Atom Zombie Smasher
Encyclopedia
Atom Zombie Smasher is a real-time strategy
game developed by independent developer Blendo Games. In it, the player attempts to rescue as many citizens as possible from an oncoming zombie horde using helicopter rescue units and an array of military units to protect the citizens and defeat the zombies.
game, in which the player is responsible for saving as many citizens from Neuvos Aires, a large city infested by zombies, by using a number of military units. The city and events in the game are compiled through procedural generation
, assuring each playthrough is unique.
On each mission, the player is tasked with rescuing as many civilians from zombie hordes through helicopter airlifts. Civilians and zombies are represented by colored dots on a top-down map of a section of Nuevos Aires. Prior to starting the mission, the player locates the airlift rescue zone and places any other military units they have been given for the map. Once the player starts the mission, the game processes in real-time; Zombies will start to flood in from the sides of the map; any civilians touched by a zombie becomes a zombie themselves, and as day progresses into night, more zombies will start to appear, emphasizing the need to rescue civilians in an efficient manner. Certain military units can be re-positioned or reoriented at this time, as well as activating certain abilities such as mortar fire or zombie lures. The player must rescue a minimum number of civilians on each map to win that mission; failing to do so allows the player to retry that mission or forfeit to move onto the next mission.
Regardless if the player wins or accepts defeat on a mission, this will affect the larger metagame. Winning a mission temporarily relieves that area of zombies, and continues towards an overall score for the player. If the player is able to rescue every civilian or destroy all the zombies before daybreak ends, the area will be completely secured under the control of the player and zombies cannot retake it. Winning a mission may also unlock one of several military units that can be used on future missions. The player can then also spend points to boost the effectiveness of these units, such as increasing the frequency of helicopter rescues. The zombie side scores based on how many territories they remain in control of. As each side achieves certain scoring metrics, they gain new abilities. After this scoring, new zombie outbreaks are randomly generated in the city, potentially increasing the size of the zombie horde already there. If an area achieves too large of a zombie outbreak, it will spread to adjoining regions. At this point, the player has the opportunity to select the next mission, and is given a random assortment of their current military units to select from to bring into that mission. The ultimate goal of the player is to achieve a set score in this metagame before the zombie side achieves theirs.
gave a positive review, noting how the game felt "fresh and clever and oh-so-PC-gaming-in-2011: no rules but its own". Edge
considered the overall game a "wonderful urban chaos laboratory to muddle around inside" and a good reason why "we did need one more zombie game after all".
Atom Zombie Smasher is one of ten independently developed games that will be featured at the 2011 Penny Arcade Expo
. The game was also added to the third Humble Indie Bundle
mid-way through its sale.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game developed by independent developer Blendo Games. In it, the player attempts to rescue as many citizens as possible from an oncoming zombie horde using helicopter rescue units and an array of military units to protect the citizens and defeat the zombies.
Gameplay
Atom Zombie Smasher is a real-time strategyReal-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game, in which the player is responsible for saving as many citizens from Neuvos Aires, a large city infested by zombies, by using a number of military units. The city and events in the game are compiled through procedural generation
Procedural generation
Procedural generation is a widely used term in the production of media; it refers to content generated algorithmically rather than manually. Often, this means creating content on the fly rather than prior to distribution...
, assuring each playthrough is unique.
On each mission, the player is tasked with rescuing as many civilians from zombie hordes through helicopter airlifts. Civilians and zombies are represented by colored dots on a top-down map of a section of Nuevos Aires. Prior to starting the mission, the player locates the airlift rescue zone and places any other military units they have been given for the map. Once the player starts the mission, the game processes in real-time; Zombies will start to flood in from the sides of the map; any civilians touched by a zombie becomes a zombie themselves, and as day progresses into night, more zombies will start to appear, emphasizing the need to rescue civilians in an efficient manner. Certain military units can be re-positioned or reoriented at this time, as well as activating certain abilities such as mortar fire or zombie lures. The player must rescue a minimum number of civilians on each map to win that mission; failing to do so allows the player to retry that mission or forfeit to move onto the next mission.
Regardless if the player wins or accepts defeat on a mission, this will affect the larger metagame. Winning a mission temporarily relieves that area of zombies, and continues towards an overall score for the player. If the player is able to rescue every civilian or destroy all the zombies before daybreak ends, the area will be completely secured under the control of the player and zombies cannot retake it. Winning a mission may also unlock one of several military units that can be used on future missions. The player can then also spend points to boost the effectiveness of these units, such as increasing the frequency of helicopter rescues. The zombie side scores based on how many territories they remain in control of. As each side achieves certain scoring metrics, they gain new abilities. After this scoring, new zombie outbreaks are randomly generated in the city, potentially increasing the size of the zombie horde already there. If an area achieves too large of a zombie outbreak, it will spread to adjoining regions. At this point, the player has the opportunity to select the next mission, and is given a random assortment of their current military units to select from to bring into that mission. The ultimate goal of the player is to achieve a set score in this metagame before the zombie side achieves theirs.
Reception
Rock, Paper, ShotgunRock, Paper, Shotgun
Rock, Paper, Shotgun is a UK-based PC gaming blog written by Alec Meer, Jim Rossignol, John Walker, and previously Kieron Gillen and Quintin Smith. Rock, Paper, Shotgun launched in July 2007. In 2010 the website partnered with Eurogamer...
gave a positive review, noting how the game felt "fresh and clever and oh-so-PC-gaming-in-2011: no rules but its own". Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
considered the overall game a "wonderful urban chaos laboratory to muddle around inside" and a good reason why "we did need one more zombie game after all".
Atom Zombie Smasher is one of ten independently developed games that will be featured at the 2011 Penny Arcade Expo
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
. The game was also added to the third Humble Indie Bundle
Humble Indie Bundle
The Humble Indie Bundles or Humble Bundles are a series of game bundles, that are sold and distributed online at a price determined by the purchaser. The games are multi-platform, DRM-free, and independently developed, and buyers can set the revenue split between the developers, charities and...
mid-way through its sale.