Sometimes a game comes along with an idea that makes so much sense you have to wonder why it’s taken until now to be attempted. Infection Free Zone revolves around one such idea, with a central concept that’s just perfect for its blend of base building and zombie survival sim. It brings a touch of reality to the apocalypse, thanks to a unique approach to map design.
Infection Free Zone is a survival game where you build a base and attempt to keep your survivors alive while under assault from the undead. Alone, that sounds like something we’ve seen a million times, and if it were all the game offered you’d be forgiven for moving on and looking away. Where Infection Free Zone really sets itself apart is in its core mechanic, integrating the real planet Earth into its apocalyptic world.
When you start a new game you’ll be given the entire world’s towns and cities to choose from. Using data from OpenStreetMap, Infection Free Zone generates a map based on the location you’ve chosen, allowing you to play wherever you want. This means you can set up your base in your hometown, or where you work, or where you’ve been on holiday, all with real buildings and layouts from those places. As a result the whole world opens up for you, ripe for experiments in cobbled-together zombie defenses.
The first major update has just landed for the game and there’s a ton of new features and content for zombie survivalists to pick over. Gear has been added, meaning you can tool up even more when trying to survive, there’s new places of interest you can use to scavenge supplies in, trees will regrow, greenhouses can help you grow food, and of course to secure your future – babies can now be born.
In addition to a slew of new stuff, there’s plenty of balance changes included too as well as a smattering of bug fixes. Quality of life has also been under the microscope, with wall placement and camera options receiving improvements so building your own zombie-free utopia is that much simpler.
If you want to check out what’s new, head over to the Steam announcement for the full details. You can also pick up Infection Free Zone with 20% off until Thursday June 20, so if you ever wanted to see your workplace covered in the undead, this is a great opportunity.
You can also take a look at our recommendations for the best zombie games you can play as well as our guide to the best building games out there right now.
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