Atom Zombie Smasher

Developer: Blendo Games | Publisher: Blendo Games | Release Date: 2011 | Genre: Indie / Strategy | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

The population of Sao Shasito is in a panic. The Zed hordes are closing in fast, and due to a malfunction, the rescue helicopter is flying at reduced speed. The mercenary infantry squad “982nd Lucky Boars” is doing their best to keep Zeds away from the LZ, but nighttime is rapidly approaching. The “Zhu’s Eagles” sniper outfit picks off Zeds one by one, but things look grim with a Mega Zed heading towards them. The battle of Sao Shositu might be lost, but the war for Neuvos Aires will rage on.

Set in a fictional South American country in the 1960s, Atom Zombie Smasher is a unique take on the apocalyptic Zombie outbreak scenario. With the country being overrun by hordes of the undead, it is your job to evacuate the population safely. Killing all the zombies (or Zeds as they are known in the game) will put the territory under your control. Still, with a limited amount of mercenary forces under your control, the best you can usually hope for is to get most of the citizens evacuated before nightfall when the Zed comes out in full force. It’s a war of attrition as you’ll gain points for civilian rescues, Zed eradication, and controlled regions. The Zed also receives points for infecting civilians and holding regions, and the first side to reach a predetermined score will win the game. It sounds simple, but there is plenty of depth with random modifiers, unlockable units, and the ability to earn experience points and upgrades.

While the game is played out in real-time, it also has a strategic, turn-based feel to it. You have your overworld map filled with territories from which you select your next mission. Each has a threat level of one to four, with the first being easy but low on points. In comparison, the latter is a full-blown epidemic, with no survivors, that can spread to neighboring territories. Units are randomly assigned before each mission (if you play the vanilla game), which can really screw you over sometimes.

Once you have selected your territory, you are given time to set up your units in strategic positions. Besides the helicopter for which you must set a landing zone, you’ll also have access (eventually) to snipers, artillery, infantry, mines, barricades, and dynamite. You can only have access to a maximum of three of these initially, and they are random, so getting mines, dynamite, and Zed attracting beacons will be challenging for you on a level four territory. However, the game has a vast selection of modifiers, allowing you to tailor everything until it suits your taste. Once you have everything set up, click “done” and watch as all hell breaks loose.

The whole game is viewed from a top-down 2nd perspective, and the visuals are as plain as they come yet have a stylish charm to them. The Zed are all pink squares, while civilians are yellow. Some missions also have blue scientists, who you will want to rescue for the research points they bring in. Levels are randomly generated, but all look very basic, with buildings that are just brown and grey squares. It’s all about the roads, however, and you’ll spend a lot of time staring at these to determine the ideal positions for your blockades and mercenaries. A good setup will see Zeds trudging through a maze of artillery bombardment and sniper fire, but overlooking weak spots can see your precious yellow blocks turn into pink ones at an alarming rate. Yes, the Zed not only costs you civilians but also infects them, meaning a rogue Zed in a crowd of civilians can quickly spell your demise. Sometimes, sacrificing a few civilians along with their attackers is the most humane thing to do.

Later on in the game, you can decimate the Zed with Llama bombs that destroy them from orbit, but while playing with the default settings, gaining a complete victory in the campaign is anything but easy. Sometimes luck will be on your side, and you’ll get random mission bonuses like longer daytime and slower Zed, but mostly, the odds are very much against you. The ending remains the same whether you win or lose, so there isn’t a victory. A nice selection of achievements for the Steam version and mod support (with a built-in file browser) will definitely keep you coming back for more. You can even tackle the levels with two other players for some cooperative gameplay.

The game has a bizarre sense of humor, as illustrated by the comic book style vignettes you are treated to occasionally. We won’t spoil any of them, but strange as they are, a few had us laughing out loud. Like the visuals, the audio is also pretty minimal but still done very well. The soundtrack is done by a group called “The Volcanics,” and while it is not our style, we must admit that their songs are very catchy and fit the game perfectly. Some nice sound effects complement the quirky songs. There is no actual speech, but you’ll hear snippets of radio chatter from your mercenaries and some ambient noises. Mostly, you’ll listen to the sound of zombies munching your civilians. Once you have access to the heavy firepower, you’ll also hear lots of explosions.

Atom Zombie Smasher is not going to appeal to everyone, but there’s no denying how addictive it is once you are sucked in. It might appear to be just another indie tower-defense-style game, but there is much more to it. This is one of those titles you’ll keep returning to long after completing it. 

*Review originally published in 2011.