I’ve been a console-only gamer for over a decade now after spending my teens constantly updating my computer to being able to play the latest games. One of the last PC games I played before making the switch has to be Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel without a pulse. Now 15 years later Stubbs the Zombie makes a re-appearance on PC and Xbox while also adding the Playstation and Nintendo Switch into the mix.
Edward Stubblefield
Edward – Stubbs – Stubblefield is an unsuccessful salesman back in 1933. He is in love with Maggie Monday but upon discovering the romance, Maggie’s father Otis kills Stubbs and dumps his body. 26 years later Maggia’s son, Andrew is a successful man and introduces the world to Punchbowl, a (retro-) futuristic city coincidentally built on the remains of Stubbs. As the city is almost ready for its grand opening, Stubbs, now a zombie, rises from his grave in search of the love of his life… and brains.
Play as a zombie
What made Stubbs the Zombie so appealing back in the day is the fact you play as the zombie. Most games with zombies – at least 15 years ago – task you with getting rid of them. Playing as a zombie and using the “ways” of a zombie to get buy felt original back in the days and to be honest, still does. Grabbing humans and eating their brains and subsequently creating a zombie army to help you progress is still plenty of fun. Add in the original “weapons” this game introduces along the way and you’ll have plenty to experiment with.
Humor
Stubbs the Zombie is filled with humor. Every character in the game is an exaggerated version of a stereotype. Tough guy cops, greased-up Fonzy looking characters, foul-mouthed hillbilly’s… all of these and many more make an appearance in Stubbs the Zombie and will make you chuckle along the way. The gazillion ways you’ll hear the quintessential line “Braaaaaaaiinsss” drop throughout the game all add to the flavor. To top things off, the game introduces over-the-top ways to attack humans.
At the start, you can only smack an enemy making them vulnerable to being grabbed. Once grabbed you can eat their brains turning them into a zombie. Enemies who use ranged weapons become harder to handle on their own so Stubbs the Zombie introduces the ability to whistle nearby Zombies to form a Zombie shield. After some progress is made you’ll learn new and original mechanics to wreak havoc in Punchbowl. Detaching your arm to temporary control a human, throwing exploding intestines as grenades, detach your head and bowl it at groups of humans,…
Linear
Although the game does its best to mix things up enough. Stubbs the Zombie is very linear and feels a bit confined. After defeating every human in the level, you progress to a new area. With each area, new elements are introduced but even without using most of these you can get through a level just fine. So depending on how much you want to experiment with the new abilities you get, you could end up just button-mashing your way through every area and be fine.
2021 update
From what I researched, Stubbs the Zombie had a few attempts at prior re-vamping of the original. Apparently, the re-iterations weren’t all that stable performance-wise and were pulled from all platforms. This 2021 update should have none of those problems. I never encountered any problems throughout my playthrough on the Nintendo Switch so I guess they got it right this time. Beyond the stability updates, this game felt pretty much identical to the one I played back in 2006. Herein lies the biggest flaw in my opinion. The game was OK back then but as with most things… that “OK” hasn’t made any progress with age. Some visual updates or something extra could’ve done this game a great deal forward.
Conclusion
Stubbs the Zombie is an enjoyable game that played as it should. I think fans of the original – like yours truly – will surely enjoy the game. I doubt new-comers will be as easily pleased because of the dated game design/gameplay.
