History VideoGame / Zombi

* TrialAndErrorGameplay: The game comes with a map that shows the game world in its entirety and contains full instructions, except for combat advice, on how to complete the game. If the instructions are followed to the letter, there'll be no issues, but there is little room for error. Foremost, any step away from the walls of the mall will get a protagonist mauled by zombies and it's easy for the player to keep clicking in a given direction before registering that they've already hit a corner. The instructions also only cover what has to be done and optional gameplay is for the player to figure out with all the trickery that entails. For instance, the map technically warns the player that protagonists can walk off the balcony and die from the fall, but the game itself doesn't make it immediately clear what happened if that happens. There are also no such warnings for falling from the windows in the stores.

''Zombi'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in 1986 and published in June for the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and UsefulNotes/Commodore64. A port followed for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]] in March of 1988 and, after a ten month delay, a {{remake}} hit the market for the UsefulNotes/AtariST, the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, and again Commodore 64 in December. In the history of video games, ''Zombi'' stands out for three reasons. For one, it is the very first game that Ubisoft put to market. For two, it is an unacknowledged but obvious adaptation of ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' and unofficially but technically the very first video game adaptation of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries''. And for three, ''Zombi'' was the first game in which the protagonist team is controlled [[TeamworkPuzzleGame individual by individual instead of as a single unit]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Would you ever need a walkthrough, go watch ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]''.]]

''Zombi'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in 1986 and published in June for the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and UsefulNotes/Commodore64. A port followed for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]] in March of 1988 and, after a ten month delay, a {{remake}} hit the market for the UsefulNotes/AtariST, the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, and again Commodore 64 in December. In the history of video games, ''Zombi'' stands out for three reasons. For one, it is the very first game that Ubisoft put to market. For two, it is an unacknowledged but obvious adaptation of ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' and unofficially the very first video game adaptation of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries''. And for three, ''Zombi'' was the first game in which the protagonist team is controlled individual by individual instead of as a single unit.

Gameplay in the original version of ''Zombi'' relies on a graphical verb interface with eighteen icons,[[note]]Move, Enter vehicle, Exit vehicle, Equip, Pick up, Put down, Use, Push button, Consume, Open, Close, Change protagonist, Sleep, Wake another up, Pause, Close game, Save, Load[[/note]] all located at the bottom of the HeadsUpDisplay. A clock and direction cube are on the right and character data is to be found up above. ''Zombi'' being ''Dawn of the Dead: The Game'', the map consists of several floors in a shopping mall and the immediate outside surroundings. The world is in monochrome and interactable objects are [[AntiFrustrationFeatures highlighted in color]] but they lack descriptions. Neither conscious protagonists nor living enemies appear on screen. The presence of an enemy is indicated by their portrait showing up next to the protagonists' portraits. If so, bare-handed combat occurs automatically unless either the enemy is passed by or an equipped weapon is used. Killed enemies and protagonists or sleeping protagonists do appear on screen in color; killed enemies can be picked up, killed protagonists can be picked up or inventory-looted, and sleeping protagonists can be woken up or shot.

The DOS port changes around a few things. For instance, the active protagonist cannot shoot themself or their sleeping companions anymore, although shooting awake companions remains an option. There's also a significant quality-of-life addition in that the direction cube is updated to show which directions are available, which makes navigating a lot easier. Presumably because of the change in control scheme, the DOS changes were not brought over to the remake of the following year. This remake rigorously condenses the verb interface to four icons: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands are covered by "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]]. The remake furthermore adds music and brings color to the graphics, though in doing the latter removes the way color highlights the interactable objects.

