Platform: SNES

Developer: LucasArts

Publisher: Konami

Release Date (NA): 1993

Genre: Run and Gun /Action

Nerd Rating: 6 out of 10

Note: This was a review of an emulated version of the SNES game. Emulator used were the SNES9x on a Toshiba Satellite Running Windows 7. I also used SNES9x EX for Android devices running on the Samsung  Galaxy S

There was once a time when zombies were not regarded as America’s sweetheart of horror. 20 years ago they were firmly entrenched in the B list of horror lore, leaving the glamour of the era to aliens and vampires.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors embraces that B level heritage. It’s quirky, schlock y, and never takes itself seriously. After all, this was a zombie game released in a pre-Resident Evil world.

Dispensing with any semblance of story whatsoever, ZAMN immediately plops you down into the middle of a neighborhood in the midst of an undead attack. The only motivation you have to go on is that zombies are attacking, and they are not supposed to. You are initially given a choice of characters; either Zeke or Julie, (who might as well be referred to as the dude or the chick) then it’s off to do battle.

The environments are viewed from a top-down perspective and are made up of various suburban themed mazes and later on other locals. Your objective is to rescue as many of your neighbors as possible, before they are killed by the invading zombie/ax-wielding babies/alien clone/chainsaw maniac/etc horde that is hell bent on destruction.

Weapons in the game are made up of your trusty squirt gun, cans of soda pop, fire extinguishers, and a bazooka. Mostly items that would not make the cut in future Shinji Mikami games.

Graphics were a tad above the grade for the early ’90’s era. Sprites were large and have an extra detail to them. The art design embodies the digital love letter to B movies that the game represents. Monster design is firmly campy and helps propel the movie vibe that the game portrays.

Zombies invade the local grocery store for food…Oh the irony.

It’s a testament to the solid, addicting game play that you want to keep going even though there is no emotional factor to compel you to play. It has a definite, quirky sort of charm about it. It doesn’t need a story. It doesn’t need character development. It doesn’t need all of the high budget trappings that we have come to expect from modern releases. Much like a zombie infection, it has grown on me.

I started thinking about what place this little gem would have in the modern world now that zombies have taken their turn as the “it” horror stars of pop culture. How could this game find it’s place today?

On a hunch I decided to try out the game on my cell phone using a Super NES emulator SNESx9 EX. The game played pretty well. It was a tad difficult to perform diagonal moves using the touch screen on my original Galaxy S, (I know… My phone is ancient by today’s standards) but I could see this working well on newer, larger screens that are out there. ZAMN running on a Note 3 would be pretty fantastic! Or on the latest Android powered tablet.. The point is, would this game see success as a cell phone game for Androids or IOS? The game is simple enough to pick up and play, deep enough to keep you playing, and challenging enough to not be a pushover. We know there was a demand at one point because there was a virtual console release on the Wii in 2009.

All in all Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a fun, challenging, hidden classic. It’s easy to pick up and play and the bite sized nature of the level design make it an ideal candidate for a wider release on more modern platforms. It would make a great addition to anyone’s classic gaming or zombie paraphernalia collections.

Nerd Rating: 6 out of 10.

 Reviewed by The Watchman