A Delightful Little Gem
I have put 60+ hours into this game.
When I think about that, it is kind of ridiculous.
But you know what? I'm still having fun with it.
Atom Zombie Smasher is a top-down strategy/tower defense game where the goal is to hold the advancing zombie horde at bay while you try to evacuate as many civilians as possible. Battles are fought in grid-style cities, and you chose where to fight your next battle on a strategic map. Overall victory is determined by the victory track: you get points for each person you save, zombies get points for each person they turn, and you both get points for territories you control.
In each of the battles, you are given a number of units to control. These range from snipers, a small squad of troopers who are immune to zombies, artillery, mines, zombie bait, barricade, and others. In early outbreaks, you have a fair chance of wiping out of the horde and gaining control. In stronger outbreaks, you struggle to keep the zombies at bay while you desperately try to hit your quota of rescues just so the zeds don't get control. If you choose to tackle a level 4 outbreak, there are no people to save; it's just so you against a screen-full of zombies and a time limit to wipe them out. Hope you got a good selection of units to fight that battle with.
The game is pretty difficult, but a selection of variables can be selected to fit the difficulty to something you are comfortable with. The games also come with a built-in mod sharing system, which can make the game easier or harder, depending on your desire.
All told, Atom Zombie Smasher doesn't seem like a game that should have held my interest for as long as it has. However, for whatever reason, it has, and I am happy to put more hours into it.