Choice of Zombies
Platform: iOS, Android, Javascript
Zombies have always held a special place in the heart of the masses. Not just through fear, though obviously there's a twinge of terror lurking in your mind at the thought of what might actually happen if zombies existed. There's also some type of perverse endearment that has arisen for the flesh craving walking dead. With this in mind Choice of Games writers' Richard Jackson and Heather Albano have decided to tackle a zombiepocalypse in their new zombie RPG narrative, Choice of Zombies. Like its predecessors (So many choices) Zombies is given to you as a choose your own adventure text with more twists and turns than you can imagine. Grab your zombie survival guide and click on in. (Also available for iOS and Android!)
Mirroring previous Choice games, Zombies plays out with a basic explanation of events before you're thrust into adventure. Through the story you are given the option to choose one of several options on how to respond to a person or react to a situation. At the start you'll be asked to pick your gender, give a name (you can choose whatever you want!), pick a career from a provided list, pick a hobby from a list, and pick one weakness from a provided list. While you start off with a base of 50 for every stat, once you've chosen from all these things your stats will change accordingly. Your stats are also changed by the choices you make through the story. There are eight different stats and also a zombie kill count on your statistics screen. At any time during the narrative you can access your stats screen to see what they are. You also have the option to restart the story at any time, however doing this means you start with a clean slate and all new stats.
Clearly, if you're not a fan of any type of reading (whether it's books or a review for a game) you'll more than likely pass by this zombiepalooza without so much as a blink of the eye. However, for those with an ounce of imagination, some free time, and that pique of interest for something different, you have come to the right place and you will be rewarded! The writing is not only engaging but it displays how much thought and time the authors spent making this a great tale. Your response choices range from timid victim striving to merely survive to running headfirst into danger, armed to the teeth and cackling diabolically the whole way. It's worth taking the extra time to play through the entire story then restart and try different choices. There are multiple endings, different people you can save, and more chances to beat previous zombie kill scores. With so many layers of play to enjoy this game earns its worth with the replay value and enthralling plot lines that keep twisting and turning. Choice of Zombies is a great way to get your zombie fix and give your paranoid brain even more escape route ideas for when the zombiepocalypse does strike. Maybe taking a chance on this narrative will be what ultimately saves your life!
That was surprisingly good and gripping !
1st time
I ended up bitten - but saved my companion anyway
2nd time
I heroically helped save, not only my companions, but the world,
but only after a hilarious encounter with the narrator when I wanted to change my last decision, of course only the biggest threat ever to a game designer worked
This is definitely the best Choice Of game so far. The story is well written and it forges the romance focus of other Choice Of games for a more engaging action focus. There was an actual sense of accomplishment after finally managing to survive the first time.
Very well written. I managed to survive through the end. The makers of the Choice Of games are definitely improving over time.
This is probably my favorite Choice game so far- there seems to be just so much to do! I think I managed to save all the survivors on the
sneak out, then go to the church path.
I got Kayden, Michelle, Lisa, and Jennifer to safety. Was there anyone I missed?
Some questions, though. My entire party was girls and women, and I played as a lady. Would my car have been a sausage party if I played as a guy? Or did I just have weird luck with that?
Also, is this the only Choice game so far that doesn't have an optional romance plot? Of course there are more important things to do, and there's not much time to get to know each other. But the adrenaline is running high and they could all be dead tomorrow, you'd think that at least some of the characters might be interested in that sort of thing.
Jennifer seemed to be.
@hyena Yes! If you had chosen a male then your party would have been entirely male as well. I'm not sure why they nixed a romance subplot but something makes me think love and killing people might kill the mood xD
Hyena
There may not have been a sub plot but there was for sure some
girl on girl action going on in the church trust that
jenifer to get herself embroiled
Alas I never met my golden hero :(
This game really was fun to play. It took me several playthroughs to figure out how to avoid being zombified and save the world along the way too.
I played as
a female parademic who had awesome hunting skills but wasn't very good at mechanics (though that was compensated for by the sunroof trick early on).
It took me some time to figure out how to keep Michelle from leaving (you have to prove to her that you're capable of leading even if it means raising your voice against her) and I made sure to pay as much attention to Kayden as I could because she's the one I had to persuade into doing dangerous actions the most often.
I also managed to have a high enough heroic level for the ending text to say that everyone looked up to me as a leader, even Michelle and Jennifer. The only drawback the ending text had to say about my situation was that I didn't have enough materials to make good traps, but that didn't matter in the end anyway, although I'll replay and see if opting for the yacht instead of the speedboat changes anything.
