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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

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    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

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

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      3

      "Players can make choices in dialogue and skill development, explore the world freely, and mod the game, indicating a degree of control over actions."

      Capsule for Driftmoon Driftmoon

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

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      2

      "Gameplay involves decision-making and quick-time events requiring some skill and attention, but not complex mechanical challenges."

      Capsule for Detroit: Become Human Detroit: Become Human

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

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on personal progression and story experience without competitive or leaderboard elements."

      Capsule for FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water FATAL FRAME / PROJECT ZERO: Maiden of Black Water

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

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      2

      "Players report replaying for multiple endings and achievements, but the game is relatively short and some find replayability limited."

      Capsule for D'LIRIUM D'LIRIUM

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

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

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      "Gameplay centers on individual tasks and interactions with NPCs rather than multiplayer or cooperative play."

      Capsule for Smile For Me Smile For Me

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

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      1

      "Some exploration and puzzle solving allow for creative problem solving, but mostly follows a set narrative and environment."

      Capsule for Narcosis Narcosis

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

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -4

      "Interactions are balanced with NPCs; no evidence of power-over or dominance motivations in player behavior."

      Capsule for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

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

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game as a fun, addictive distraction with immersive dark humor and a unique world."

      Capsule for Schedule I Schedule I

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

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily for humor and entertainment, not out of obligation or pressure."

      Capsule for Trover Saves the Universe Trover Saves the Universe

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

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      3

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

      Capsule for Tell Me Why Tell Me Why

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

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      -2

      "Game environments are mostly familiar and narrative-driven with limited physical exploration or discovery."

      Capsule for Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series Batman: The Enemy Within - The Telltale Series

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

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "Customization is minimal; players use preset characters and environments without significant avatar or environment personalization."

      Capsule for Critter Crunch Critter Crunch

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

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "Strongly imaginative zombie apocalypse theme with humorous and exaggerated fictional elements."

      Capsule for Zombie Night Terror Zombie Night Terror

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

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -4

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

      Capsule for The Dwarves The Dwarves

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

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      2

      "Players develop skills and unlock new dialogue options and endings, though gameplay learning curve is shallow."

      Capsule for My Lovely Wife My Lovely Wife

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

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

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

      Capsule for Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines

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

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      3

      "Game supports casual play with short sessions and ability to pause and resume easily."

      Capsule for Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Gems of War - Puzzle RPG

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

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "Interactions are mostly surface-level dialogues with characters; no deep emotional or relationship-building mechanics."

      Capsule for Tangle Tower Tangle Tower

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

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      3

      "Players lead recruited NPCs and coordinate multiplayer teams, exercising authority and tactical command."

      Capsule for Kingpin — Life of Crime Kingpin — Life of Crime

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

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      3

      "Collecting items and unlocking achievements provide a sense of advancement and accumulation."

      Capsule for House of Detention House of Detention

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

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      3

      "Humorous tone and fluid gameplay provide a generally relaxing experience despite some combat tension."

      Capsule for Revenge of the Savage Planet Revenge of the Savage Planet

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

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      1

      "Simple visuals and sounds provide mild sensory stimulation but nothing intense."

      Capsule for Zup! XS Zup! XS

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

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -4

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

      Capsule for Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer

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

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      4

      "Strong narrative focus with multiple branching storylines, character development, and humor."

      Capsule for Kindergarten 2 Kindergarten 2

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

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Requires planning, resource management, and tactical decisions."

      Capsule for Aground Aground

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

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      -2

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

      Capsule for Feed the Reactor Feed the Reactor

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

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      2

      "Generally perceived as good value especially when bought on sale; some mention short length but satisfying content."

      Capsule for Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala Enigmatis 3: The Shadow of Karkhala

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

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      -3

      "Violence is mostly off-screen or described in text; no graphic combat or destruction gameplay."

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

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      2

      "Themes of survival and avoiding failure appear in story, though gameplay is not focused on resource management."

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

    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.

    Last update: 30/04/2026