In Tiny Epic Zombies, Almes takes on the survival horror genre. Like other games of this type, the players are survivors of the collapse of civilization triggered by the undead. They must collect weapons, kill zombies, and try to complete three objectives before the shopping mall they are holed up in is completely overrun.
The game offers five different play modes, including solo, cooperative, and competitive variants, with or without player-controlled zombies. It is scenario-driven, with nine different scenarios in the box.
Like other Tiny Epic games, Tiny Epic Zombies is packaged in a “pocket-sized” box that measures 7 by 4.75 inches. It features 4 “ITEMeeples” designed to hold pegged weapon tokens, of which 9 are in the game, along with police car and motorcycle pieces that the meeples can “ride.” Also included are 1 melee die, 18 zombie tokens, 28 tracker tokens, 55 cards, and 31 tokens. Tiny Epic Zombies is intended for 1 to 5 players, ages 14 and up, and plays in about half an hour. MSRP is $25.00.Gamelyn Games is funding the production of Tiny Epic Zombies through a Kickstarter campaign that has attracted more than $365,000 in pledged support from more than 10,000 backers, with 20 days remaining. Backer fulfillment is scheduled for October, with release into the trade to follow.
Last year, Gamelyn launched Tiny Epic Quest (see “Scott Almes’ ‘Tiny Epic Quest’”), the latest in the Tiny Epic series and itself the beneficiary of a Kickstarter that broke the half-million mark. The series has proven to be Kickstarter gold, with Tiny Epic Galaxies and Tiny Epic Western both pulling down more than $400,000 worth of pledges.