OK, review time.

Would I recommend this game? Absolutely. It's one hell of a fun game that just keeps getting better with each new build. It's not perfect, there are still a few rough edges, but the Devs are busting their butts to get everything working properly. The gameplay is surprisingly addicting, sometimes I look at the clock and wonder where the last 4 hours went, but looking at my fort shows me where they went.

There are some great elements of the game still being worked on (NPC's, Map Expansion) that will certainly alter the current games play style. No longer will we be "limited" to just raiding Muldraugh, West Point, or the "New(ish)" Mall area/recent expansion......which to be perfectly honest is quite a bit of looting to begin with. It honestly necessitates a new Safehouse/Fortress for each area as carrying all the stuff you find between forts would be kind of pointless...as the current map is that big....(map link) http://pzmap.crash-override.net/ and the planned additions of Louisville, Fort Knox and whatever lies in between them will make this a HUGE map.

My play style is a little Kamikaze(ish), i love to get a Nailed Baseball Bat or an Axe and take on a horde or two, just swinging away till either the zombies are dead, my weapon breaks, or i have to run and get bandaged up.....maybe have my character drink some bleach if the zombies made me bleed. Consequently, i rarely have a character last much beyond a month in the game. But that's the fun of the game, it lulls you into thinking that you are "Too Good" for the mere zombies to hurt....until they get you surrounded and you remember that you swore to yourself last time, that you would not let that happen again.

But don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself and see how well you do. Just remember the words on the screen at the beginning of the game "This is how you died"

EDIT on November 30, 2014

As i write this we have just had a recent hotfix of Build 30, which brought in a Medical Overhaul. I have fallen out of windows and broken feet and legs, requiring me to bandage and splint the injuries then just wait for it to heal. I have cut my hands climbing in thru broken windows, had to get some tweezers and pry out the lodged glass before bandaging, possibly having to stitch the wound. Been scratched and bitten by zombies, requiring me to disinfect, stitch/bandage the wound and hope i did not get infected.

Of course, before i can do any of this, i had to locate the needed medical equipment at various locations on the map. With the new overhaul, it's even possible to bleed out from a bad wound if i cannot locate some band aids, bandages, or even some sheets or clothing to rip up for use as a low grade bandage. One nice thing is the ability to clean a bandage for reuse.

I swear, every new build the Devs come up with just continues to draw you in and add more game immersion, and they have plans to "adjust" the game to make it harder for you to survive a lengthy amount of time.

The MP has continued to improve, with more and more Game Server companies starting to add PZ to their inventory. And i just realized i did not mention some of the other new things in the latest Build (30.3) We have more Sandbox options available when starting a new game, including adjusting how often Zombies respawn, whether or not you want random loot respawn and it's frequency.

OH yeah, the incredible Erosion mod has been integrated into the base game which literally is Mother Nature taking over the map...vines growing up buildings, cracks in pavement, trees losing their leaves as fall approaches then regrowing as spring comes, bushes and trees growing in places where we Humans would remove them, SNOW, and so much more that i just cannot think of right now.

OK, I don't want this to be a 10,000 word review so i'll stop here. but as before, if you would like to see some gameplay there are plenty of videos on youtube. Or, check on Twitch and catch a live stream. Either way, I hope you enjoy what you see and you too join the Zomboid community.

EDIT #2...8-22-19
still playing, still enjoying most of it. damn zombies
cars are a reality now, and yes you can indeed rally a 2 door sports car at about 120MPH head on into a tree to smash a zombie....but yer gonna die too. the map has continued to expand, adding a military community as well as a new town alongside the river. more water has been added, aiding in survival for towns away from the river with farming and fishing. hunting is due "soon", along with an incredible animation update they are busting their asses to get working.

the MP community has grown drastically, with multiple long term servers available for those who want to die in front of others (lol). did we mention mods? check out the Steam Workshop, the community has gone nuts in there. ALL KINDS OF MODS....with more to come. it ain't gonna be stopping anytime soon.

now, the Devs have mentioned to likely increase in price as the game nears V1.0
and all the goodies have been added....with more to come. so jump in now, while its still just $15.