There are two other games in Ubisoft's 1980s lineup that are comparable to ''Zombi''. The first is ''VideoGame/{{Masque}}'', a 1987 adventure title also remade for the Atari ST in 1988. The ''Zombi'' and the ''Masque+'' remakes were simultaneously announced for early 1988, but only ''Zombi'' didn't make that release perion. 1988 is also the year ''Zombi''[='=]s [[ThematicSeries thematic sequel]] was released: ''VideoGame/{{Hurlements}}''. Almost the entire gameplay setup from ''Zombi'' is lifted over to the other game and its [[AdvertisingByAssociation marketing highlighted]] that the two games share a producer. Despite its significance in getting Ubisoft off the ground, ''Zombi'' fell into obscurity after 1990 until the release of ''VideoGame/ZombiU'' two decades later in 2012. Audiences took an interest in the similarity between the promising new survival horror title and the game Ubisoft launched with, although the company's official statement is that any likeness is a coincidence.

There are four protagonists -- Alexandre, Sylvie, Yannick, and Patrick -- who have marginally different stats. Each of them can carry four objects at once and their overall health is divided between a F-meter for health, a H-meter for rest, and a S-meter for hunger. For any of these to be drained is fatal. All characters are expendable except for Alexandre, who, being the only one who can fly the helicopter, must survive the game for the good ending.

Aside from the DOS port, 1988 is also significant to ''Zombi'' as the year its [[ThematicSeries thematic sequel]] was released: ''VideoGame/{{Hurlements}}''. Almost the entire gameplay setup from ''Zombi'' is lifted over to the other game and its [[AdvertisingByAssociation marketing highlighted]] that the two games share a producer. After 1990, ''Zombi'' fell into obscurity until the release of ''VideoGame/ZombiU'' in 2012. Audiences took an interest in the similarity between the promising new survival horror title and the game Ubisoft launched with, although the company's official statement is that any likeness is a coincidence.

''Zombi'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in 1986 and published in June for the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and UsefulNotes/Commodore64. A port followed for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]] in 1988 and a {{remake}} hit the market in 1989 for the UsefulNotes/AtariST and in 1990 for the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, and again Commodore 64. In the history of video games, ''Zombi'' stands out for three reasons. For one, it is the very first game that Ubisoft put to market. For two, it is an unacknowledged but obvious adaptation of ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' and unofficially the very first video game adaptation of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries''. And for three, ''Zombi'' was the first game in which the protagonist team is controlled individual by individual instead of as a single unit.

Gameplay in the original version of ''Zombi'' relies on a graphical verb interface with 18 options,[[note]]Move, Enter vehicle, Exit vehicle, Equip, Pick up, Put down, Use, Push button, Consume, Open, Close, Change protagonist, Sleep, Wake another up, Pause, Close game, Save, Load[[/note]] all located at the bottom of the HeadsUpDisplay. A clock and direction cube are on the right and character data is to be found up above. ''Zombi'' being ''Dawn of the Dead: The Game'', the map consists of several floors in a shopping mall and the immediate outside surroundings. The world is in monochrome and interactable objects are [[AntiFrustrationFeatures highlighted in color]] but they lack descriptions. Neither conscious protagonists nor living enemies appear on screen. The presence of an enemy is indicated by their portrait showing up next to the protagonists' portraits. If so, bare-handed combat occurs automatically unless either the enemy is passed by or an equipped weapon is used. Killed enemies and protagonists or sleeping protagonists do appear on screen in color; killed enemies can be picked up, killed protagonists can be picked up or inventory-looted, and sleeping protagonists can be woken up or shot.

The DOS port changes around a few things. For instance, the active protagonist cannot shoot themself or their sleeping companions anymore, although shooting awake companions remains an option. There's also a significant quality-of-life addition in that the direction cube is updated to show which directions are available, which makes navigating a lot easier. Presumably because of the change in control scheme, the DOS changes were not brought over to the remake of the following year. This remake rigorously condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands are covered by "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]]. The remake furthermore adds music and brings color to the graphics, though in doing the latter removes the way color highlights the interactable objects.

