Review: Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning (Nintendo Switch)

Games involving zombies have become such a common trope that it could be considered sickening, yet I am still a sucker for the plot device. So, when I got the chance to play Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: the Beginning, I was intrigued to see how a cartoon rabbit and his dog sidekick would change up the formula. While I was a little disappointed with the lack of any real choice or gameplay, I did enjoy the animation and story for the first chapter of this episodic series.

Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning focuses on a retired insurance salesman rabbit, Hank, and his dog drug dealer, Larry as they try to navigate the zombie apocalypse. What makes this plot work so well and keep away from genre cliches, is that these two individuals are lazy and cowardly. A good chunk of your time with these two is convincing other people to get supplies for them so they will be able to gain admission into the scavenger’s Guild, an elite group of survivors who trade goods for a safe place to live. Along with our protagonists, there are two bulls and a parrot named Zombie Pete who are trying to steal your supplies and rough you up as you go around town because Frank made inappropriate remarks towards them. I found all of these elements combined to be a rather intriguing tale and kept me interested to see what misfortunes could befall these two.

While I did enjoy the story, I found the lack of gameplay choices to be a little lackluster. Most of the time you will find yourself making choices for what Frank and Larry will say to other characters. While it’s fun to make them say absurd things like calling zombies weirdos or convincing a punk rock goat that they will help her get into the Guild. None of what you choose felt like it had a real impact on the story, because some of the choices felt too similar, and in the instance of calling zombies weirdos, Frank made the choice, despite what I said. Outside of the main choices, there will be sections at various survival camp where you can gamble and trade supplies with the locals. I found the gambling to be a nice break but never used it, because the risk was too high for me to risk my “hard-earned” supplies.

The animation looks like it came from Newgrounds, and I think this style of flash animation works in favor of the storytelling. This style mixed with the use of anthropomorphic animals gave each character a pop since they did use these animalistic qualities to define the characters. I also found the use of this style of art works because I felt as though it emphasizes the cheap and greedy nature of every character, as well as give me a few chuckles.

Scheming Through the Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning is a great game to pick up if you’re looking for a casual experience. I found the characters to be fun and colorful. While not the most gameplay heavy game, there is a lot to enjoy, and hopefully, we can see the next chapter of this story unfold soon.