Zombies Ate My Neighbors, the game that graced the cover of our first issue, has now invaded a modded Doom II engine. My only question here is, why has it taken so long to happen? The levels of the Konami classic are laid out quite a bit like Doom levels already. Well, it has happened, and it is an interesting looking experience to say the least. Gone are the demon spawn of hell replaced with lumbering zombies, toy dolls with hatchets and more.
How this is possible
Zombies Ate My neighbors invading Doom is powered by GZDoom which is a modded Doom II engine that allows for a more modern feel. Developers using the GZDoom engine are not as limited as those using the much stricter original engine.
What you see in the video is a recent build of the mod, which according to Nintendo Enthusiast has been in development since 2019. What is shown off is quite impressive, just look at the video to see for yourself.
The goals are still the same
This is Zombies Ate My Neighbors at the core. Your goal is to find all the helpless townsfolk and rescue them. Along your journey will encounter many horror tropes such as zombies and toy dolls wielding hatchets.
In the gameplay video released there are only zombies and those little “Chucky”-like dolls for enemies. I did not see any other enemies to speak of. Hopefully we will see more such as the giant baby doll, chainsaw wielding maniacs, etc.
Where to get it
You can grab a demo from 2019 on the ModDB page. Other than that, you are going to have to wait until the developer releases the next demo or finishes the game to their liking/capabilities. To get ready you can secure copies of various Doom games on eBay and Amazon then dive into the mod scene (there are some great ones out there).
I personally hate covering things this early in development because it is often excruciating waiting for them to finish and be released.
What is your favorite Doom mod?
This article was originally published on Retro Gaming Magazine, a gaming website I own.