Zombies arent always the slow, droning, brain-hungry creatures that we know from the likes of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. Throughout the years, zombies have taken on different forms across all of horror media, whether clawing their way up from six-feet under, or manifesting from top-secret government experiments gone wrong. Modern horror has had a heavy fixation on zombies, and for good reasonthe zombie trope is very versatile.
Given the many iterations of zombies that have appeared in video games over the past couple of decades, there are certain types that stand out from the rest in how theyve innovated what exactly the creatures are and their capabilities. These iterations still retain the staple aspects of what we know as zombies (humanoid in figure, animalistic in nature with an intent to kill), yet elevate past the traditional mold of simply being dull-witted and physically impaired. Zombies like this are typically the most memorable, and have become the most iconic in gaming.
Witches in the Left 4 Dead series are among the most infamous enemies that players can encounter in each campaign. Appearance-wise, theyre quite simple. Its the behavior of Witches that make them so iconic as zombies. Unlike their bloodthirsty counterparts, Witches do not wish to be disturbed, and only attack when approached or startled. When they do attack, theyre abnormally fast. Instead of a classic low moan, they let out a shriek as they rush toward players. The concept behind them isnt over the top by any means, yet they instill dread into the hearts of every Left 4 Dead player every time they hear the crying of a Witch from the darkness.
The concept behind the Head Crab zombies in the Half-Life series is genuinely chilling. Starting from the head of their hosts, the Head Crabs clamp down and take control of the hosts, slowly mutating the rest of the body. The end result is a human body with giant claws and a gaping mouth on the abdomen, ready to pounce on its prey. Their design is humanoid enough to still be called zombie-like while being mutated enough to give them a very distinctive look.
The House of the Dead series boasts a wide cast of mutated creatures ready to kill, from frogs that leap up to take chomps out of you, to chainsaw-wielding giants that sprint towards you. The typical zombies that players encounter in the series look the part of traditional zombies: fleshy, rotting, and sometimes missing limbshowever, they also tend to proficiently use actual weapons. Theyll throw axes, barrels, and anything they can to make the player go down. However, in cutscenes, theyre shown to do what zombies are usually trademarked to do: feast upon the corpses of their victims.
Draugr are powerful, undead Nordic warriors that players encounter frequently in dungeons and crypts across Skyrim. Though they are rotting, reanimated corpses, they do seem to possess some cognitive functionenough to still be able to use bow and arrows when attacking. They are also hinted at still being able to understand human language. Despite this, their empty, glowing eyes, hostile behavior, and tendency to rise out of the ground or out of coffins definitely still calls for the zombie label.
Similar to the Head Crabs of Half-Life, the Plaga is an infectious parasite that slowly takes control of its victims. The Plaga takes many forms as it sprouts from where the head of its victim should be, sometimes violently causing it to explode. Even if there isnt a human head left to eat its victims, the Plaga can get the job done and chomp the head off of its prey in one swift swoop.
The Infected appear in many shapes and sizes throughout the series of The Last of Us. Before mutating into forms that no longer resemble humans, The Infected appear as Clickersa state in which cognitive function has completely ceased and animal instinct has taken its place. Similar to bats, Clickers use echolocation to determine where their next victims are, substituting the traditional low moaning of zombies with an eerie, cacophony of loud gurgles, groans, and clicking noises.
The Volatile in Dying Light seem to take every traditional aspect of zombies and completely flip them upside down. They are extremely strong, take many hits to take down, and are agile enough to climb to the top of buildings and leap across one from the other. Their glowing, beady eyes, and razor-sharp teeth read like a traditional zombie, but they arent nearly as simple to escape from or take down as running away or shooting them in the head.
Splicers are unique to this list in that for the most part, they have still retained a level of humanity. However, their minds and bodies have become so warped due to the use of the drug ADAM that their genetic makeup has been deformed beyond repair. As a result, their behavior is so centered around addiction to the drug that it completely clouds their judgment, causing them to be hostile to anyone that may appear to be between them and their fix. The side effects of ADAM cause the users to strongly resemble zombies as well, with skin lesions, bleeding, and other deformities.