** On the fourth floor, there is graffiti near the staircase that reads "Punk Not Dead", a reference to the 1981 album ''Punk's Not Dead'' by The Exploited.
** On the third floor, there's a poster of a cephalothorax holding up a disk. This figure is from ''Masque'', another 1986 game by Ubisoft that got its own remake in 1988.

''Zombi'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in 1986 and published in June-July for the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and UsefulNotes/Commodore64. A port followed for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]] in 1988 and a {{remake}} hit the market in 1989 for the UsefulNotes/AtariST and in 1990 for the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, and again Commodore 64. In the history of video games, ''Zombi'' stands out for three reasons. For one, it is the very first game that Ubisoft put to market. For two, it is an unacknowledged but obvious adaptation of ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' and unofficially the very first video game adaptation of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries''. And for three, ''Zombi'' was the first game in which the protagonist team is controlled individual by individual instead of as a single unit.

* GenderRestrictedGear: Sylvie cannot use the rifle, the axe, the hammer, or the screwdriver. She's the only woman and the only protagonist with such a restriction. No explanation is given, though it may be assumed the rifle and the axe are too heavy for her to use and the hammer and the screwdriver bring her too close to an enemy for comfort. This doesn't entirely make sense because she can fend off attackers in a fistfight as well as the others and in the comic she takes out a zombie with a wrench. On the upside, she can handle the revolver and the pistol without issue and a player may never even discover Sylvie's weapon restriction.

* BottomlessMagazines: The rifle, revolver, and pistol never have to be reloaded and can put an endless amount of bullets into any all targets. The two drawbacks are that there are only three guns for four protagonists and the necessity to fatally shoot the zombie before they've made their way over, which happens rather quickly. Of course, an injured zombie is still easier to take down in a fistfight than one who hasn't got a bullet lodged in their flesh.

* DevouredByTheHorde: Any protagonist who walks into the horde of zombies surrounding the mall supposedly gets eaten by them.

Gameplay in the original version of ''Zombi'' relies on a graphical verb interface with 18 options,[[note]]Move, Enter vehicle, Exit vehicle, Equip, Pick up, Put down, Use, Push button, Consume, Open, Close, Change protagonist, Sleep, Wake another up, Pause, Close game, Save, Load[[/note]] all located at the bottom of the HeadsUpDisplay. A clock and direction cube are on the right and character data is to be found up above. ''Zombi'' being ''Dawn of the Dead: The Game'', the map consists of several floors in a shopping mall and the immediate outside surroundings. The world is in monochrome and interactable objects are [[AntiFrustrationFeatures highlighted in color]] but they lack descriptions. Neither conscious protagonists nor living enemies appear on screen. The presence of an enemy is indicated by their portrait showing up next to the protagonists' portraits. If so, bare-handed combat occurs automatically unless either the enemy is passed by or an equipped weapon is used. Killed enemies and protagonists or sleeping protagonists do appear on screen in blue; killed enemies can be picked up, killed protagonists can be picked up or inventory-looted, and sleeping protagonists can be woken up or shot.

The DOS port changes around a few things. In that version it's not possible to commit suicide by gun or to shoot sleeping companions, although shooting awake companions is still possible. A new quality-of-life feature shows which directions are available when the direction cube is active, which makes it easier to notice rooms behind the protagonists' field of vision. These updates were not brought over to the remake of the following year. What the remake does improve on are the controls, because it condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands have been fused into "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]]. The remake furthermore adds music and brings color to the graphics, though in doing the latter removes the way color highlights the interactable objects.

* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: Once the mall has been cleared of zombies, an attempt to make contact with the outside world alerts a unit of Hell's Angels to the building and its loot. They remove the truck at the south entrance and occupy the ground floor. If a protagonist comes down, the bikers will attempt to beat them to death.
* AllThereInTheManual: The manual contains a comic about how the four protagonists got to run around in a zombie-infested mall. Without it, one might assume it's the same way the four protagonists in ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' came to live in the mall, but that's not quite the case. As per the comic, the group originally consisted of six people. A man named Stephane and an unnamed elderly gent perished when the group made a run for a hospital's helicopter to escape the zombie infestation. After that, they only landed atop the mall because the helicopter ran out of fuel and they need to find some, not because they want to make the mall a longterm residence.

