even if you abuse save-states or have a friend to play along, there are plenty other games to enjoy in coop, this is simply not one of them. But there is one thing that I really like about it, and that is it's style in general, it is very charming, the musics, animations, everything, it is very high quality. I got to admit that this game scared me as a kid, it's sound design is very creepy in my opinion, and even today, as an adult, I still think it is a very creepy sound design, but at least it doesn't scare me anymore haha though some monsters still look gross as hell.

That said, I can understand why this game has such a strong cult following, it clearly has a creative spark. The B-movie horror parody theme is clever, with references to classic monster flicks, sci-fi tropes, and cheesy 1950s aesthetics. Each level introduces new absurd scenarios, babysitters trapped by chainsaw maniacs, tourists surrounded by mummies, suburban neighborhoods invaded by giant ants. And the sheer variety keeps the presentation fresh even when the gameplay loop becomes exhausting, it feels like a playable Saturday morning horror cartoon.

I also have to give credit to the weapon creativity, water pistols, soda cans, silverware, weed whackers, the arsenal is unconventional and fits perfectly with the tone. There’s a solid foundation here for a chaotic, fun co-op experience, especially if both players are willing to embrace the madness. Maybe with more patience I would have pushed through to the end, but as it stands, despite its charm and originality, this is one of those games I appreciate more in concept than in practice.

So I played and finished Zombies Ate My Neighbors for the Super Nintendo years ago. However, I loved this game so much that I picked it up for the Switch, where it is bundled with it's lesser known sequel, Ghoul Patrol.

Playing it again, I'm still having a blast. For those who never played it before, you choose between Zeke or Julie, two teenage friends who decide to pick up their super soakers and save their neighbors from the zombie apocalypse. A tribute to the run and gun arcade games from the 80s (think Front Line, Commando, Ikari Warriors, Robotron 2084), the B Horror Movies from the 60s-80s, as well as the paranormal comedies of the 80s (Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Michael Jackson's Thriller music video), the game always has a tongue directly in it's cheek. You battle zombies, killer plants, hockey-masked chainsaw guys, psychotic Chucky-like killer dolls, aliens and more with creative items like soda can grenades, silverware and potions that turn you into the Incredible Hulk. While some levels are more conventional like suburban streets, shopping malls and supermarkets, other stages are more out there like pyramids and castles. Each level is about 2-3 minutes long, with the objective to save the neighbors before they are killed. Many have traps, locked doors and mazes that need to be solved.

While the game is still fun (my wife and I had a ball playing it together last night), the lack of quality of life improvements in this compilation is quite disappointing. There are save states, but you need to save and quit, and then restart the level in order for them to work. Really? So if you forget to do that, you are SOL. Outside of that, no rewind, which can be quite frustrating. They keep the password system from SNES/Genesis, which is a bit arbitrary. Can't you just let us select whatever level we want to play? Also no control mapping, so you are given the setup by the game, which might not work for people. Yes, you get an interview with the game creator and some artwork, but there should have been much more.

Still, this is Zombies Ate My Neighbors, and it's still a very fun game.

Zombies Ate my Neighbours, for SNES

Rating: 8.5/10; Great

Played: Jan 2019

This game is essentially a top down shooter where your goal is to rescue immobile survivors before they (or you) are killed by the zombies and other monsters. Levels progress in linear fashion and each level is relatively small with a variety of challenges, hazards and enemies.

The game starts with you (and optional second player) equipped with a water (holy) squirter, a med kit and a few lives. There is no saving, though there are passwords to start off at later levels with the same gear that you start the game with. Unfortunately, the game is too long to be reasonably beaten in a single session. Many levels have survival horror elements because of infinitely respawning enemies and sometimes tough monsters that can be too much trouble to kill, so you are constantly running away from them. Others have mazes, traps, boss fights and special keys that must be found. Some of the later levels are particularly annoying due to having to comb every part of the level for hidden keys.

It can sometimes be difficult to get to survivors before they are killed by monsters. Though they can only be killed if you are fairly close, there is often absolutely nothing you can do to save them; for example if an enemy spawns near them and you cannot even get there due to walls. The game is a lot of fun though because of the way its weapons, items and enemies interact. There is a good variety of weapons, each with unique functions and effectiveness to discover; for example, some monsters are set to be weak to a certain weapon. Unlike in a typical shooter, you will be using things like throwing dishes, cutlery and soda cans, and a melee weed whacker, though there are also a couple gun type weapons. The enemies are also highly varied and come with unique properties. From the chainsaw guys who destroy walls, to the giant ants that steal items. There are also a number of support items like the med kit, a clown decoy and potions.

