Terminus: Zombie Survivors is a 2D turn-based survival roguelike game that drops you into the heart of a zombie apocalypse. With the full release set for August 20th, 2024, I’ve played the game quite a bit.
Gameplay Mechanics and Core Loop
The premise is straightforward: navigate a procedurally generated world, manage resources, and survive long enough to reach the Terminus. Each playthrough is unique due to the random generation of maps and events. The game emphasizes quick decision-making and prioritizing speed over in-depth strategy. Unfortunately, this focus on haste can make the experience feel shallow over time.
The gameplay loop revolves around finding a radio to locate the Terminus and then making a beeline for it. The urgency stems from the rapid decay of food and the impending winter, which limits your time for exploration and resource gathering. While the idea is intriguing, it forces a playstyle that might not appeal to all players.
Speed Over Strategy
In Terminus: Zombie Survivors speed is your best ally. The game punishes those who take their time to explore or engage in crafting. The food decays quickly, and the scarcity of resources means you can’t afford to linger. This approach can lead to repetitive gameplay, as the optimal strategy becomes clear after a few runs: loot fast, find the radio, and head straight for the Terminus.
Crafting, which could have added a rich layer of strategy, feels almost redundant. The items you can craft are often inferior to what you can loot, and the resources needed for crafting are scarce and time-consuming to gather. This makes crafting more of a last resort than a primary tactic.
Crafting and Resource Management
The crafting system includes various recipes for weapons, tools, and survival aids. However, the time and resources required to craft these items rarely justify the effort. For example, crafted weapons like spears or nailed bats usually have lower durability and effectiveness than looted items. Similarly, lifestyle crafting, such as building rain catchers or rat traps, is often impractical due to the difficulty in finding necessary resources and the constant pressure to keep moving.
Fishing and farming, theoretically, could provide sustainable food sources. However, the game’s fast-paced nature and the time it takes for crops to grow or for fishing to yield results make these activities more of a gamble than a reliable strategy. The procedural generation can sometimes leave you without essential items, making these survival methods even less viable.
Combat and Character Traits
Combat in the game is turn-based, requiring careful planning of action points (AP). While this adds a strategic element, the execution can feel lackluster. Zombies come in different classes with varying abilities, which keeps encounters somewhat interesting, but the combat system itself lacks depth.
Character selection and traits offer some variety, but ultimately, success hinges more on resource management and quick decision-making than on the nuances of your character build. Ensuring you have enough food and a basic weapon is more critical than any specific character trait or background.
What Could Be Better
The game could benefit from additional game modes. A survival mode akin to “Don’t Starve,” where the focus is on long-term survival rather than a rush to the finish, could add significant depth. Integrating more external events or challenges, such as periodic zombie hordes or resource respawns, might also enhance replayability.
Another potential improvement is balancing the crafting and resource management systems. Making crafted items more worthwhile and tweaking the decay rates of food could encourage players to engage more with these mechanics rather than ignoring them in favor of speed running.
Terminus: Zombie Survivors: Terminus: Zombie Survivors comes with an intense, fast-paced survival experience with a unique twist on the zombie apocalypse theme. However, its emphasis on speed over strategy and the underwhelming crafting system can make the gameplay feel repetitive after a while. For those who enjoy quick, high-stakes decision-making and don't mind the lack of depth in resource management, it can be a compelling game. But for players looking for a more nuanced survival experience, the game might fall short of expectations. – Tom Henry
