Yes, the irony is thick today. Not only are zombies themselves a bit of a “redux” considering that they are recycled corpses, but I’m writing about zombies. Again.
I’m a changed man. I no longer see zombies as completely devoid of value. I’m not yet embracing the shambling undead, but this little gem of a game has given me pause for how they can be used in interesting narratives.
Sonny
Yes, it’s a Flash game; yes, it’s effectively a “lite” JRPG; yes, the main character is apparently an amnesiac zombie. I haven’t played all that far into the game yet, but I’ve got to give it major brownie points for being something more than just another zombie gorefest. I’m actually… curious about a zombie, rather than just being disgusted with it.
I’m still not playing Left4Dead (mostly because I can’t, but even if I could, survival horror still doesn’t work for me), but my stance on zombies as a whole isn’t what it used to be. Maybe it’s because Sonny hits a sweet spot for my Final Fantasy-addled brain, maybe it’s because the zombie amnesiac is closer in concept to the historic Vodou Zombies, maybe it’s just because I’m a sucker for a well-designed free game. Whatever the case, I recommend Sonny to those who might enjoy seeing through the eyes of a zombie who isn’t interested in slasher flick tropes. Is it a perfect game? Nope, but it’s a fair sight better than some of the full price RPGs we’ve seen over the years.
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