Zombie apocalypse games could probably be their own genre at this point. There’s something totally addicting about trying to survive in a world overrun by the walking dead. The Final Station, developed by Do My Best games, uses the backdrop of a dying world for it’s 2D pixel art adventure game and what it has to offer so far are all good things. If we wait patiently for its release this summer it’s sure to turn some heads.
The Final Station is a 2D side scroller game where you play as a train conductor as he makes his way between train stations scavenging for supplies, looking for survivors, and fighting zombie hordes. There’s a lot of strategy involved because, as with many apocalyptic survival games, ammo, food, and medkits are in short supply.
“The Final Station really adds the element of surprise by making it so that you have no idea what’s coming at each new station”
When your character first goes out into the undead world he must search around in some buildings to find a 4-digit code in order to be allowed passage to the next station. Along the way you’ll run into people who have already turned, or even people that have recently been brutally ripped to shreds. If you check around carefully you’ll be able to find materials that allow you to craft ammo and medkits. Once you finally have found the code, after inevitably using all your ammo on the armor wearing zombies, you have to make your way back to the train, clock in the code, and get the heck out of there just to head to another equally infested train station. Sometimes the stations that you reach are abandoned and other times there are people willing to trade with you. The Final Station really adds the element of surprise by making it so that you have no idea what’s coming at each new station.
At the end of your day of exploring you get back on your train and are responsible for some maintenance such as feeding or healing the survivors that you’ve found on your journey, crafting ammo and medkits with the materials you picked up the day before, and simply making sure everything on your train is running smoothly. The game continues on like this with you constantly going between train stations, looting, getting your code, and making it back to your train without losing your life. This repetitive system in no way gets boring because each train station is completely different from the next and the type of zombies you encounter even get tougher and tougher.
“The Final Station almost reminded me of a pixel art version of The Last of Us; you have to really pay attention that you’re not using more than you should”
I think that one of the best aspects of The Final Station is the amount of strategy that truly has to go into it. Everything is scarce – food, medicine, ammo – so you have to think way ahead in order to be sure you have enough supplies going forward. I often found myself getting stuck on the same station over and over again and had to start completely over, rethinking my strategy. For example, punch that zombie to death rather than using the ammo that you’re going to need later, or maybe save your medkits for when you’re very low on health; don’t waste one when you still have half of your health left. The Final Station almost reminded me of a pixel art version of The Last of Us; you have to really pay attention that you’re not using more than you should.
With lots of great strategy and horror elements fans of 2D side scroller games won’t be disappointed. Having to not only take care of your train, feed and protect your fellow survivors, and search for supplies, The Final Station is a crazy handful that will keep you entertained for a good long while. The constantly changing atmosphere and enemies are also sure to keep you on your toes. I, for one, can’t wait to see what this game has in store for me next. Check out The Final Station when it releases later this summer as it’s sure to impress many.
