Isometric sandbox survival game HumanitZ has just launched out of early access, so we decided to take a look at what kind of arsenal it brings to the zombie apocalypse.
Look, I love zombie apocalypse scenarios. It’s been decades of infatuation at this point for me, but it’s undeniable that we reached something of a saturation point quite some time ago in media terms.
Yet there are still films, books, TV, and games that come along and inject some freshness into the concept. Some in very daring ways, like the zombie-adjacent 28 Years Later films, and others just nail the things that make the idea morbidly compelling to begin with.
The idea of scrapping through the end of humanity, hoping to resurrect it through community and understanding, made up the bulk of modern zombie apocalypse scenarios in media, and of course, facing the often devastating consequences of trying is just as big a factor.
In games, my personal favorites are the ones that best capture that. DayZ remains a wonderfully trudging survival experience, and Project Zomboid is perhaps the most immersive zombie apocalypse game I’ve ever played. They both offer a different perspective on the subject, but they share the important points.
Yodubzz Studios clearly draws inspiration from Project Zomboid in its game HumanitZ. The isometric viewpoint, sandbox freedom of choice, character trait customisation, and worrying hordes of undead all feature, but HumanitZ is a tad more detailed visually.
You can enter this zombie apocalypse in a number of ways. Play it solo, in co-op, or online in PvE and PvP modes. The challenge is still there, whatever you choose, but obviously, playing in a world of other human players does add some extra spice to proceedings. NPCs do fill in for them if you’d rather not deal with other people, though.
HumanitZ: The World’s End is Your Start
Solo play has a haunting quality. I love the eerie isolation of a zombie apocalypse survival game, the moments of calm before the storm of rotting flesh rains down on you. There’s risk in anything you do, and that lends even the quietest moments an air of tense uncertainty. But after hairy encounters with hordes, there does come a kind of serenity in just picking off the odd straggler as you search for supplies or build your safe house.
Customisation is fairly extensive in HumanitZ. You can tweak, craft, and customize all sorts of things, but long-term survival relies on building that safe house. Just locking the door and calling it a night can work, but your HQ is very vulnerable without proper protection.
So while it’s important to get food, medical supplies, and maybe an animal companion, fortifying a chosen safe house quickly becomes a necessity. To that end, you can construct barricades, fences, and create chokepoints and escape routes should the worst happen.
As with any survival game, there’s a frustration in discovering the consequences of your actions or even your inaction. Veterans of Project Zomboid or DayZ know this journey all too well, but the lesson remains the same: You die, you lose everything, and you learn something. Harshly, sure, but you learn all the same. How patient you are with that will be key to your enjoyment, but again, if you’re already into this kind of game, your tolerance levels will probably be higher.
HumanitZ doesn’t keep to the shambling undead, so even when you think you’ve planned for everything, a new variant could well pop up to ruin your best laid plans. Going in, I knew there would be other types of zombies, but the sandbox nature of the game’s structure meant fresh encounters were very much stumbled upon.
The core concepts are there for a zombie-survival dream machine, and clearly the developer has used the time in Early Access to refine certain aspects, but there are still a few bolts that need tightening, dents that need banging out, and wiring that needs fixing.
The ambition is there, but it has to be said that, from a mechanics perspective, HumanitZ is lagging behind its peers in a few places, even with years of fine-tuning under its belt. It’s also a relatively small team, which means, in the short term, compromises have to be made to get the game out there.
Sure, that means we have some rough edges you might expect to be smoothed out before leaving Early Access, but I do feel HumanitZ is heading in the right direction.
HumanitZ review code provided by the publisher. The game is out now on PC via Steam.
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