Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning Review

Thanks to Fanatical's Mystery Bundles, I've ended up getting some pretty weird games that I have never heard of or would never have bought of my own volition. As a journalist and addicted gamer, I ended up tempted to try many of them; after all, I already paid for them, anyway, so I might as well see what's up.

The latest journey down the unknown game rabbit hole was Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning, a game where you play as a duo — Larry and Hank — and watch them try to use their scummy practices to survive the end of the world. Unlike most titles where we play humans, in this one, we're playing a rabbit and a dog, and every other character you meet is also an animal. This worked well to allow the writers to be edgy and racist as Hank, who is an older man and therefore ignorant, without having to actually resort to hurting real people.

That same edginess and raw undertone is what originally dissuaded me from trying out the game. While I'm a big sucker for anything to do with survival and RPG, most titles that have those sorts of themes tend to lose sight of the big picture or end up just trying to push boundaries, which makes it easy to crossover into try-harding or just straight-up insensitivity.

Before I touch on that, though, lemme talk about what you'll be doing as Hank and Larry — the former being an older (and racist) rabbit and the latter a (failed) drug dealer dog. As I said, the game feels like one of those no-no late-night shows that used to play on Cartoon Network, where every episode is chock-full of blood and cursing, and it all begins with a zombie outbreak.

The events unfold pretty quickly into what the gameplay is, as the duo won't dilly-dally much before having to go out into the world and fend for themselves. The premise revolves around trying to trick other animals into helping them scavenge areas while our protagonists sit in the van and guide them, supposedly protecting them from incoming threats, such as zombies. After you convince the animals and they go into the areas, you'll get a share of the loot, and you'll head off to the next place, hoping to gather enough to be accepted into the prestigious Scavenger's Guild.

The gameplay aspects are pretty few in comparison to what I had expected; in my mind, I thought we'd take a bigger part in unfolding the event, such as making tough decisions or guiding the animals into safety or death. It turns out that you'll spend most of your time just listening to them bicker and scheme, occasionally chiming in with a dialogue option that'll sometimes net you some terrible consequences, such as getting someone killed.

Personally, I very much enjoyed the whole experience; I was surprised at how much I found myself laughing at the ridiculous situations and dialogue. I was impressed by the voice acting, as I was sure it was going to be absolutely horrid, and although the themes of edgy cocaine-using were strong at the beginning, the game eventually finds its own voice. It's not just a journey of curse words and nastiness: you'll actually find some real humour here. I especially really enjoyed the dynamic between the two characters, as Larry does a great job at evening out the insanity by being a better guy than Hank, and the latter really brings the chaos to the table.

Of course, I can't just end that there, as I feel obliged to leave a warning — the game still has all the dark humour you might expect, from "racist" slurs (which aren't directed to any real-life race, that I'm aware of) and a few jabs at a mentally challenged character. If you've watched and enjoyed things like Family Guy and The Simpsons, you'll survive (and probably enjoy) Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning.

This short title — which took me only about two hours and a half to complete — does a good job of keeping the tongue-in-cheek humour from being the main and only reason to play it. The gameplay is passive, but the punchlines and voice acting make up for it, and if you, like me, don't mind narrative-driven titles, you won't even notice the lack of participation. If you're looking for something dark to enjoy, I recommend trying it. Though, keep in mind this will be a series, as it’s only the first part of Hank and Larry’s story, with the next entry arriving on the 22nd of April 2024.