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Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning similar games & best alternatives

Scheming Through The Zombie Apocalypse: The Beginning

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch • 2018

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Quick resume

Join Hank and Larry, two small defenseless animals, as they manipulate their way through the zombie apocalypse. Meet various characters and get them to scavenge for you while guiding them to "safety." Make life-or-death decisions, bargain, manage inventory, trade, and gamble.

Global score

81/100

Genres

Adventure, Casual, Indie

Similar games

    Pros

    • Humorous and engaging story
    • Unique take on zombie apocalypse
    • Well-voiced characters
    • Strategic dialogue choices
    • Good value during sales

    Cons

    • Short gameplay length
    • Limited interactivity
    • Repetitive dialogue on replay
    • Lack of skip dialogue feature
    • No multiplayer or social features

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Idle, Thrill, Violence, Survival. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Expression.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players make dialogue choices and direct scavenging actions, showing moderate control over decisions."

    • Competence
      2

      "Gameplay involves strategic decision-making and some mini-games like lock-picking and gambling, but overall low mechanical challenge."

    • Competition
      -3

      "Focus is on personal story progression and choices without competitive elements or leaderboards."

    • Continuation
      2

      "Players report replaying for achievements and alternate story paths, though the game is short and some find replay tedious."

    • Cooperation
      -4

      "Gameplay centers on individual decision-making and managing NPCs rather than multiplayer cooperation."

    • Creativity
      1

      "Some strategic choices and resource management allow for creative problem solving, but within a structured narrative."

    • Domination
      -4

      "Interactions emphasize manipulation and persuasion of NPCs, but no player-versus-player dominance or power assertion."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Players use the game as a humorous distraction with immersive storytelling and dark comedy to escape real life."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Reviews indicate players engage voluntarily for entertainment and humor, not out of obligation or pressure."

    • Experimenting
      3

      "Multiple playthroughs to explore different dialogue choices and outcomes encourage experimentation."

    • Exploration
      -2

      "Game is narrative-driven with limited environment exploration; focus is on story and dialogue rather than discovery."

    • Expression
      -3

      "Customization is minimal; players mainly experience preset characters and story without avatar personalization."

    • Fantasy
      4

      "Anthropomorphic animals in a zombie apocalypse with absurd humor create a strong imaginative and fictional experience."

    • Fellowship
      -4

      "Single-player experience with limited social interaction or community involvement."

    • Growth
      2

      "Players develop strategic thinking and learn dialogue impacts, though gameplay depth is limited."

    • Health
      -5

      "No physical activity involved; sedentary gameplay typical of visual novel style."

    • Idle
      3

      "Game allows casual play with short sessions and the ability to quit anytime, suitable for filling time."

    • Intimacy
      -4

      "Interactions are mostly superficial dialogue choices without deep emotional connections or relationships."

    • Leadership
      3

      "Players guide NPCs to scavenge and make decisions, exercising indirect leadership over characters."

    • Progression
      3

      "Collecting loot, managing inventory, and unlocking achievements provide a sense of progression."

    • Relaxation
      3

      "Humorous tone and light gameplay create a relaxed experience with low tension."

    • Sensation
      1

      "Visuals and voice acting provide moderate sensory enjoyment but no intense stimulation."

    • Status
      -4

      "No social recognition or ranking systems; focus is on personal story experience."

    • Story
      4

      "Strong narrative focus with engaging characters, humor, and branching dialogue."

    • Strategy
      3

      "Requires planning and tactical choices in resource management and dialogue decisions."

    • Thrill
      -2

      "Low suspense and risk; gameplay is controlled and predictable with minimal tension."

    • Value
      2

      "Generally considered good value during sales; short length balanced by humor and replayability."

    • Violence
      -3

      "Violence is mostly off-screen or implied; focus is on manipulation and survival rather than combat."

    • Survival
      2

      "Survival theme present through resource management and decision consequences, but low threat to main characters."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026