Zombies Ate My Neighbors | 1993
"Zombies Ate My Neighbors" is a run-and-gun video game developed by LucasArts and published by Konami for the Super NES and Sega Genesis consoles in 1993.
Players control protagonists Zeke and Julie to save their neighbors from movie monsters. They use various weapons and power-ups to fight enemies across levels. The game references multiple horror movie elements, and in Europe and Australia, it was censored for violent content and known simply as "Zombies."
Although it wasn't a huge commercial success, the game received praise for its graphic style, humor, and deep gameplay. In 1994, a sequel titled "Ghoul Patrol" was released, and both games were re-released by Disney Interactive in June 2021 as part of "Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol" for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
The mad scientist Dr. Tongue unleashes various monsters from his castle into the nearby suburbs, causing panic among the residents. After witnessing the monsters' attacks, teenage friends Zeke and Julie gear up with unique weapons and items to defeat the monsters and save their neighbors. Ultimately, they must confront Dr. Tongue to thwart his plans.
Players can choose to control either Zeke or Julie, or both in two-player mode. They explore diverse locations such as suburbs, shopping malls, pyramids, and haunted mansions, fighting against a variety of horror movie monsters, including vampires, werewolves, giant demon babies, spiders, squid people, evil dolls, aliens, UFOs, giant ants, blobs, giant bugs, mummies, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, "pod people" (aggressive alien clones), and the zombies referenced in the game's title. Across 48 stages and 7 optional bonus levels, players must rescue various neighbors like barbecue chefs, teachers, babies, tourists, archaeologists, soldiers, dogs, and cheerleaders. Each level requires rescuing at least one neighbor to unlock the exit door to the next stage.
If enemies touch the neighbors, they will die and cannot be saved anymore. Some levels transition from day to night, during which tourists turn into werewolves and can no longer be rescued. Players can lose the game if they run out of lives or if all neighbors are killed. Players earn points based on the number of neighbors rescued and can gain extra lives. Each level has a maximum of 10 neighbors, with different scoring for each type.
As they progress, players can collect various items, including keys to open doors, health packs to restore health, and potions that increase speed or temporarily transform them into powerful monsters. They can also gather diverse weapons like squirt guns, bazookas, lawnmowers, explosive soda cans, popsicles, tomatoes, silverware, plates, ancient crosses, flamethrowers, fire extinguishers, and alien bubble guns, each effective against specific enemies.
"Zombies Ate My Neighbors" was originally developed by LucasArts and published in 1993 by the already well-known Konami. The game's music was composed by Joseph "Joe" McDermott. After being developed for the Super NES, it was ported to the Sega Genesis mid-way through its release. The ZAMN engine was later used in "Ghoul Patrol," "Metal Warriors," and "Big Sky Trooper." The developers wanted to include a battery save feature, but budget constraints prevented this from being realized.
The monsters in the game are inspired by classic horror films from the 1950s, as well as modern films like "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The effects of the weapons are based on these depictions; for instance, werewolves can be killed with one hit from silverware, and vampires can be dispatched more quickly with a cross. The SNES version includes a flamethrower that is not present in the Sega Genesis version. The North American SNES game was released in limited quantities with altered cover art.