* BewareTheLiving: The zombies are dangerous, but fairly manageable in one-on-one confrontations and they aren't smart enough to unblock the mall's entrances. The bikers are quite a bit stronger than the zombies and they unblock the south entrance to lay claim on the mall. They're bad enough that no zombies wander back into the mall even with the door open.

* BottomlessMagazines: The rifle, revolver, and pistol never have to be reloaded and can put an endless amount of bullets into any all zombies. The two drawbacks are that there are only three guns for four protagonists and the necessity to fatally shoot the zombie before they've made their way over, which happens rather quickly. Of course, an injured zombie is still easier to take down in a fistfight than one who hasn't got a bullet lodged in their flesh.

* GenderRestrictedGear: Sylvie cannot use the rifle, the axe, the hammer, or the screwdriver. She's the only character with such a restriction. No explanation is given, though it may be assumed the rifle and the axe are too heavy for her to use and the hammer and the screwdriver bring her too close to an enemy for comfort. This doesn't entirely make sense because she can fend off attackers in a fistfight as well as the others and in the comic she takes out a zombie with a wrench. On the upside, she can handle the revolver and the pistol without issue and a player may never even discover Sylvie's equipment limitation.

* LetsSplitUpGang: All four protagonists are controlled individually, which means that each does battle with the zombies and bikers alone even though their survival odds would improve significantly if they'd gang up on their enemies. The one point where splitting up benefits the group is when the protagonist who has locked themself outside by blocking off the mall can get back inside when a companion lowers a rope from the balcony.

* LimitedLoadout: The protagonists can each carry four items, regardless if that's a key or a full gas can. To make room, they can lay items they don't immediately need on the ground.

** There is a working computer in the micro computer store that accepts only five commands to yield only four answers. LIST informs the user that ELECTRICITY and NIGHT are viable commands. Entering the first returns FUSES and the second gives the times when it is night: 22:00 to 06:00. ZOMBI DEAD yields the instruction to aim for the head and BYE lets the user log out. This is a very limited use of a computer.

* RestingRecovery: There's a furniture store on the first floor inside which are two beds that the protagonists can use to refill their H-meter. Protagonists automatically wake up after eight hours of sleep or can be woken up by another protagonist. Caution should be taken that sleeping doesn't stall anyone's S-meter from going down every XX:15, meaning that the protagonists can starve to death while sleeping.

** In the original version the east exit has a placard for Clap Ciné, one of Ubisoft's 1986 games that was released as Ciné Clap. In that same location in the remake, there is a placard for Ubisoft's 1987 game ''Asphalt'' instead.

''Zombi'' is a [[InvisibleGrid grid-based]] SurvivalHorror AdventureGame developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in 1986 and published in June-July for the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and UsefulNotes/Commodore64. A port followed for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]] in 1988 and a {{remake}} hit the market in 1989 for the UsefulNotes/AtariST and in 1990 for the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, and again Commodore 64. In the history of video games, ''Zombi'' stands out for three reasons. For one, it is the very first game that Ubisoft put to market. For two, it is an unacknowledged but obvious adaptation of ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' and unofficially the very first video game adaptation of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries''. And for three, ''Zombi'' was the first game in which the protagonist team is controlled individual by individual instead of as a group.

The DOS port changes around a few things. In that version it's not possible to commit suicide by gun or to shoot sleeping companions, although shooting awake companions is still possible. A new quality-of-life feature shows which directions are available when the direction cube is active, which among others makes the player aware of rooms behind the protagonists' field of vision. None of these updates were brought over to the remake released the following year. Gameplay in the remake of ''Zombi'' condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands have been fused into "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]]. The remake updates the graphics in color, but in doing so removes the way color highlights the interactable objects.

