Zombie games usually put players in the role of survivors fighting to keep the undead at bay, but The First Zombie is taking a very different approach. Phoenixx has announced the unusual “reverse” zombie game for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, putting players on the other side of the apocalypse.
Produced by Kentaro Fujii, known for the Japanese variety show Wednesday’s Downtown, The First Zombie casts players as humanity’s very first zombie. Rather than hunting down the undead, the goal is to create more of them and gradually transform Tokyo into a city overrun by zombies.
The premise revolves around approaching ordinary humans and “making friends” with them before turning them into zombies. As the horde grows, players will be able to spread their influence across several areas of Tokyo, including recognizable districts such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ueno.
Rather than treating the zombie outbreak as something to stop, The First Zombie presents it as a strange new stage for humanity, with the player tasked with leading the transformation. The growing undead population can then be used to conquer different districts and turn them into zombie towns.
The First Zombie is currently announced for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. Phoenixx has not yet announced a release date, although the game will support both English and Japanese language options.
With its unusual premise and focus on expanding rather than eliminating a zombie population, The First Zombie could offer a very different take on the increasingly familiar undead genre. More information will likely be revealed ahead of its eventual release.