A perfect example of what can make small indie games so great
Atom Zombie Smasher is a perfect example of what can make small indie games so great. A fun mechanic placed in a clever context and executed brilliantly. AZS is a top down real time strategy game where players control a small South American country’s defence force as it repels an incoming zombie invasion. It’s you versus the zombies as players fight for control of territory on an over world map while racing to reach a set number of victory points. The zombies will progressively take over territories per round and it’s up to you to take your forces to these infected territories and free them.
This is where the real meat of the game takes place, players enter the infected territory with a limited number of distinct units in an attempt to rescue as many civilians as possible before they all get infected and become zombies themselves (this happens if a civilian touches a zombie). The game starts with the player placing units down on the map in the planning phase. This is where players depending on what units are taken into battle will place mines, set up a sniper nest, deploy infantry, place an artillery cannon, set up barricades etc... and finally set the starting LZ for your helicopter to transport civilians to safety. The battle then begins with a limited number of zombies entering from marked points on the map. It’s up to you to manage your deployed forces and try to contain and destroy the zombies while rescuing civilians using your helicopter. All of this is done using the mouse and the game does a perfect job of making you feel in control with our forcing you to micro-manage allowing you to constantly adapt your strategy to the circumstances. The battle doesn’t stop until all the civilians are off the map, either having been rescued or infected. Tension is built with a countdown clock at the top of the screen that manages the games day/night cycle, if the clock reaches zero the map turns to night and zombies pour in from all corners effectively ending the battle. The goal in these battles is to rescue a set number of civilians making the territory neutral or if you are really skilled you can try to kill all the zombies on the map before nightfall making the territory yours and giving you a set number of victory points every round. Either way at the end of a battle scores are counted with the amount of civilians turned into zombies converted into victory points for the zombies and the civilians rescued converted into victory points for the player.
The fact that in game these battles are represented by tiny polygonal cubes and small hand drawn objects yet really feel connected and well developed shows how good the design is on the peripheral. The game does an excellent job of creating atmosphere through the music, menus, art design and small optional vignettes containing nonsensical bits of story that set up the world fantastically.
The options in AZS add a lot to the experience. Selecting a new campaign gives you a bunch of options starting with length (normal usually takes around two hours to complete but you can adjust it to any length you would like). You can change the number of units you take into battle, if they are random, types of randomness etc.. It adds nicely to the depth of strategy and keeps the game interesting after the first few campaign runs. There is also a system for mods in the game where players can change everything from the maps to the vignettes to the damage the infantry does. The best part is that it’s very accessible with a well stocked list of mods that can be downloaded and activated straight from the menu.
The major issue with AZS and the reason this doesn’t have five stars is there is that AZS had some big technical issues. I got blue screened three times from this game on my desktop and it was unplayable due to incredible mouse lag on my laptop. However credit to it for making me want to continue playing even after a blue screen.
AZS is a great game definitely worth your time and at its low price, your money. They took a fun idea for a game mechanic and made all the right decisions around it to bring it up to the next level. I really enjoyed my time with it but the risks of blue screens and other technical issues added a sour note on what is an otherwise brilliant game.