* AllBikersAreHellsAngels: Once the mall has been cleared of zombies, an attempt to make contact with the outside world alerts a unit of Hell's Angels to the building ready for looting. They remove the truck at the south entrance and occupy the ground floor. If a protagonist comes down, they have to run to not be beaten to death.
* AllThereInTheManual: The manual contains a comic about how the four protagonists got to run around in a zombie-infested mall. Without it, one might assume it's the same way the four protagonists in ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' came to live in the mall, but that's not actually the case. As per the comic, the group originally consisted of six people. A man named Stephane and an unnamed elderly gent perished when the group made a run for the hospital's helicopter to escape the zombie infestation. After that, they only landed atop the mall because the helicopter ran out of fuel and they need to find some, not because they want to make the mall a longterm residence.

%%* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
%%* BagOfSpilling:
%%* BewareTheLiving:
* BinocularShot: There's a binocular in the eyewear store that when used reduce the field of view to two overlapping circles. Only on the roof does the binocular actually show something interesting.
* BlandNameProduct: The game takes place in a shopping mall, so it's almost inevitable that some not-so-subtle references to real-life brands have to be mentioned for flavor. Among the stores to be visited are an eyewear company named Rissac and a fast food restaurant named [=MacGropak=]. The former is a parody of the company Lissac and the latter a parody of UsefulNotes/McDonalds.
* BoomHeadshot: Various pieces of media found in the mall insist on shooting the brain to end a zombie. This is ostensibly what happens when the player one-shot kills a zombie or biker. In the remake, the only way to one-shot kill a zombie or biker is to shoot them straight in the head.

* DevouredByTheHorde: A protagonist who walks into the horde of zombies surrounding the mall ostensibly gets eaten by them.
%%* EnclosedSpace:

%%* HighVoltageDeath:

* InUniverseGameClock: There's a digital clock on the heads-up display that starts at 11:15. Every quarter past the hour thereafter, the protagonists get a bit more hungry, but otherwise nothing changes until 22:00. That's when nighttime hits and the screen goes all black. It is still possible to navigate around by memory and if the active protagonist has the lamp it can be equipped to regain visibility. The sun comes back up at 06:00. It is also possible to fast forward by two hours by running the video tape in the hi-fi electronics store.
%%* LetsSplitUpGang:
%%* LifeMeter: The F-meter serves as the life meter.

%%* TheMall:

** A video tape can be obtained and watched in the hi-fi electronics store. If so, it yields the message "Visez la tête. Visez la tête. Bonus d'arme a feu obtenu." or "Shoot the head. Shoot the head. Bonus of firearm gains." Short as it is in real-life, in-game the clock skips two hours whenever the tape is played, which means that the player gets a condensed version of what the protagonist is actually watching.
* PixelHunt: The monochrome original version uses color to highlight interactable object, but the colorful remake has no system in place to make objects of interest stand out. As a result, items that aren't on the floor, such as the video tape, the box containing the flashlight, and the drink in the butcher shop, are easily missed.

* RestingRecovery: There's a furniture store on the first floor where no zombies ever roam. Inside are two beds that the protagonists can use to refill their H-meter, although caution should be taken that it doesn't stall their S-meter from going down every XX:15.