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8 Video Game Zombies That Break the Traditional Mold - Bloody Disgusting
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- Call of Duty's Zombie Easter Eggs Were Too Hard, So Cold War Season 2 Is Simplifying Things - Kotaku - March 9th, 2021
- Resident Evil 3 Did Army of the Dead's Zombie Vegas 14 Years Ago - Screen Rant - March 9th, 2021
- The perfect Call of Duty zombies mode is here, and it's not Outbreak - PC Gamer - March 9th, 2021
- CDC Offers Guide to Survive Zombie Apocalypse and Other Natural Disasters - Complex - March 9th, 2021
- Zombie Soil: The Harmful Result of Industrial Farming | Earth 911 - Earth911.com - March 9th, 2021
- Call of Duty Warzone Crossover With Zombies Teased on Twitter - Screen Rant - March 9th, 2021
- 'Zombie' cicadas could be on your doorstep this summer - Times-West Virginian - March 9th, 2021
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- Resurrected The Walking Dead star Lauren Cohan tells Conan her best zombie kill nicknames - The A.V. Club - March 9th, 2021
- Warzone yellow access cards - how to survive the new shipwreck zombies event - Gamesradar - March 9th, 2021
- WTOPs Beer of the Week: 3 Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale - WTOP - March 9th, 2021
- Indias zombie home fund set to deliver thousands of apartments - The Real Deal - February 20th, 2021
- Zombie infection threat as country unlocks 50,000-year-old viruses - Yahoo News Australia - February 20th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie rises from his grave this March for PC via Steam - PC Invasion - February 20th, 2021
- Zombie Hit Train To Busan Is Getting A US Remake - GameSpot - February 20th, 2021
- Rob Zombie says the meat industrys future is unsustainable - NME.com - February 20th, 2021
- Stubbs The Zombie In Rebel Without A Pulse - Yahoo Entertainment - February 20th, 2021
- Batista Wanted To Play A Zombie On The Walking Dead, Rejected For Being "Too Big" - Fightful - February 20th, 2021
- Dave Bautista told he was too big to play zombie on The Walking Dead - NME - February 17th, 2021
- Dave Bautista Offered To Play A Zombie For Free On The Walking Dead - Screen Rant - February 17th, 2021
- Is plurilateralism making the WTO an institutional zombie? - East Asia Forum - February 17th, 2021
- REVIEW: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Vol. 1 is a Comedic Zombie Apocalypse - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 17th, 2021
- Don't Eat Pete is a zombie survival game that's available now for Android in Early Access - Pocket Gamer - February 17th, 2021
- Call of Duty Warzone seems to be teasing Zombies - Gamesradar - February 17th, 2021
- James Gunn Weighs In On Whether Zombies Or Vampires Are More Dangerous - Looper - February 17th, 2021
- The Walking Dead back on the march - Stuff.co.nz - February 17th, 2021
- The Walking Dead Turned Dave Bautista Down for a Zombie Role - Superherohype.com - February 16th, 2021
- Army of the Dead Image Teases Zombie Heist Movie - /FILM - February 16th, 2021
- The Real Life Diet of Rob Zombie, Who Thinks Eating Vegan Is Metal - British GQ - February 16th, 2021
- Rob Zombie says veganism is about 'fighting the establishment' - Vegan Food and Living - February 16th, 2021
- The Next Generation of Marvel Zombies Is Already in the Marvel Universe - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 16th, 2021
- It Looks Like Zombies Are Coming To Warzone Season 2 | TheGamer - TheGamer - February 16th, 2021
- ROB ZOMBIE Explains Why He Went Vegan "It Is Anti-Establishment" - Metal Injection - February 14th, 2021
- Zombie Baseballs and MLBs Home Run Problem - The Wall Street Journal - February 14th, 2021
- Rob Zombie Thinks Eating Vegan Is Metal - GQ - February 14th, 2021
- This is what the DoD has planned for a zombie apocalypse - We Are The Mighty - February 14th, 2021
- 3 Cookbooks and guides to teach you how to survive during the eventual zombie apocalypse - Undead Walking - February 14th, 2021
- Call Of Duty Zombies: All Zombies Crews, Ranked - TheGamer - February 14th, 2021
- Tesla : Which is the best EV to own to survive a zombie apocalypse? - marketscreener.com - February 14th, 2021
- Here's How You Can Watch Every Season Of iZombie - Looper - February 14th, 2021
- What's The 1st Thing You'd Grab If Zombies Invaded Twin Falls? - kezj.com - February 14th, 2021
- Kennedy: Banks, communities need to collaborate on zombie property upkeep - The Daily Gazette - February 10th, 2021
- Zombies Attack Bend! [With Video] - The Source Weekly - February 10th, 2021
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- These Bulletproof Vehicles Are Perfect For Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse - HotCars - February 10th, 2021
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- Rise of Barnegat Light's Zombie Whale; It Starts With Dead Bigfoots, the Devils - The SandPaper - February 10th, 2021
- The Senate should do everything it can to avoid a zombie impeachment trial - CNN - February 9th, 2021
- Zombie Reddy Four Days Box Office Collection, Teja Sajja's Film Is Ruling The Box Office. - Sakshi Post - February 9th, 2021
- Colm O'Regan: The perfect Valentine's Day gift - a zombie plan for the one you love - Irish Examiner - February 9th, 2021
- Zombie Reddy Third Day Box Office Collection, Teja Sajja's Film Passes The Weekend On A Phenomenal Note - Sakshi Post - February 9th, 2021
- How to Play the Witch Role Mod in Among Us | Screen Rant - Screen Rant - February 9th, 2021
- Reanimation and Zombies: Discussion with author Frank Swain - WLNS - February 9th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie Is Returning In a Unique Re-release From Aspyr Media - Happy Gamer - February 9th, 2021
- Author discussion to explore reanimation, zombies - The Hillsdale Daily News - February 9th, 2021
- Not Ready to Die: These 5 'zombie' cars were sold alongside their replacements - Driving - February 5th, 2021
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- Stubbs the Zombie comes back from the dead in March, achievements revealed - TrueAchievements - February 5th, 2021
- Prasanth Varma: Zombie Reddy doesnt make a joke out of zombies - The Indian Express - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie Re-Release Launching in March | Game Rant - GameRant - February 5th, 2021
- Shang-Chi Finally Found the Cure for the Newest Kind of Marvel Zombie - CBR - Comic Book Resources - February 5th, 2021
- Free-Roam VR Unleashed - The Source Weekly - February 5th, 2021
- Releasing Today: Zombie Attack On Box Office.. - Greatandhra.com - February 5th, 2021
- ROB ZOMBIE's New Album Was Completed A Couple Years Ago - Metal Injection - February 5th, 2021
- Zombie nation: Third of adults walking around in concussion-like daze due to stress, lack of sleep - Study Finds - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie Achievements Listing Hints a Re-release in March - The Nerd Stash - February 5th, 2021
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Re-Release Hinted - NoobFeed - February 5th, 2021
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero