Unturned
Nelson Scott
Smartly Dressed Games
PC
Zombie fans, welcome to the ultimate game of survival. This little gem was created by 16 year old Canadian, Nelson Scott. A fusion of Minecraft and DayZ, Unturned takes the idea of zombie survival dead serious.
As you wake up, you find yourself stranded on Prince Edward Island, a small bit of land just off the coast of Canada, with absolutely nothing at your disposal. No weapons. No vehicles. No supplies. You aren’t even given clothes to protect yourself from the elements. Survival depends on your ability to outmaneuver the walking dead.
The priority at the top of everyone’s list should be to find a weapon, and that is no easy task. Zombies in Unturned can spot you from miles away and will track you from shore if you try to use the water as a means of escape. Furthermore, they pop out of the ground when you least expect it and have once a zombie spots you, it tends to call over a few of its undead pals to join in on the feast. I died numerous times trying to sneak by these clever undead before I finally managed to grab an ax–but that’s when the fun began.
With a weapon acquired, Unturned is a whole other animal. You aren’t running for your life any more, you’re carving out a new life. Best of all, Unturned gives you the potential to team up with fellow gamers and construct a sanctuary amidst the chaos, much like you would do in the advent of a real zombie outbreak. How long this sentiment will last before players begin to turn on each other in order to be the sole survivor is hard to say. The competitive spirit is often our greatest weakness during the apocalypse.
Speaking of competitive, did I mention there are PvP servers? You can choose to be part of the bandits and go around breaking into other peoples bases or you can be a hero and create clans with your pals to keep the bandits in check.
Unturned definitely emphasizes the survival aspect of the game. Once you stock up on some weapons, you can live off the land by foraging berries, hunting wild game, and crafting forts to protect yourself from the zombie hoards. It is entirely possible to hunker down in the wilderness and never make contact with another player.
Unturned is still a little rough around the edges, but that simply means it has plenty of room to grow in the future. If you are looking for a new zombie apocalypse to live through, give Unturned a try. It is currently free as an early access game on Steam. Nelson has been providing players with updates all summer, and is encouraging community feedback so that he can improve gameplay. Those of you who enjoy the experience can upgrade to the gold member status for five dollars, which gives you a slight advantage over other players.
Now gear up and move out my fellow unturned! Zombies are afoot, and there is no time to waste!