Check out the Zombie Cure Labs Preview:
Arrrgggughhhghhhh!
Zombie Cure Lab, developed by Thera Bytes and published by Aerosoft, is a simulation strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic future where zombies have run amok and decimated the human population. While the plot may sound like familiar-fodder for a video game, Zombie Cure Lab puts a fun twist on the classic story. Instead of trying to defeat the zombies, players are trying to cure them. Also, the game is set in Canada.
Story
The story is straight forward. Players manage a team of Canadian scientists who are trying out their zombie cure in a lab in the great forests of North America. The goal is to capture and send zombies back to M.O.O.S.E Lab HQ, which based on the map, I think is in British Columbia. There, fellow scientists will perform unnamed experiments on the zombies and then send back “cure points” to your wilderness lab.
Players also need to capture enough zombies to receive the cure that M.O.O.S.E Lab is developing. As captured zombies go through the four cure stages, they become human-zombie hybrids, or Humbies. Part of the cure process for these Humbies is that they need to be retrained in how to be human, this means giving them jobs around the lab, as well as gym equipment, and games like whack-a-mole, to stimulate their muscles and minds.
As of right now, there are no in-depth missions or challenges besides healing the zombies, but developers have said that they will be adding “nicer missions” in the coming updates.
Gameplay
For a game that was just released for Early Access, Zombie Cure Lab is surprisingly polished, and a heck of a lot of fun to play.
Players start with a map of North America, from Canada to Middle America, showing areas where labs have already been set up. There are also sites that can be unlocked, some by using the game’s Docking Hero feature (more about that in a moment) and others… well I have no idea how to unlock other sites. I have a feeling that will be part of the update process, but for now, there are just places on the map which are labeled as future lab sites.
Players are given immediate access to attempt any of the labs currently on the map, from the “Very Easy Expedition,” to the “Difficult Expedition”. Expeditions vary both in terms of how many resources players begin with, as well as how many resources are available in the level.
The Tutorial and the Sandbox levels are deceptively easy. I felt pretty solid with the game mechanics, and as a sim lover, I felt I had a strong strategy to work through the game. I figured I would have a Level 4 Humbie in 3-4 hours tops. NOPE!
Developers have managed to create a finely balanced ecosystem, where, if players make an imprudent choice, their labs will be overrun. And once the zombies break through the gate, players may find themselves in a never-ending game of catch-up, trying to repair everything that was destroyed, prepare for the next night’s attack, gather necessary resources, and continue to cure more zombies.
During my first playthrough, I captured too many zombies, but didn’t invest in enough kitchen equipment, which meant I was constantly dealing with hungry Humbies inside the lab, even as I was trying to defend against angry zombies outside.
During my second playthrough, I made the rookie mistake of expanding the lab too big too fast. Unfortunately, the bigger your lab, the more local zombies are aware of it, and the more will show up to attack. I wound up dealing with massive zombie waves while desperately trying to upgrade my fence.
In other playthroughs, I dealt with not having enough batteries to store energy to run my defense systems all night, not having enough metal, not having enough microchips, not having enough scientists, not having enough chemicals, not having enough fertilizer, forgetting to build a couch. All of these issues eventually led to me frantically trying to fix problems within my lab, rather than focus on curing zombies.
The only way to actually “lose” the game is to have all of your scientists get turned into zombies, a situation I got myself into when I stupidly decided to take my Science Room offline in order to expand it so I could fit more equipment. Yes, I know I could have just built a second science room, and I know there is a Merge Room function, but I wanted my lab to be clean and organized. Anyways, this led to an instant cascade of problems, because I quickly ran out of ammunition, which is produced in the Science Room. Without ice packs to stop the zombie horde, they broke through my gate, and well…
Early Access Bug
One thing I do want to mention, because it has happened repeatedly, is that once your lab gets to a certain size, or enough game days go by, around 25-30, the frames begin to drop and the game slows down significantly. The 2x speed option becomes as fast as just the base speed. I tried sending all of my zombies to M.O.O.S.E. Lab HQ, and deleting any extra equipment, but it didn’t help with the processing time.
I’m not the only one who has reported this bug in game and developers have responded with assurances that performance optimization is high on the list for fixes at this time. I really hope so, because the lag starts to hit around the time a player would be able to finish curing the humbies, and the last two hours of gameplay before I finally managed to cure a human were pretty agonizing.
Graphics
Just a quick note about the art in this game. It’s derpy adorable. I love it. I usually avoid anything with zombies, because I’m a huge wimp, but I loved watching my Level 1 Humbies, with their googly eyes and wonky grins.
I really appreciate that the characters are larger than other simulation games I’ve played, so I can make out the details of individual characters. For some reason, all of the scientists are dirty. They have stains and rips on their lab coats, which I’m not sure if that’s because the game is set post apocalypse, or if this is some sly dig at Canadians.
Also, look closely at the zombies who attack your lab. There is a surprising amount of flannel.
Docking Hero
When players log in for the first time, they are invited to participate in a citizen scientist project. Thera Bytes has partnered with a lab in Germany to help scientists access the processing power of gamers laptops to analyze data that will help cure non-zombie diseases. Players are incentivized to participate by earning points to unlock more labs for any time spent loaning out your processing power.
These bonus sites are not just basic labs but crashed airplanes and massive abandoned buildings where players can find new resources and unlock new item trees to research. Players can learn more at dockinghero.com.
Overall
Developers already have a pretty polished game for it still being in Early access, but I am looking forward to future updates.
Currently in Early Access on Steam, for $24.99, Zombie Cure Lab is worth the price, especially if you’re like me and love simulations.
And if you keep getting yourself into bad situations like me, be sure to take advantage of the Discord server for Zombie Cure Lab.
Related: Reviews by Michelle Jones
I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.
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