Zombies are easily the most overused enemy type in video game history. Even some of the old classics like Ghosts 'N' Goblins and Castlevania feature zombies to fight. Over the years, many games resort to using zombies as simple things to kill in action games, dumbing down the threat that comes from George A. Romero's iconic monsters.
Every now and then, game developers return to the roots and provide zombies that are equally as terrifying as the monsters and demonic creatures seen in horror games. These are the games that return to the likes of classic Resident Evil where even one zombie is enough to make someone shiver with fear.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Yes, the colorful children's epic fantasy game features surprisingly scary zombies known as ReDeads. The less refined graphics of the Nintendo 64 really help in portraying these tall, lanky, undead monsters as creepily as possible. This is mainly due to the lack of details in the body and the strange, flat faces.
On top of that, the ReDeads let out droning groans that are creepy on their own. But if they unfold and stare at Link, ReDeads unleash a terrifying high-pitched screech that freezes Link in place. Everything about these things is just creepy for a children's game, traumatizing many childhoods.
World War Z
Talk about a surprise gem: a game based on a movie based on a niche book. The result is what many are considering the best successor to Left 4 Dead before the devs return with Back 4 Blood. Unlike Left 4 Dead where the zombies were mainly just a threat to gun down, the zombie horde in World War Z is terrifying.
Go through levels, complete objectives, try not to get killed by swarms of undead. Like Left 4 Dead, the zombies have speed on their side, but like in the movie, they can climb walls and buildings by creating massive mounds of themselves as ants do. Add in more objective-based missions and World War Z surprised many as an intense survival game.
Call Of Duty: Zombies
Since Call Of Duty: World At War, the Zombies mode has become a staple of Call Of Duty, particularly in the Treyarch games. Zombies mode has become so beloved that it has featured bigger celebrity casts than the main campaigns.
At first, the zombies are not that threatening or that strong. However, the more rounds that go by, the players will be begging for the perks and needing to find that Pack-A-Punch machine. Without, the zombies become a horde of screaming monsters that will slaughter all four players by the tenth round. And each game manages to make Zombies' maps harder and harder.
Resident Evil Remakes
After the much-maligned Resident Evil 6 and the likes of Umbrella Corps turned the series into Michael Bay action films, Capcom reeled back and rethought their strategy. This resulted in Resident Evil 2 getting a full remake rather than a fancy remaster. From top to bottom, Resident Evil 2 was remade in the style of Resident Evil 4.
This was followed up with a Resident Evil 3 remake. Both of these games manage to recapture that same feeling of dread that Resident Evil games should have. Zombies are not just minor inconveniences, they are just as scary as some of the giant monsters. This has everyone hoping that Resident Evil 4 gets the same treatment.
Zombi
Clearly inspired by 28 Days Later with its London setting, Zombi was the surprise hit for the WiiU. Later on, it would get released on other systems due to its cult classic status. Zombi returns to straight-up horror by having zombies that are very difficult to kill and nearly impossible to defeat when in a group.
Zombi also has the added challenge of making each death permanent. The player will have to swap to a new character, find their old body which is now a zombie, and kill it to regain their loadout. This combined with the extensive puzzles and missions makes Zombi terrifying and forces the player to go about things tactically and carefully.
Dying Light
Taking what Dead Island tried to do, Dying Light amps up the difficulty by providing already difficult zombies and limited resources. This forces the player to use parkour and simply avoid conflicts with the zombies unless absolutely necessary. That is until nighttime arrives, which brings out the Volatiles.
Volatiles are mutated zombies reminiscent of the Reaper vampires from Blade II. They are faster, stronger, and much deadlier while being able to keep up with the player's parkour.
The Last Of Us Series
The zombies in The Last Of Us can provide a challenge but as long as the player is careful, they should be fine. That's when the Clickers come into play and they are contenders for the most terrifying zombie type in gaming history. The fungus that brings the dead back has blinded them but has enhanced their hearing.
One wrong move, the Clickers can hear it and instantly kill the player. This forces the player to either quickly kill them in a strategic fashion or avoid them altogether. This is not including other specialty zombies that Joel and Ellie end up facing across the games.
Days Gone
These zombies known as Freakers are strange ones. They are easy to kill but are very deadly at the same time. It requires a lot of planning to take on several, especially if they have taken over a whole town in Days Gone. Similar to World War Z, they can form giant hordes that are not impossible to kill, but the player better has a lot of spare ammo or have an escape plan.
Even after the player unlocks the many upgrades and weapons for Deacon, the tension of entering a Freaker nest never lessens. Stealth is essential, especially if taking on hibernating Freakers in a massive lair. Even just one Freaker is enough to kill the player if they are not careful.
Dead Space Trilogy
In lore, the Necromorphs are indeed zombies. They are the result of alien spores mutating dead bodies into twisted nightmares that would give the Xenomorphs from the Alien franchise a run for their money.
Much like those films, there are a lot of types of Necromorphs depending on the mutation, including the fast and deadly slashing Necromorphs, immortal regenerating Necromorphs, and the raptor-like charging Necromorphs. Isaac Clarke has a lot to deal with across the expansive and beloved trilogy of Dead Space games.
Resident Evil: Village
The newest and definitely the strangest addition to the Resident Evil universe. This time Ethan Winters must battle vampires, werewolves, and new forms of zombified villagers. While the Baker family and the Molded were certainly terrifying in Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, Village takes it to another level.
The puzzles, challenging enemies, and overall creepy atmosphere work together to create a nearly flawless horror experience. These zombies wield weapons, feature strange Gothic designs, and are no cakewalk to defeat. It would seem that Capcom has truly brought Resident Evil back and better than ever.