* SomeoneHasToDie: To secure the mall, trucks have to be moved in front of the entrances so no more zombies can enter. The driver of the last truck therefore locks themself out along with a horde of zombies and no food or bed. It is possible for the other protagonists to find the rope and hang it from the balcony for the driver to climb back in. Or to be fast enough with clearing out the mall that the bikers come and force the entrances back open. But just as well, the driver perishes outside to keep those inside safe.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: It is possible to open the windows in the tool store and the fast food restaurant on the second floor and walk out of them, which causes the protagonist to fall to their death. Another way for a protagonist to fall to their death is by walking off the balcony on the second floor. As well, it is possible to use a gun on the active protagonist and on their companions if they're sleeping. Doing so causes death.
* TrialAndErrorGameplay: The game comes with a map that shows the game world in its entirety and contains full instructions, except for combat advice, on how to complete the game. If the instructions are followed to the letter, there'll be no issues, but there is little room for error. Foremost, any step away from the walls of the mall will get a protagonist mauled by zombies and its easy for the player to keep clicking in a given direction before registering that they've already hit a corner. The instructions also only cover what has to be done and optional gameplay is for the player to figure out with all the trickery that entails. For instance, the map technically warns the player that protagonists can walk off the balcony and die from the fall, but the game itself doesn't make it immediately clear what happened if that happens. There are also no such warnings for falling from the windows in the stores.

* UnwinnableByDesign: Either version of the game cannot be won if Alexandre dies because he's the only one who can fly the helicopter. The game may also end up unwinnable if the zombie horde outside kills a protagonist holding crucial items, because those can't be retrieved then. And in the original version but not the remake, the security room on the fourth floor can only be entered by a protagonist who has the key equipped but it can be exited regardless of the key. Would the player leave the security room key behind in the security room to clear inventory space for the truck keys found there, they'll find out sooner or later that the security room is now permanently locked.

''Zombi'' is a {{horror}} AdventureGame in Dungeon Crawler form developed by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} in 1986 and published in June-July for the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and UsefulNotes/Commodore64. A port followed for [[UsefulNotes/DOSBox DOS]] in 1988 and a {{remake}} hit the market in 1989 for the UsefulNotes/AtariST and in 1990 for the UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}, UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, and again Commodore 64. In the history of video games, ''Zombi'' stands out for two reasons. For one, it is the very first game that Ubisoft put to market. For two, it is an unacknowledged but obvious adaptation of ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' and unofficially the very first video game adaptation of the ''Film/LivingDeadSeries''.

Gameplay in the original version of ''Zombi'' relies on a graphical verb interface with 18 options,[[note]]Move, Enter vehicle, Exit vehicle, Equip, Pick up, Put down, Use, Push button, Consume, Open, Close, Change protagonist, Sleep, Wake another up, Pause, Close game, Save, Load[[/note]] all located at the bottom of the HeadsUpDisplay. A clock and direction cube are on the right and character data is to be found up above. ''Zombi'' being ''Dawn of the Dead: The Game'', the map consists of several floors in a shopping mall and the immediate outside surroundings. The world is in greyscale and interactable objects are [[AntiFrustrationFeatures highlighted in color]] but lack descriptions. Neither conscious protagonists nor living enemies appear on screen. The presence of an enemy is indicated by their portrait showing up next to the protagonists' portraits. If so, bare-handed combat occurs automatically unless either the enemy is passed by or an equipped weapon is used. Killed enemies and protagonists or sleeping protagonists do appear on screen in blue; killed enemies can be picked up, killed protagonists can be picked up or inventory-looted, and sleeping protagonists can be woken up or shot.

The DOS port changes around a few things. In that version it's not possible to commit suicide by gun, something that in the original can happen by accident. A new quality-of-life feature shows which directions are available when the direction cube is active, which among others makes the player aware of rooms behind the protagonists' field of vision. Neither of these updates were brought over to the remake. Gameplay in the remake of ''Zombi'' condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands have been fused into "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame point-and-click mechanics]]. The remake updates the graphics in color, but in doing so removes the way color highlights the interactable objects.

The manual relays the events of how the quartet ended up in shopping mall in the form of a mini-comic. On the 15th of April of 1986, the USA has been overrun by the undead. A group of six survivors are planning their next move while in hiding in Berkeley. They decide that their best bet is to try to outrun the zombie hordes and see if they can make it to the abandoned helicopter at the hospital. One survivor, an older man, knows he doesn't stand a chance and stays put. He gets killed when zombies enter the house. Of the other five, Stephane gets killed while checking the map, but the remaining four make it and get the helicopter going. However, the tank isn't all that full and they have no choice but to land on a shopping mall and see if they can survive the zombies wandering about and find more fuel.