WARNING: you may regret it as you watch the zombies munch on a favorite character that made that One Fatal Mistake. but load a new character, and avenge their death!


EDIT 3 8-24-21

I'm still here, still playing and STILL dying. currently we have a hold on MP as the Devs work to get that madness, and the associated follow up glitches that are part of a Devs Nightmares all figured out. the TIS team has grown quite a bit, as they brought in one of the Community Mod Map makers to help, some new people from General Arcade have been doing great MP work, and i know there are more who i can't name. we have a improvement on the games sounds coming soon....and other things i cannot remember

since the last edit, the community has gone WILD with the incredible mods, maps and other goodies. hell, we have Boats now. (i don't think you can get seasick and puke over the side) we have Louisville on the horizon as an in game map addition. there are already several new things on the map they just kinda slip in, which is a mini Easter Egg of sorts, i'd say.

as i said before, plenty of people stream this game if you want to check it out. in truth, it has been growing like crazy at Twittch.. back with Edit 4 after Build 41 drops, and MP is active again.

Good Luck, you'll need it

3-27-24
I'm still here. still playing, still dying.

it's funny to read this, it's like a timeline of when new stuff got added in.
currently, we're waiting for Build 42 to drop. animals will be interesting when they get added. their have been doghouses and pet accessories in the loot for a while as a type of preview i guess. one thing they have stated as a Definite No in the Vanilla game for years, no zombified animals. which i like. i don't want to be forced to kill my ingame Best Friend because he got bit/scratched. i'm sure the modders will take care of that, if you want that decision .

since i last edited, Louisville was added to the map as well as several smaller additions throughout the map. and i tell ya, there a re some awesome safehouses to be found up there, many with the river in the back yard and a good fence already built

