my initial first impressions with this game aren't very positive, and according to the developer's early access intent it really does need the 2-3 years to get to something a bit more digestible

starting off good, i really like the art style of the illustrated cutscenes and the dialogue is brief but engaging enough to at least intrigue me on the story premise and the build up to the world around you. i can tell the vision for this game is really vast and there's a ton of ambition going into the project, so i don't see the dev abandoning it at any time.

unfortunately i already noticed and had a lot of issues within my short initial playtest, and i'm sure i'll find even more after i get these thoughts out.

first off, the lack of a proper control introduction or even a splash screen of what your controls are creates a very confusing onboarding experience. i had to find the controls screen on the esc menu and use that to open up the minimap that lets you see where your next objective is to progress. my first encounter with a zombie was confusing because combat is dictated by you holding RMB to "aim" even the melee weapon, and then swinging. none of which is explained.

for a unity game, the game seems to really chug along at certain points after a cutscene and when just walking around the environment. i've tried all the (small) amount of graphic settings to no avail when dealing with these problems. i'll include my PC specs to the review.

the UI both ingame and the main menu, is both hard to digest and hard to use. i can forgive the main menu and settings both being very barebones in an early access title, i can't believe the ingame inventory is the way it is though. it is a massive wall of empty space after pressing "I" and does not auto sort itself to fill in the empty gaps if you use items in it. it also does not seem to be organizable or sortable in any shape or form, so if you are bleeding from a zombie encounter you have to play a game of i spy to find the bandage you just learned to craft after panic rolling every button on your keyboard to find someway to stop it.

following along with the inventory UI issue is the minimap. your objective is labelled as a heart on the minimap but you aren't really given a distance or an inworld indicator of where to go. you kinda just mindlessly wander in the direction of the heart and hope it doesn't bug out like it did on me, where my obj indicator asked me to interact with the first male side character you run into but it turns out i was actually supposed to walk into the convenience store. the heart indicator also freaks out when you get to the location you're supposed to and are on top of it, moving in sporadic directions that are misleading.

looting is press E on anything you see simulator and i thought it was kinda comical a lot of the loose loot around the map are conveniently placed in suitcases or cardboard boxes. i did think some interactions were cool though like taking clothes off mannequins so that's a +1 for me.

if the first follower mechanic is anything to note, they have a physical collider that can easily trap you in narrow hallways and you can very easily softlock yourself in a bad position and be forced to reset. pushing them doesnt work and they dont "step aside" to allow you to backtrack wherever you just entered from.

combat wasn't very interesting in the few engagements i did get to try. i can see the idea of being able to take on one easily but overwhelmed in a group of 2 or more, that is totally fine. what isn't fine is the lack of combat onboarding and the seemingly consistent one shot mechanic? i tried turning my back and facing forward on zombies a few times just to test it out and they randomly decide to instantly drop my healthbar to zero and im looking at the you died screen. i dont see a bite animation or anything significant, so im chalking it up to a damage bug

i think the lack of initial explanations or onboarding is going to really kill the initial release momentum of this game. i love passion projects but not everyone is willing forgo frustration to give the little guy a chance. i hope there's a lot of change soon.

5/4/2026
Gameplay: It's tense, you're always moving from place to place, scavenging, crafting, and fighting. The combat is visceral, with your attacks visibly severing limbs and breaking bones depending on the weapon type. However, the mechanics themselves are rather barebones as of now and things could be better polished in general (for example, the third person camera can block your view inside buildings at certain angles occasionally). There are some minor bugs, I haven't encountered any game-breaking ones yet.

Story: The characters are distinct from each other and their interactions feel genuine. The beats that are supposed to be horrific feel horrific. More plot points will be introduced as the game is updated and I'll have to see more before writing a more detailed review on this aspect, but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.

Graphics: In-game models and animations are serviceable, I have no complaints other than the blood sprays looking kinda weird. I do like details such as dried blood splatters and bloody hand prints on the ground, as well as body bags swarming with flies. The art style of illustrations and the realistic backgrounds during the VN portions of the game complement the zombie horror setting well.

Soundtrack: It's reminiscent of 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later but also stands out with its own style. Very raw and gritty. My favorite tracks among the current ones are "Wonderland", "D.T.R.H", and "DSC_851212".

A quick review after approximately half an hour of playtest is that the game needs a ton of work for it to become something worthwhile. I like the ideas but right now its more akin to a playable proof of concept and a fairly bare bones one at that. However I suppose that's what early access is for, I donno how large the team is for this but its got a similar feel to the Disaster Report series which is a series I do really love; I hope that the devs take the time they need to bring this to life properly because otherwise a potenrial gem will get lost under the mire of "games that could've been good".