Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning

Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning offers a unique blend of visual novel and light adventure gameplay, centered on two quirky protagonists navigating a zombie apocalypse populated by anthropomorphic animals. Players engage primarily through dialogue choices, resource management, and occasional mini-games like gambling. The game is praised for its sharp, witty writing, strong voice acting, and humorous dark comedy, which brings the characters and world to life. The art style is colorful and charming, complementing the cartoonish and satirical tone. However, the gameplay is minimal and linear, with limited player agency and choices that rarely alter the overall narrative outcome. The short duration—around 2 hours per playthrough—combined with the lack of an ending (as it’s only the first episode) leaves some players feeling unsatisfied. The game is best enjoyed as a comedic interactive story rather than a traditional point-and-click adventure. It is recommended primarily during sales due to its limited content and replayability.

Players appreciate the humor and voice work but express frustration over pacing, lack of meaningful choices, and the indefinite delay of episode two.

Highlights

The game’s voice acting is widely praised for capturing the sarcastic and quirky personalities of characters, especially Hank the rabbit and Larry the dog. The writing and humor stand out, delivering dark comedy and witty dialogue that many find genuinely funny. The art style and character design are colorful and detailed, enhancing the cartoonish atmosphere. Players enjoy the resource management and looting mechanics as a fun strategic layer. The interactive storytelling and character interactions offer some replayability through different dialogue choices and outcomes for side characters. Overall, it’s considered a fun, lighthearted experience with a fresh take on zombie apocalypse narratives.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the lack of meaningful gameplay and limited player agency, with many describing it as mostly a visual novel with minimal interactivity. The choices have little impact on the story’s direction or ending, which is frustrating for players expecting branching narratives. The game is very short and ends abruptly without a proper conclusion, as it is only the first episode. The slow pacing and inability to skip or fast-forward dialogue make the experience drag, especially on replays. Some players find the characters unlikeable and the humor occasionally cringey or offensive. There are also technical issues such as a lack of manual saves and a rigged dice mini-game reported by some. Lastly, the indefinite delay of episode two disappoints many fans.