anyway, back to the horde. come join me/us

OK, review time. Would I recommend this game? Absolutely. It's one hell of a fun game that just keeps getting better with each new build. It's not perfect, there are still a few rough edges, but the Devs are busting their butts to get everything working properly. The gameplay is surprisingly addicting, sometimes I look at the clock and wonder where the last 4 hours went, but looking at my fort shows me where they went. There are some great elements of the game still being worked on (NPC's, Map Expansion) that will certainly alter the current games play style. No longer will we be "limited" to just raiding Muldraugh, West Point, or the "New(ish)" Mall area/recent expansion......which to be perfectly honest is quite a bit of looting to begin with. It honestly necessitates a new Safehouse/Fortress for each area as carrying all the stuff you find between forts would be kind of pointless...as the current map is that big....(map link) http://pzmap.crash-override.net/ and the planned additions of Louisville, Fort Knox and whatever lies in between them will make this a HUGE map. My play style is a little Kamikaze(ish), i love to get a Nailed Baseball Bat or an Axe and take on a horde or two, just swinging away till either the zombies are dead, my weapon breaks, or i have to run and get bandaged up.....maybe have my character drink some bleach if the zombies made me bleed. Consequently, i rarely have a character last much beyond a month in the game. But that's the fun of the game, it lulls you into thinking that you are "Too Good" for the mere zombies to hurt....until they get you surrounded and you remember that you swore to yourself last time, that you would not let that happen again. But don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself and see how well you do. Just remember the words on the screen at the beginning of the game "This is how you died" EDIT on November 30, 2014 As i write this we have just had a recent hotfix of Build 30, which brought in a Medical Overhaul. I have fallen out of windows and broken feet and legs, requiring me to bandage and splint the injuries then just wait for it to heal. I have cut my hands climbing in thru broken windows, had to get some tweezers and pry out the lodged glass before bandaging, possibly having to stitch the wound. Been scratched and bitten by zombies, requiring me to disinfect, stitch/bandage the wound and hope i did not get infected. Of course, before i can do any of this, i had to locate the needed medical equipment at various locations on the map. With the new overhaul, it's even possible to bleed out from a bad wound if i cannot locate some band aids, bandages, or even some sheets or clothing to rip up for use as a low grade bandage. One nice thing is the ability to clean a bandage for reuse. I swear, every new build the Devs come up with just continues to draw you in and add more game immersion, and they have plans to "adjust" the game to make it harder for you to survive a lengthy amount of time. The MP has continued to improve, with more and more Game Server companies starting to add PZ to their inventory. And i just realized i did not mention some of the other new things in the latest Build (30.3) We have more Sandbox options available when starting a new game, including adjusting how often Zombies respawn, whether or not you want random loot respawn and it's frequency. OH yeah, the incredible Erosion mod has been integrated into the base game which literally is Mother Nature taking over the map...vines growing up buildings, cracks in pavement, trees losing their leaves as fall approaches then regrowing as spring comes, bushes and trees growing in places where we Humans would remove them, SNOW, and so much more that i just cannot think of right now. OK, I don't want this to be a 10,000 word review so i'll stop here. but as before, if you would like to see some gameplay there are plenty of videos on youtube. Or, check on Twitch and catch a live stream. Either way, I hope you enjoy what you see and you too join the Zomboid community. EDIT #2...8-22-19 still playing, still enjoying most of it. damn zombies cars are a reality now, and yes you can indeed rally a 2 door sports car at about 120MPH head on into a tree to smash a zombie....but yer gonna die too. the map has continued to expand, adding a military community as well as a new town alongside the river. more water has been added, aiding in survival for towns away from the river with farming and fishing. hunting is due "soon", along with an incredible animation update they are busting their asses to get working. the MP community has grown drastically, with multiple long term servers available for those who want to die in front of others (lol). did we mention mods? check out the Steam Workshop, the community has gone nuts in there. ALL KINDS OF MODS....with more to come. it ain't gonna be stopping anytime soon. now, the Devs have mentioned to likely increase in price as the game nears V1.0 and all the goodies have been added....with more to come. so jump in now, while its still just $15. WARNING: you may regret it as you watch the zombies munch on a favorite character that made that One Fatal Mistake. but load a new character, and avenge their death! EDIT 3 8-24-21 I'm still here, still playing and STILL dying. currently we have a hold on MP as the Devs work to get that madness, and the associated follow up glitches that are part of a Devs Nightmares all figured out. the TIS team has grown quite a bit, as they brought in one of the Community Mod Map makers to help, some new people from General Arcade have been doing great MP work, and i know there are more who i can't name. we have a improvement on the games sounds coming soon....and other things i cannot remember since the last edit, the community has gone WILD with the incredible mods, maps and other goodies. hell, we have Boats now. (i don't think you can get seasick and puke over the side) we have Louisville on the horizon as an in game map addition. there are already several new things on the map they just kinda slip in, which is a mini Easter Egg of sorts, i'd say. as i said before, plenty of people stream this game if you want to check it out. in truth, it has been growing like crazy at Twittch.. back with Edit 4 after Build 41 drops, and MP is active again. Good Luck, you'll need it 3-27-24 I'm still here. still playing, still dying. it's funny to read this, it's like a timeline of when new stuff got added in. currently, we're waiting for Build 42 to drop. animals will be interesting when they get added. their have been doghouses and pet accessories in the loot for a while as a type of preview i guess. one thing they have stated as a Definite No in the Vanilla game for years, no zombified animals. which i like. i don't want to be forced to kill my ingame Best Friend because he got bit/scratched. i'm sure the modders will take care of that, if you want that decision . since i last edited, Louisville was added to the map as well as several smaller additions throughout the map. and i tell ya, there a re some awesome safehouses to be found up there, many with the river in the back yard and a good fence already built anyway, back to the horde. come join me/us