My Pet Zombie Preview

Get ready to put an undead thing in your pocket

If there’s one thing that Hollywood’s taught us, it’s that the zombie apocalypse is going to happen sooner or later. What hasn’t been demonstrated in the movies, though, is just how gosh-darned cute said apocalypse is going to be. Thankfully, Riptide Games’ upcoming pet sim My Pet Zombie is going to set the record straight.

The game is being billed as a somewhat more macabre (albeit adorable and goofy) version of other virtual pet titles on the iPhone. Think Night of the Living Dead meets Tamagotchi. Simply put, players get to raise a cartoony little zombie, helping him or her grow and flourish in the world of the undead.

The title’s mechanics involve players interacting with their zombies. This includes making them perform various tricks, tickling them, and playing various minigames. The initial minigames that are planned for the title’s launch are “Zombie Director” and “Zombie Talkback”.

Zombie Director is being described as a “simon-like” game where players have to repeat moves as they are demonstrated to them in order. Zombie Talkback, meanwhile, has the zombie talking back to players repeating whatever is said with them, just like the popular apps Talking Tom Cat or Talking Zombo the Zombie.

Obviously, the biggest piece of appeal for players is going to be customization of each zombie. The minigames allow players to earn “cursed coinage”, which can then be used within the game’s store to buy over 300 different items (including things like hairstyles, clothing, jewelry, and tattoos) so they can alter the zombie’s appearance. The in-game currency can also be purchased with real money.

My Pet Zombie is due out for all iOS devices “soon,” and will be available to download free of charge.

Mike Thompson

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Mike Thompson has worked each side of the video game industry, both reporting on and creating narrative content for games. In his free time, he gorges on pizza, referees for roller derby, and uploads ridiculous cat photos to the internet.