Which leads to the biggest problem with the game; difficulty in selecting what weapon/item you want. The controls in the game are simple: D pad to move around, one button to use weapon, one to cycle the weapon list, one to use your item, one to cycle the item list, and then two to bring up a little radar screen to show nearby survivors (no actual map though). The problem is you can’t sit there cycling through the lists to get what you want without having trouble from the enemies. You really need to have the weapon and item that you will need for an upcoming encounter preselected or you will run into trouble. This could have been fixed with some control adjustments. The game does not need 2 buttons bound to the same function and “select” is not used, so make that the radar. Then you can have “R” and “L” used to help with selecting specific equipment. A simple way would be to make them change your current weapon/item to the water gun and medkit. A more complex way would be to allow different combinations of buttons to be bound to specific weapons/items.

Other than the great interplay between equipment and enemies, there is the fact that you can carry 999 of each weapon/item rather than arbitrary limits. This means that you can stockpile huge amounts of supplies to save for when you really need them, and every item you find in the game has immediate value and is instantly rewarding (rather than the nonsense of having to come back for it later when you use one of those you have already). The enemies also have good AI, and will move so as to cut you off. If they cannot reach you after a few seconds, they will start wandering in other directions and most likely eventually get to you. If there are multiple monsters with multiple ways to go, they will often split up to prevent you from getting by. It is fairly simple AI, though it is a refreshing change from the brain dead “rush straight at the player” or “wander aimlessly” that many games have.

Zombies Ate My Neighbours is great fun and has great replayability. I only wish it had a proper saving system and improved controls.

Pro

• 2 player coop
• Great synergy and balance between the weapons, items and enemies
• Infinite inventory
• Good enemy AI
• Unique end game credits

Con

• Password save system
• Awkward weapon/item swapping
• No map
• Can only see lives at the end level screen
• Levels can be tedious at times
• No penalty for swimming in obviously toxic water

Gameplay, Story and Value:

The premise of Zombies ate my Neighbors, henceforth known as "Zombies", is fairly simple. You start the game with 10 hapless victims that need saving from a zombie invasion. Armed (at first) with only your wits and water gun, you must collect these oblivious bystanders before the hungry undead do. Lose everyone to the shambling horde and it's game over. Rescue all the remaining civilians, and you'll take that many into the next stage with you.

Repeat 54 more time.

Every level gets more complicated layouts with more dangerous monsters, and a boss thrown in every 10 or so. In each level you'll find various weapons and items to help you survive. My first major complaint comes not necessarily from the game itself, but from the console it's on. The SNES version of Zombies has a function mapped to each button, of which the SNES controller has six not counting Start and Select. With half the buttons, the Genesis version of Zombie obscures some of these functions. Using items and firing weapons is simple enough, but cycling between them requires various button combinations. It's fine now that I know, but it's still not very intuitive.

Otherwise, controlling your character feels just fine. You can zip around the maps quickly enough, fire accurately, and everything feels good for the most part. Once major issue involves spotty hit detection. While it's fine for the most part, some enemies have very strange hit boxes, and you'll feel like you're missing for no good reason at all!

There are a total of 55 stages in Zombies, as made clear by the game's intro, and progress can be resumed via a password system.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

Visually, Zombies looks pretty great, like some kind of wacky Saturday morning cartoon. The UI does a good enough job of relaying information, though it would have been nice to have had a life counter, and possible indicators for other items and weapons in your inventory. The game relies heavily on your radar to track victims, and luckily that works very well.

The music and sound effects are whimsically eerie, which perfectly suits the mood of the game. My only major complaint is that the same track seems to play through the entire game, though it never gets particularly grating.

Afterthoughts:

Zombies is an okay game, one which brings back a lot of nostalgic feelings for a lot of people. My wife was giddy watching me play it. This was because she played this game as a kid. I did not. I get how people would love this game, it's definitely one that will stick with me for a long time, but I can't say a really had a great time playing it. Every stage is the same, even if it's not, and the tedium was very quick to set in for me.

Review:

Gameplay: