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As satisfying as it can be to kill zombies, they’re pretty overplayed as far as video game enemies go. But what if the roles were reversed, and you played the zombie in search of humans to feast on. Well that’s exactly what you get with Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without a Pulse, released by Aspyr and THQ in 2005 for the original Xbox, followed by ports for both Windows and Mac OS.
The title was developed by Wideload Games, a company formed by Alex Seropian who had previously co-founded of Bungie. In fact, Stubbs the Zombie was built using the Bungie’s Halo engine and shares a handful of gameplay similarities with the classic first-person shooter. Make no mistake though, this is no FPS game. Rather, it’s a reverse-horror game in which the player assumes the role of the titular zombie after he rises from the grave to dine on brains of the city’s residents. Arguably, the game’s most interesting facet is that successfully eating a human’s brain will turn them into an ally. The ability to slowly turn the population into mindless (yet helpful) undead adds a unique layer of strategy, slightly reminiscent of building hordes in tower defense games. Set in 1959, the soundtrack is filled with modern alternative artists covering classic 1950s tunes, highlighting the game’s nonserious tone.
Other than some frustrating controls due largely to the character’s slow movement, Stubbs the Zombie is a lot of fun to play through. If you’re hungry for a different experience (and of course, brains), you should give it a try. And it’s honestly never been easier since a 2021 re-release gave us brand new ports for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch.
