ZOMBIE GRAVEYARD SIMULATOR REVIEW: WHERE THE CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO THE ENEMY
Ever wondered what would happen if you combined the serene, profit-driven management of a business sim with the frantic, nail-biting terror of a midnight zombie siege? Well, wonder no more, because Zombie Graveyard Simulator is here to prove that the only thing more profitable than death is defending your recently-deceased customers from becoming the undead competition.
A Surprisingly Zen Day Job
The game lulls you into a false sense of security with its daytime loop. It's a surprisingly chill, almost cozy experience. You start your day, accept a few fresh bodies delivered unceremoniously on the back of a truck in a way that feels wonderfully illegal, and get to work. You're digging graves, firing up the crematorium, and planting pretty flowers. Visitors come to grieve, and you, the savvy entrepreneur, are right there to capitalize on their sorrow by selling them candles and souvenirs. You can even hire a staff of quirky employees to help you manage the workload. For a game about managing the dead, the daily grind feels remarkably alive and, dare I say, relaxing. It’s a solid management sim that cleverly masks the horror to come.
When the Night Shift from Hell Clocks In
The moment the sun sets, your quaint little business park turns into a full-blown warzone. Your job title instantly changes from "Respectful Undertaker" to "Heavily-Armed Night Watchman with a Crippling Ammo Bill." Zombies crawl out of the woodwork from four separate entrances, hell-bent on digging up your precious, income-generating graves. The gameplay shifts into a frantic tower-defense shooter where you’re scrambling to repair fences, restock turret ammo, and personally introduce the undead to your trusty shotgun. The first few nights are a blast of pure adrenaline, a chaotic dance of defense and destruction that feels like a beautiful marriage between Plants vs. Zombies and Call of Duty.
My Staff Are Also Zombies (Metaphorically)
Unfortunately, the external zombie threat is often matched by the internal chaos of a game that lacks polish. This is a buggy experience. My employees, who I pay a handsome wage, apparently decided to protest their working conditions by freezing in place multiple times a day, forcing me to restart and lose progress. I’ve had turrets that prefer shooting at walls over the shambling horde right in front of them. I once had a corpse glitch through the crematorium and surf into another plane of existence, a predicament I was not prepared to explain to the grieving family. These bugs are a constant nuisance that can turn a good run into a frustrating slog.
A Fun but Shallow Grave
The game’s biggest crime, however, is that it ends just as it’s getting really good. The core concept is fantastic, but it’s stretched over a very short runtime. I had seen and done almost everything the game had to offer in less than ten hours. Once you’ve bought all the major upgrades and your defensive perimeter is a well-oiled machine of zombie death, there’s very little reason to keep playing. The challenge plateaus, and the daily loop starts to feel as repetitive as a zombie's groan. It's a fantastic weekend fling, but it lacks the depth to be a long-term commitment.
The Final Verdict
Zombie Graveyard Simulator is a brilliant and hilarious concept, a unique genre mashup that I desperately want more of. It’s a game with a ton of heart and a dedicated development team that seems to be patching bugs at lightning speed. However, in its current state, it feels more like a fantastic proof-of-concept than a fully-realized experience. It’s held back by a plague of bugs and a shallow content pool. If you’re looking for a short, weird, and wonderful game to burn through, this is an easy recommendation. Just don't expect it to hold your attention for long.
Score: 7.0/10 - A killer concept that's a few patches and a content update away from being a truly killer game. (Getting sick of the puns yet?)
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.