Very nice - the story is quite satisfying even when you lose. My first playthrough, my software engineer made it to the church but got bitten trying to rescue Justin. However, I took down 47 zombies with me, and literally *ate* one of them, which was pretty damn awesome.
My second playthrough, my paramedic and his allies made it to the island, and nobody survived the finale, but I managed to use my last moments of sanity to get Kayden to broadcast the truth to the world. And Justin turned out to be not totally useless, which was a plus.
My final playthrough was actually the least exciting. While my plumber had some serious injuries and no medical training to take care of them, I got through everything with simple engineering know-how and kept the house totally safe.
I loved this one! The story was really well written...
...though, I really wish I hadn't played my first playthrough at 4 in the morning. Now I'm too afraid to go to sleep T_T
I really liked the secret :P but is there a way you can actually survive by yourself?
How do you stop
Brian/Bonnie from leaving? He/she is definitely my favorite companion, but I'd rather not leave everyone else behind.
It's possible to survive with no companions, but it takes some fairly specific skills. To survive the final siege you'll need engineering (for traps, to start the ferry, and to repair the windows) and firearms (to pick off the zombies). Athletics will get you to the second-floor windows, but it's not required, and I think that choosing firearms is more useful. Here's how I did it:
Start as a plumber with hunting skills. Ignore everyone who asks for help and go to the mall and sharpen your firearm skills in the sim room. Once you leave the mall and get stuck in the alley, bust open the louvers. Take the ferry (search for the key, find the leak in the pipes, and take the motor offline). At the house, you won't have the skills to climb up, so just smash open the window. Choose to set traps, then sit back and watch the ending.
Great game, very clever design.
I discovered some answers to questions people have asked here:
Romance?
If you've played several times you have probably discovered what happens to Justin if you get him to the Church. The same thing happens to you if you are the only survivor, with no companions, at that point. ;)
Brian/Bonnie leaving?
At the mall, I managed to convince Brian to stay by using a forceful argument on him when Mary makes a fuss about guns and ammunition. I suspect there might be equivalent options for Michael/Michelle and for both Michael/Michelle and Brian/Bonnie at both the mall and church. Success might depend on how often you sided with them during the journey to that point.
@dmboogie:
Side with Anita and speak forcefully. If you've done okay with Bonnie/Brian so far (don't be pointlessly rude but be assertive, and being heroic helps), then you'll be fine. I like playing as a character that works in advertising, but I tested it out with a character that has no people skills whatsoever and it still works just fine.
I did it! I won! I only managed to save 3 people though (Kayden Jennifer and Lisa).
Well, first time through I was the "hero of the zombiepocalypse",
saved 3 people and killed 51 zombies. Never met Michelle,
so I'm not sure what I missed, but having spent a LOT of time thinking about this, I think I am prepared!
heh heh
I finally got the best ending on my fourth playthrough.
Medical: 80
Engineering: 60
Athletics: 49
Hand to hand: 59
Firearms: 78
Reflexes: 79
You managed to kill 73 zombies.
You managed to get the following people to safety:
Kayden
Justin
Brian
Chris
How to get the best ending:
-Get to your car (side door)
-Choose anything for name/gender, but the names in this guide are only accurate if you chose Female.
-Software Engineer
-Woodwork
-I don't waste time being tactful
-Yes, of course!
-Beat them with my shovel
-Take them both out
-Hell yeah! That was awesome!
-It doesn't have to be okay
-Only if I can do it gently
-Ask if she wants to talk about it
-The Prison
-Yes, to warn them
-Go up and ring the bell
-I'm headed for the prison. You should come too.
-Flatter her ego
-She's right. It would be better to have an off-road vehicle.
-Say nothing and get to a gas station.
-Get munchies yourself
-Try to save the cowering person
-I'll attack the zombie directly
-Right
-Lighter and lighter fluid
-Fantastic!
-Yes
-Make a forceful argument
-Text back
-Follow Lisa's plan (distract zombies)
-Take the direct route and scale the fence
-Grab the extinguisher and up the stairs
-The Mall
-Grab something to use as a weapon and charge in
-I let it go
-Yes, of course.
-Honestly? I've been "on" for days... (sleep)
-Throw coffee in the zombie's face, then fight hand-to-hand
-Sobering
-Pumped
-Go back and try another way
-Continue down Elliot
-I trust my reflexes. Zombie bowling!
-No, we're not doing this!
-Make her ashamed of even suggesting it.
-Bust out the louvers
-Send Kayden
-I make a personal appeal, asking her to do it for me.
