Dead Age

Dead Age is an enjoyable yet grindy resource management turn-based combat zombie apocaplypse RPG, with random rogue like events but also a little story with additional romances. The resource management isn't flawless or extremely detailed, but simple to allow you to appreciate and get lost in the story and surroundings whilst being important enough that if you make a mistake one night, its game over. After Dying, You can get achievements to invest in upgrades for a another rogue like run. The resources are all purposeful. There are important decisions to be made each day in order to feed everyone, go out and explore/complete missions, crafting armor , whilst trying to leave enough guards to not be overwhelmed if any raiders or zombies crash the party. Altogether this aspect of the game is quite fun and very challenging if you get yourself in a pickle early on. If you like turn-based combat and zombies, this game will probably give you 10-15 hours of enjoyment.

Has one of the worst designed interfaces I've ever come across, truly an un-intuitive mess. The small amount of writing could be better (rather crass and childish in places) and some things are opaque. For example, after an early fight I looted a tobogan. Great I thought, maybe I can pull along more loot (a la Neo Scavenger) but no, a 'tobogan' is apparently a hat. At the end of a fight there's often the option of attacking again but it's not clear what or why you are attacking ie there's no feeling of having moved further . The other option is return to base and lose a day but there's no hint of the consequences of choosing this action. Similarly, I can see that crafting a medikit will give me a way of healing but there's no clue as the what the medical syringes do. The combat is fun, the music etc is good and if as much effort went into the interface as the 3D scenes it would be enjoyable but I can't get over the interface hurdle. Want to give it 2.5/5 but 3/5 will do.

The gameplay loop is dull and has no variations. The interface is cryptic and hides consequences. For example why does restarting the game not save the accomplishments from the previous game? The game states that this happens, but it only does when you get killed. So many things don't make any sense whatsoever: - You are fighting 3 scavengers, who all have clothing, 2 firearms and at least 1 melee weapon. After you kill them, all their weapons and clothes are gone. All you get is 1 ration. - Miltary air drops with a whole palette full of crates contain nothing besides a single medical syringe. If you are just going to find one thing, then don't have the source be an supply air drop, find the single syringe in some dead guy's pockets instead. - First aid uses up ammunition? In a release version? I can see how you rig that up during early testing, but not how you stick with that through the release of the game. Why doesn't it use bandages? - The unstable zombie is immune to knocking over. Shouldn't it be easier to knock down than a normal zombie, because it is unstable? Nope, this one is immune. All in all this game is not worth you time or money. Get Dead State:Reanimated instead, it is many times better than this game.

It is rare that I'm this disappointed in a game. The concept is very pleasant: zombie survivor base management with JRP-style combat system. The problem is that the game is glitchy and unituitive. Quests, base management: I've set an NPC as a guard, yet raiders come while the rest was away, and the notification said that there wasn't any guards. Another quests says to make a cap and sell it to the smuggler in the cantina: you actually need to sell it in the regular shop. Another quest says meet Lydia outside of the town: no matter if I go alone or in party, I don't meet her anywhere, she dies and everyone is pissed off on me. Battle: certain skills make zero use since the participants have a predefined order to act. For example I cannot make my melee fighter act first to weaken the enemy, then the others attack simply because that specific NPC acts later than the protagonist (who looks like an idiot btw) or the other NPCs I have. Don't buy it.