* BlandNameProduct: The game takes place in a shopping mall, so it's almost inevitable that some not-so-subtle references to real-life brands have to be mentioned for flavor.
** One advertisement left of the stairs on the second floor is for an eyewear company named Rissac, a parody of the company Lissac.
** Among the stores is a fast food restaurant named [=MacGropak=], a parody of UsefulNotes/McDonalds.

Gameplay in the remake of ''Zombi'' condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands have been fused into "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame PointAndClick mechanics]]. The remake updates the graphics in color, but in doing so removes the way color highlights the interactable objects.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: It is possible to open the windows in the tool store and the fast food restaurant on the second floor and walk out of them, which causes the protagonist to fall to their death. As well, it is possible to use a gun on the active protagonist and on their companions if they're sleeping. Doing so causes death.
%%* TrialAndErrorGameplay:

Gameplay in the original version of ''Zombi'' relies on a graphical verb interface with 18 options,[[note]]Move, Enter vehicle, Exit vehicle, Equip, Pick up, Put down, Use, Push button, Consume, Open, Close, Change protagonist, Sleep, Wake another up, Pause, Close game, Save, Load[[/note]] all located at the bottom of the HeadsUpDisplay. A clock and direction cube are on the right and character data is to be found up above. ''Zombi'' being ''Dawn of the Dead: The Game'', the map consists of several floors in a shopping mall and the immediate outside surroundings. The world is in greyscale and interactable objects are [[AntiFrustrationFeatures highlighted in blue]] but lack descriptions. Neither conscious protagonists nor living enemies appear on screen. The presence of an enemy is indicated by their portrait showing up next to the protagonists' portraits. If so, bare-handed combat occurs automatically unless either the enemy is passed by or an equipped weapon is used. Killed enemies and protagonists or sleeping protagonists do appear on screen in blue; killed enemies can be picked up, killed protagonists can be picked up or inventory-looted, and sleeping protagonists can be woken up or shot.

Gameplay in the remake of ''Zombi'' condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands have been fused into "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame PointAndClick mechanics]]. The remake updates the graphics in color, but in doing so removes the way blue highlights the interactable objects.

* GasSiphoning: The protagonist get a chance at fuel for the helicopter when bikers take over the mall. They leave a van of theirs outside with little protection and the protagonists siphon its fuel with an empty gas can and a hose pipe.

* InUniverseGameClock: There's a digital clock on the heads-up display that starts at 11:15. Every hour thereafter, the protagonists get a bit more hungry, but otherwise nothing changes until 22:00. That's when nighttime hits and the screen goes all black. It is still possible to navigate around by memory and if the active protagonist has the lamp it can be equipped to regain visibility. The sun comes back up at 06:00.

%%* RestingRecovery:

* HumanResources: If a protagonist comes across the corpse of a dead protagonist, they can search the corpse for whatever they have in their inventory. If there is no hurry to get the items, however, it's worth it to pick up the whole corpse as essentially a handbag. All the items on the corpse come along with the corpse for no more than the price of one inventory slot.

%%* OurZombiesAreDifferent:

** On the fourth floor, there is graffiti near the staircase that reads "Punk Not Dead", a reference to the 1981 album ''Punk's Not Dead'' by The Exploited. The missing "s" could be either a typo or an intentional pun.

Gameplay in the remake of ''Zombi'' condenses the verb interface to four options: Save, Close game, Load, and Use. The other commands have been fused into "Use" and [[PointAndClickGame PointAndClick mechanics]]. The remake updates the graphics in color, but in doing so removes the way blue highlights the interactable objects. To boost immersion, there are now two death states a protagonist can have as depicted in their portrait: dead-dead and zombie.

