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SurrounDead is an open-world survival game developed and published by PlaySurrounDead. Set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, the game was released on June 24th, 2022, and is available on Steam for $15.99. The game has received positive reviews, with over 2,190 reviews being very positive. The game is an Early Access title, with the developer stating that the game will remain in Early Access for 1-2 years. During this time, new content and features will be added to the game based on community feedback.
The game features an unforgiving landscape where players must scavenge for resources, manage their stats to stay alive, and fight off zombies and other dangers. Players can find a variety of firearms, melee weapons, and equipment, and trade with survivors in trader hideouts or safe zones to get the equipment they need. The game also features weather and day/night cycles, which players must be aware of to survive. While the game is currently missing core content and game systems, the developer plans to add features like in-depth character customization, vehicle systems, and human NPCs in the final version.
SurrounDead gameplay
This Surroundead review should begin by noting that the game is quite simple. Despite its interesting and engaging gameplay, it is easily beaten even at the maximum difficulty level. In my opinion, its main issue currently is that the gameplay lacks depth. So what is SurrounDead at all?
Surroundead is a low-poly zombie survival game with various mechanics that can confuse new players. In the game, you can adjust difficulty settings such as the loot multiplier, which determines how much food, water, and weapons you can find in the game. You can find weapons, food, and water in houses, and the best melee weapons are one-handed axes and batons, as they are much faster than two-handed weapons.
In Surroundead, you can use tools such as binoculars, a flashlight, a compass, and wire cutters or bolt cutters. There are two types of firearms in the game: common and legendary, with legendary firearms being very cool but you can only find their ammo in the game. You can also improve each firearm with additional modules such as muzzles, sights, and forends.
Money can be found throughout the game, and you can use it to buy weapons and ammo from traders, which you can find using a GPS. Cars are one of the most important things in the game, as they provide roomy item storage, and you can also use them to crush zombies. Finally, various pills and medications can be found in the game and can be used to prevent your character from dying from radiation and restore their HP.
Pros and cons of the game (based on reviews from Steam)
Despite its low-polygon graphics and assets popular in this type of game, Surroundead has been popular among users. Steam players highlight the following features.
Pros
- Relaxing gameplay that allows players to unwind and escape from competitive games
- Potential for growth and development due to being in early access
- Fun and enjoyable to play, with immersive atmosphere and good music
- Good graphics, sound effects, and visual effects
- Better than similar games in its genre, such as DeadPoly
- Strong atmosphere and flavor
- Good progress in development with consistent updates
- Good movement, melee combat, gunplay, weather system, vehicles, base building, and tutorial
Cons
- No multiplayer option yet, which makes it feel lonely and would benefit from having co-op mode
- Simplified gameplay compared to Project Zomboid in 3D with Grid Inventory
- Inventory management quickly turns into a Tetris of backpacks due to lack of weight system
- New NPC in version 1.3.0 needs more fine tuning
In fact, the game has quite a few bugs, and its main problem in my opinion is the overly fast gameplay. Due to the lack of depth in the gameplay, the whole game comes down to endless raids on points of interest for ammo, resources, food, and water. The game also lacks the ability to equip any armor except for a helmet, as well as a normal building system. And even despite all this, playing it is quite interesting.
How many players play SurrounDead and how popular is the game
Despite its simplicity, the game is successful on Steam. The exact number of copies sold is unknown, but it has been reviewed over 2,000 times since its release, and the reviews are mostly positive.
As for online play, according to Steam Charts, there are around 70-100 players online at the same time. This is low, and in my opinion, it is due to the lack of content depth I mentioned earlier. However, the game is actively developing. For example, fishing was added in one of the recent patches, which many players were excited about.
Google Trends also shows an increasing interest in the game. Judging by the frequency of updates, the developer is firmly determined to implement both their own ideas and the ideas of the growing community of players. In addition, the game is actively advertised on YouTube. This gives every reason to believe that in the near future it will become even more popular.
Is SurrounDead worth playing?
After carefully considering all the information provided, I can confidently say that SurrounDead is definitely worth playing. Despite its low-poly graphics and somewhat simplistic gameplay, the game offers a thrilling and immersive experience. One of the game’s biggest strengths is its active and dedicated development team, who are constantly updating and improving the game. This means that not only are there always new features and content being added, but also that any bugs or issues are quickly addressed and resolved. In addition, the game actively encourages community feedback and ideas, which has resulted in a steadily growing and passionate player base.
While the game may not have the depth of more complex titles, its simplicity is part of its charm and makes it accessible to players of all skill levels. If you’re looking for a fun and engaging survival game that is constantly evolving and improving, then SurrounDead is definitely worth checking out. With its active development team, passionate community, and challenging gameplay, it’s sure to keep you entertained for hours on end. Fortunately, the replayability in Surroundead is not that boring.