After the apocalypse, the undead are the least of your worries
We're not cruel or callous people here at Micro Mart. In fact, despite the constant pressures of getting a weekly magazine out on time, we're actually quite well tempered. That pretty much went out of the window, though, when we came across our first 'real' person deep in the wilderness of H1Z1.
H1Z1, if you're not aware is the newest zombie infested MMO from Daybreak Games (formally Sony Online entertainment). It's still in the early access alpha release stage, but we were given the opportunity to see what all the fuss is about with regards to a zombie apocalypse.
It's an interesting concept and one that's become rather popular with the likes of DayZ. H1Z1 throws you slap bang in the middle of America, sometime after the end of days occurred. Humanity has fallen, and what's left are numerous deserted towns, burnt out cars and houses overrun by weeds. Your job, of course, is to survive and nothing else - just stay alive.
To begin with, you have nothing but your bare fists, T-shirt, jeans and some kind of belt bag. From there, it's up to you as to how you go about finding the tools necessary to last the day. Luckily, there are enough abandoned vehicles and buildings dotted around the place that you can scavenge food, water, clothing, tools and weapons. When you locate certain objects, you can either choose to use them in the way in which they were intended, such as wearing a shirt, for example, or you can alter them to help craft something else - in the case of the shirt, it can be torn into strips to craft bandages.
Once you begin crafting various items, other objects become available. You can make bows, arrows, combat knives, axes, traps and so on. With better items at your disposal, you'll have more of a chance of lasting the night, and you can start to stave off the hunger pangs and dehydration by killing larger prey for food and using local wells for water.
Trying not to die of hunger, thirst or exhaustion is the least of your worries, though. The world is now plagued with zombies, who slowly shuffle around the world. Running into one isn't too bad, especially if you're armed; should the thing spot you, then it'll change direction and head your way. If it gets to within a few yards of you, though, the slow shuffle is suddenly replaced with a brutal spurt of speed, and it'll be on you in a matter of seconds.
One zombie is fairly easy to handle; two or three require some nifty manoeuvring to avoid being cornered. Any more than that and it's likely to be curtains for you. The undead, however, aren't all that bad, because they're fairly predictable. It's the other players you need to watch out for.
There are two main modes of play, PVP and PVE. PVE is you versus the environment, zombies and wild life. PVP is where things start to get nasty, and it provides a taste of what humanity would most likely end up like should a zombie apocalypse ever really occur.
Coming across another player, one of two things often happens. One, you both mutually agree (via voice chat) that survival in numbers is the key. The other, either one of you tries their upmost to wipe the other out. We fell foul to a few users, who practised their aim on us as opposed to the undead, and the end was swift and brutal. When the tables were eventually turned, we have to admit, with a modicum of shame, that we did enjoy using a hoard of the undead to spring a trap on some poor unsuspecting soul and reaping the rewards of doing so after.
H1Z1 has its flaws at present, most of which are graphical. But these are minor imperfections in the bigger picture, which is like a huge, open-world version The Walking Dead. There are lots of unique and interesting features here to be savoured and absorbed: running into a bear, for instance, hunting deer and rabbit or using them as a distraction while you sneak past a group of the undead. And of course, there's the feeling that some other player is watching you, and cautiously biding their time until they strike you down.
With these things combined, H1Z1 comes into its own and represents a game that when fully complete will no doubt be one for your collection. For now, although problematic at times, it's certainly worth looking into for a mere £15. David Hayward
An interesting and absorbing MMO that'll certainly keep you awake at night.