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The biggest thing you will probably notice about Survival Crisis Z is the distinctly indie-looking graphics and low resolution. Everything is pixelated and low-res, with the possible exception of the environments. This does, however, lend a certain charm to the game. It looks like it was developed entirely by one guy, which it was. But the art style is interesting and effective and the gameplay is polished and sweet, so if anything, the art just furthers the notion that you are playing a game that will tickle the nostalgic part of your brain.The basic gameplay mechanics of Survival Crisis Z revolve around using your inventory, moving around, gunning down zombies and hostile humans, taking missions, and taking over strongholds to force them to pay you tithing and give you bonuses. They all interact in such a way to encourage the player to try out different strategies and explore the possibilities of the game world, rather than pulling the player in many directions. And to do well at the game, the player must balance all the attributes of the gameplay effectively.
The first, and most obvious attribute of the game is the movement and gunplay aspects. The game allows for several different control types, from tank controls (use only the arrow keys, pressing forward to go forward and left and right to go left and right) to keyboard and mouse controls (move using WASD, pressing a direction moves you in that direction, look and fire with mouse). The gunplay itself is incredibly fun, offering at least 4 separate types of zombies (fast, slow, exploding, and dogs), several other different kinds of non-zombie enemies, and a wide variety of guns, from a revolver to a flamethrower. Some enemies even only appear at certain times, like serial killers appearing only during the mental institution nightmare at night. They also have different resistances, such as the exploding zombies only taking a few hits before exploding and killing all nearby zombies.
As you go through the game, you will eventually gain cohorts that will follow you and assist you in your fight against the hellish zombie spawn. They come with equipment, and you must care for them by providing them with ammo when low and medical attention when injured or infected. They are an incredible boon, especially as you hit the more difficult missions later on. On a side note, sometimes they talk to each other and relate stories of their life before the crisis, providing some comedic relief.As a role-playing game, Survival Crisis Z has no statistics at all, except for maybe zombies killed. However, it incorporates role-playing elements into its skills, inventory, and items system. Basically, you can gain new skills by paying for them at strongholds, obtain inventory items by looting houses or buying them at strongholds, and obtain normal items by buying them from a stronghold. There are some items and skills that are absolutely necessary to your survival, such as Molotovs and sentry guns, so obtaining them should be a top priority.
Strongholds will probably be the biggest focus of the game. The first time you'll interact with strongholds is probably to get skills and items. Next you'll take missions. Missions in Survival Crisis Z are divided into 2 kinds: story and factional. Working for the rebels or SWAT will be factional and will not further the overall story of the game, and working for the neutrals will focus on story and fighting against the zombies. Every time you finish a story, it will increase your reputation with that faction and give you some cash. Which you can then use to get enough skills and equipment to take over a stronghold.
Taking over strongholds is probably what you will spend the most time doing or preparing to do. It is the utmost challenge of Survival Crisis Z, thanks in part to the enclosed spaces, masses of enemies, and potential screw-ups. To do a takeover, simply talk to a stronghold leader and select the takeover option. For either of the factions, you must face a horde of gun-toting fanatics. For the neutral, you must stave off a zombie assault. Obviously, items and skills come in handy, especially the sentry gun and Molotov skills. Upon taking over a stronghold, they will pay you a commission for every zombie you kill, give you money at the end of each day, and goods and resting will be much cheaper/free there. You will also increase your party size and your party's overall weapon level (higher level means more awesome weapons). Obviously, taking over is the way to become the true leader of the town.There's a lot more elements I could cover, such as torturing stronghold leaders (here's a hint: you use duct tape and a car battery), riding your bike, looting, the other zones, and various other small tweaks to the gameplay. But the plain truth is that Survival Crisis Z is a game that can't be described. It must be played and experienced, every nuance felt. I didn't even touch upon the arcade mode! It's a game with so much replayability, and you owe it to yourself to play it. You can download the game through Big Download or Ska Software. For those who liked it, you can check out the creator's blog, where he talks about XNA poster-child Dishwasher and the remake of Survival Crisis Z (with multiplayer!) dubbed Survival Crisis X. He also talks about his thoughts on the game industry and indie development in general.
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I've been trying to play this for months, too bad there's no Vista support, you should point that out, BTW.Posted at 2:09PM on Aug 29th 2008 by Sam