Parents' Guide to Zombi

Much as in the early Resident Evil games, this first-person zombie-survival game is more about tension and scares than action and adventure. With limited supplies, even less skill with your weapons, and danger at every turn, Zombi is a thoughtful game for fans of horror films, instead of a shooter or sword swinger where the enemies just happen to be the undead. Aiding your survival is a helpful scanner and your penchant for scavenging, which is the only reason you have ammo for your gun, medical supplies, and the rest of the helpful stuff in your backpack. When the game isn't being frightening and nerve-wracking, though, it can get a bit creative, albeit in some slightly frustrating ways.

When you die, and you will, you don't come back to life as yourself but instead start over as a different character. And you can only get your old stuff back if you find your own old dead body, destroy it, and take your backpack. You also only get to save your game when you go back to the safe house and climb into bed. Even worse is that it's always nighttime when you venture out, and your flashlight doesn't work all that well, nor do its batteries last all that long. Unfortunately, this new version doesn't improve upon the original's graphics, which is too bad because the Wii U version was kind of muddy and soft focus-y, which kept it from being even more harrowing. But if you're looking for a unique and surprisingly good zombie game, Zombi will shamble up a fun adventure for mature gamers.