I have to admit: when I first saw Zeverland on Steam, I was pretty much sold straight away. After adding it to my wishlist, I immediately checked whether they would be at Gamescom. After getting in touch, I managed to set up an appointment. Zeverland is a game from Quantum Quirks Games, and during my visit to Gamescom I got the chance to check out and play the game. The combination of survival elements and the cute style of the characters immediately caught my attention. Visually, it reminded me a little bit of MySims.
Zombie survival games are definitely not in short supply these days, so a new one really needs to bring something different to the table to grab our attention. Zeverland is a PvE open-world survival crafter that you can play both solo and in online co-op. Instead of throwing you into a world where the zombie apocalypse has already been going on for years, Zeverland drops you right into the first few minutes of it. The water is still running, the lights are even still on in some houses, and meanwhile everything is slowly starting to go completely off the rails.
Creativity is key
What I personally really like is that almost everything in the world can be used or modified. A normal weapon not good enough? Just combine an iron with a tennis racket, or build something else completely ridiculous out of whatever junk you come across. Vehicles can also be modified and can even be used as a mobile base. Think of something like a camper with solar panels. And if all of that goes wrong and you get bitten, apparently your adventure isn’t over just yet. You can actually continue playing as a Zed. Want to go back to playing as a survivor afterwards? You can do that too. You just have to interact with a massive flower.
Play at your own pace
Something else I really like is the way quests work. Somehow, everything feels nice and quick and light, which fits the style of the game really well. Nothing feels forced, and you can genuinely just play the way you want to. Decide for yourself when you want to finish a certain quest or when you just feel like messing around for a while. I really liked that relaxed feeling because the game doesn’t constantly make you feel like you have to do something in one specific way. You can just play, explore and see where you end up along the way.
A huge world to survive in
We definitely can’t complain about the size of the map either. At around 5,000 km², there is plenty to explore. Along the way you’ll come across mountains, lakes, abandoned cities and farms. You can build your own base and recruit NPCs with different jobs, including cooks, construction workers and security guards, as well as people who can make clothing for you. Besides simply trying to survive yourself, you can also take things a step further. Players can contribute to larger projects, such as repairing bridges, developing a vaccine and rebuilding parts of civilization. During the presentation, I also heard that players would have some influence over how seasons play out.
A survival game that doesn’t take itself too seriously
Nelson Woon’s energy during the presentation was honestly great. Because of him, it didn’t feel like some boring grey meeting, but more like I was checking out a game together with a group of friends. The whole atmosphere was super relaxed, we laughed a lot, and honestly, that fit Zeverland perfectly. The game itself has that same laid-back feeling. I really liked that, and it even felt a little bit “new” to me, because I’m normally playing survival games where I feel like I have to be switched on 24/7. Here, I could just let go a little and mess around. So many silly things happened that I genuinely couldn’t stop laughing. On top of that, the game is just really entertaining.
When I got home, I immediately had access to the playtest as well. Even though I was sick, I still managed to spend a few hours enjoying the game, completing some quests and building a small base. I genuinely can’t wait for the game to officially release so I can play it with all my friends on Steam. Because this feels like it’s going to be one of those evenings filled with fun, lots of laughing and, most importantly, a whole lot of silly, stupid things.
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