** In the remake, there's music-related graffiti on the staircase on the fourth and second floor. On the fourth floor, the graffiti reads Music/{{Bauhaus}}. On the second floor, the graffiti reads Music/TheSistersOfMercy.

* AllThereInTheManual: The manual contains a comic about how the four protagonists got to run around in a zombie-infested mall. Without it, one might assume it's the same way the four protagonists in ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 Dawn of the Dead]]'' came to live in the mall, but that's not actually the case. As per the comic, the group originally consisted of six people. A man named Stephane and an unnamed elderly gent perished when the group made a run for the hospital's helicopter to escape the zombie infestation. After that, they only landed atop the mall because the helicopter ran out of fuel and they needed to find some, not because they wanted to make the mall a longterm residence.

%%* AllThereInTheManual:

* BottomlessMagazines: The rifle, gun, and pistol never have to be reloaded and can put an endless amount of bullets into any all zombies. The only difficulty is to fatally shoot the zombie before they've made their way over, which happens rather quickly. Of course, an injured zombie is still easier to take down in a fistfight than one who hasn't got a bullet lodged in their organs.

Gameplay in the original version of ''Zombi'' relies on a graphical verb interface with 18 options,[[note]]Move, Enter vehicle, Exit vehicle, Equip, Pick up, Put down, Use, Push button, Consume, Open, Close, Change protagonist, Sleep, Wake another up, Pause, Close game, Save, Load[[/note]] all located at the bottom of the HeadsUpDisplay. A clock and direction cube are on the right and character data is to be found up above. ''Zombi'' being ''Dawn of the Dead: The Game'', the map consists of several floors in a shopping mall and the immediate outside surroundings. The world is in greyscale and interactable objects are [[AntiFrustrationFeatures highlighted in blue]] but lack descriptions. Neither conscious protagonists nor living enemies appear on screen. The presence of an enemy is indicated by their portrait showing up next to the protagonists' portraits. If so, bare-handed combat occurs automatically unless either the enemy is passed by or an equipped weapon is used. Killed enemies, killed protagonists, or sleeping protagonists do appear on screen in blue and respectively can be picked up, inventory-looted, and woken up.

There are four protagonists -- Alexandre, Sylvie, Yannick, and Patrick -- who have marginally different stats. Each of them can carry four objects at once and their overall health is divided between a F-meter for health, a H-meter for rest, and a S-meter for hunger. For any of these to be drained is fatal. All characters are expendable except for Alexandre, who being the only one who can fly the helicopter must survive the game for the good ending.

* LimitedLoadout: The protagonists can each carry four items, regardless if that's a key or a human corpse. To make room, they can lay items they don't need anymore or just yet on the ground.

%%* ShowsDamage:

* {{Tuckerization}}: The protagonists are all named after people who worked on or for ''Zomni''. Alexandre is named after Alexandre Bonan, who wrote the scenario. Sylvie is named after Sylvie Hugonnier, Ubi Soft's marketing director. Yannick is named after Yannick Cadin, the game's producer. And Patrick is named after Patrick Daher, who handled the graphics.
* ZombieApocalypse: Zombies are rising up from wherever there are corpses and few places may be considered safe from their onslaught. Zombies aren't hard to deal with one-on-one and it isn't rare to encounter only one in a given room, but outside they are numerous.

Aside from the DOS port, 1988 is also significant to ''Zombi'' as the year its [[ThematicSeries thematic sequel]] was released: ''VideoGame/Hurlements''. Almost the entire gameplay setup from ''Zombi'' is lifted over to the other game and its [[AdvertisingByAssociation marketing highlighted]] that the two games share a producer. After 1990, ''Zombi'' fell into obscurity until the release of ''VideoGame/ZombiU'' in 2012. Audiences took an interest in the similarity between the promising new survival horror title and the game Ubisoft launched with, although the company's official statement is that any likeness is a coincidence.

[[redirect:VideoGame/ZombiU]]