Zombie Zone (2004)

Developer: Tamsoft
Publisher: D3 Publisher, 505 Game Street
Platforms: PlayStation 2
Genres: Hack and slash/Beat 'em up
Where to get it: Website

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A cheaply made, repetitive zombie-slashing romp where you mash through slow-moving hordes in small arenas while managing sword upkeep and minor upgrades.

budget productionrepetitivecampylow-budget actionarcade-stylesimplisticgrindyschlocky

About

Zombie Zone is the European localized name for the first game in the OneeChanbara series. It's a part of the Simple 2000 series by Japanese publisher D3 Publisher, as part of a series of budget priced games that usually sell at 2000¥. You play as Aya, a scantily clad cowgirl with a scarf, in a hack-and-slash against slow-moving zombies in little arena's. There is a feature called "sword fatigue": if you don't clean your sword in time, it will get stuck in an enemy, giving him an advantage over you. There are also slight RPG elements. You can upgrade your characters by collecting orbs dropped by defeated enemies. At the end of each level, you can use the orbs to make Aya more powerful. Sometimes the enemies drop red orbs; if you collect enough of them, you turn into a demon. Your attacks become more powerful, but they also take away from your health.

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More by Tamsoft

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.