-That would be a good plan.
-Give her the nod
-Choose the ferry
-Hotwire the ignition
-Pull it apart
-Search for the key
-Ask Lisa
-Yes
-Pipes
-Sure
-Examine the exterior
-Convince Kayden
-I'll wander over to the cellar doors and listen carefully.
-I decide in favor of setting traps.
-Call and ask if she's alright
-Absolutely not.
-I grab a branch and try to brain it.
In the end, you get all your friends to safety, kill 44 zombies, and end the zombiepocalypse. And you don't even have to die. Good for you!
NOTE: This is only how I did things. It's probably easier to do some things different, but I haven't investigated the whole game.
Also, how do you get to the prison?
@ Elise Taylor:
When you're first given the choice of which way to go it should give you all three options to start with: The mall, the church, or the prison. You merely have to click to choose to go that way.
But the radio keeps saying the prison is infected and I can't go anymore.
Note about the guide:
I found out that you can use the speedboat rather than the ferry, which is easier and saves a lot of time.
Can anyone do better than the following ending scenario?
Get the "number one hero of the zombiepocalypse" ending (by providing the clue from the secret passage on the island), with 4 other survivors in your party (in my case Kayden, Justin, Michale, and Lev), and 62 zombies killed.
I have been playing the game time and time again searching to find Brian/Bonnie, because that is the only companion I haven't met, but I can't seem to find him/her, does some one know where/how to find him/her??
@Zeli:
Instead of going to your car at the very start it may be prudent to run out the back and check on your dear neighbors the Coursers
Happy zombie hunting!
It was great fun. Here's my stats
You finished the game with the following scores:
Medical: 80
Engineering: 60
Athletics: 65
Hand to hand: 68
Firearms: 78
Reflexes: 74
You managed to kill 67 zombies.
You managed to get the following people to safety:
Kayden
Justin
Brian
Chris
Apparently something happens in the church?
Here's my ending score:
You finished the game with the following scores:
Medical: 80
Engineering: 64
Athletics: 60
Hand to hand: 79
Firearms: 57
Reflexes: 84
You managed to kill 55 zombies.
You managed to get the following people to safety:
Kayden
Jennifer
Michelle
Lisa
Also, not gonna lie, I cheated the entire time. xD I got bit my first playthrough but managed to save the others and even eat a zombie, which was...interesting. After that though, thanks to the handy 'duplicate tab' button, I got the 'saved the world' ending. :D
Third time lucky...
You finished the game with the following scores:
Medical: 50
Engineering: 64
Athletics: 72
Hand to hand: 64
Firearms: 67
Reflexes: 75
You managed to kill 71 zombies.
You managed to get the following people to safety:
Kayden
Jennifer
Michelle
Lisa
And also,
Michelle/Michael is really useful as she has medical skills do if you save her (go to your car in the beginning) you can cut some slack on your medical skills
To get along with her always use forceful arguments
I got this:
You finished the game with the following scores:
Medical: 45
Engineering: 74
Athletics: 45
Hand to hand: 50
Firearms: 72
Reflexes: 60
You managed to kill 57 zombies.
You didn't rescue anyone.
Just Ignore all asking for help, chose the ferry when I got there and had high engineering, reflexes and firearms. Easy as Pie
Took me a while with a lot of dying, but managed a good score. Went over the counter for the shotgun in the gas station, then used the shotgun on the zombies at the mall. Was a Paramedic Hunter. Such a fun game:
You finished the game with the following scores:
Medical: 80
Engineering: 71
Athletics: 50
Hand to hand: 68
Firearms: 78
Reflexes: 84
You managed to kill 76 zombies.
You managed to get the following people to safety:
Kayden
Justin
Michael
Lev
Finally did the best i could manage! im pretty happy with my scores (even if i was a cheater) i accaully had finished the game my first time without cheating but the score wasnt so good...fun stuff right here :)
You finished the game with the following scores:
Medical: 50
Engineering: 84
Athletics: 65
Hand to hand: 60
Firearms: 72
Reflexes: 68
You managed to kill 57 zombies.
You managed to get the following people to safety:
Kayden
Jennifer
Bonnie
Carrie
so a few glitches that brought me out of the story
at the church locked in bonnies car but when i had to leave it was there and said i wish she hadnt left with the car even though she hadnt. two i couldnt get the ferry working and jumped in the speedboat then, got to the island and crashed the ferry i was on into the wharf. anyone else wonder how i magically turned a speedboat into a ferry? things like that happened a few more times but those were the major ones that made me mad and had less enjoyment
otherwise good game
Update