5 Kinds Of Video Game Zombies Based On 100 Years Of Zombie Evolution

Zombies have been a part of pop culture for a very long time. Though the trend seems to be slowly dying off, we’re still seeing zombie-themed games like Dying Light and The Walking Dead.

Today, zombies aren’t as hot of a topic as they were in the late 90’s and 2000’s, but it’s a trend that has been rolling for quite a while. There was a time when Resident Evil games didn’t suck and George Romero’s zombie flicks were successful blockbusters, but now horror is shifting again in both film and gaming. In a trending video found on YouTube, we take a journey back in history when zombies were a part of the voodoo culture, and fast-forward through the years to the violent and ravaging zombies found in Dying Light. You can watch the video below.

1. The Resident Evil Viral Zombie

It’s obvious that every zombie game has its own style of zombie. For example, Resident Evil zombies are probably the most unique and most terrifying form of zombie you’ll come across. You could probably categorize them as Viral Zombies, like showcased in the video. Matter of fact, I’m pretty sure when the video stated this kind of zombie was popular in video games, they were, in fact, talking about Resident Evil. But the thing about Resident Evil zombies was that they didn’t all look like zombies. The Licker was a creature that was known for its long tongue and could climb walls and attack from above. Zombies in Resident Evil

2. The Left 4 Dead Rabid Zombie

Left 4 Dead’s zombies can be categorized as Rabid Zombie because of their speed and agility. During multiplayer gameplay, you can choose to play as the zombie or the human, and then if you pick zombie, the type of zombie is randomly generated. Zombie classes like the Tank and the Smoker can move quickly. The Tank uses a lot of force and speed while the Smoker is sneaky and quick. The only slow zombie class in the game really is the Bloater, because of his large size. But I think Left 4 Dead zombies can be characterized as a lot of things, so it’s hard to really pinpoint one kind of category.

3. The Walking Dead “Living Dead 1968” Zombie

In the game series, The Walking Dead, developed by narrative-driven mastermind Telltale Games, the zombies act very much like they do in the popular tv show, slow and can be killed with decapitation. The game itself is based on the comic series and tells the typical story of a group of people caught in the throes of a zombie apocalypse. These kinds of zombies are described as feeling no real pain and are just reanimated corpses. They aren’t sick or infected, but dead.

4. The Last Of Us Z Zombie

The Z Zombie might sound familiar to you if you’ve played The Last Of Us. The “zombies” in The Last Of Us aren’t really your typical zombie. Rather, the game stars a sort of fungus that takes over the person’s brain and renders them dead, basically. Clickers, a type of zombie in the game (nickname given to those in the third stage of infection), have a disgusting growth on their head from the fungus that has taken over their brain and eyes. Instead, they use their “clicking” sound to find you. And when they attack, they attack hard and fast.

5. The Dying Light Volatile Zombie

The last type of zombie in the video is none other than Dying Light’s Volatile. This type of zombie looks absolutely terrifying, as you can obviously tell from the video. Out of all of the zombies in the video, he has the most damage done to his body and the most blood visible. In other words, nasty. These zombies present in Dying Light are greatly affected by the day/night cycle present in Dying Light. In other words, these guys only come out at night and they are incredibly strong. It’s been recommended that if you’re spotted by a Volatile, to just run away because you won’t last.

Looking back on the evolution of zombies, it’s hard to think about how far we can stretch the genre until it finally dies off. How many other different flesh-eating zombies can anyone really think up? While recent games like Dying Light try to keep the undead dream alive, others are welcoming the shift in horror gaming, which has included more paranormal games directly influenced by P.T. How do you feel about the zombie gaming genre and do you think it’s going to ever die off? Let us know in the comments below.