Zombie Tycoon | 2009
Zombie Tycoon
Zombie Tycoon is a 2009 real-time strategy game developed and published by Frima Studio for the PlayStation Portable. It was released on the PlayStation Network.
Zombie Tycoon differs from most zombie games in that the player can control and customize three squads of zombies instead of fighting them off. The game is not a tycoon game as the title suggests, with gameplay closer to being a real-time strategy game. Like Dead Head Fred, Zombie Tycoon uses the Vicious Engine. The game is playable on the PlayStation 3 as it is a PlayStation Mini.
A sequel, Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge, was released in 2013 for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows.
The plot of Zombie Tycoon is told through voice-acted animated cutscenes and in-game text and dialogue. A mad scientist named Brainhov and his two subordinates have perfected "Formula Z," a formula that brings the dead back to life and turns living humans into zombies. After unsuccessfully testing the formula on his hunchbacked subordinate, Ernest, he decides to test it on himself, turning into a zombie. The other unnamed subordinate then decides to use the formula to conquer the world by employing the former Brainhov's invention.
Zombie Tycoon plays like a real-time strategy game. The gameplay takes place in different cities, each level offering different objectives. Buildings are destructible, but enemies may attack from the buildings, throwing things like Molotov cocktails. Special enemies such as bounty hunters may form a resistance force and must be eliminated quickly.
The player controls three squads of zombies using a flying camera to dispense brains, which the zombies follow. Zombie squads can be equipped with several items to improve their offensive, defensive, or movement capabilities. Hospitals can be destroyed by zombies to increase their numbers, allowing up to 8 zombies per squad. The game is lost when all zombie squads are eliminated.
Zombie Tycoon received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the game holds a score of 68/100 based on 5 reviews.
IGN gave the game a 5.2/10, citing "Frustrating AI, an imprecise camera, and bad AI." On the other hand, Pocket Gamer UK gave it 8/10, believing it was "fun, funny, and very original."
