Zombies are one of the most common enemy types in video games, appearing in everything from Call of Duty to Red Dead Redemption to Minecraft—not to mention being the main threat in a number of zombie-focused games. It’s not difficult to grasp why they appear so often, as they not only make great fodder enemies, but zombies, already being lumbering corpses, remove any discomfort that could come from killing them in the most brutal ways imaginable. Small tweaks can make them terrifying, like Dying Light’s Volatiles or The Last of Us’ Clickers, while giant hordes of undead attackers have created tension in games like Days Gone: a title that Steam’s Ebbtide can be compared to.
Obviously, a top-down RTS differs from the third-person, story-driven adventure of Deacon St. John, but the concept of massive hordes is something Days Gone and Ebbtide have in common. Steam’s Ebbtide also has a vibe that’s comparable to the State of Decay franchise, as players take command of humanity’s last battalion in Los Angeles. The LA setting even provides some Dead Island 2 vibes, and with the top-down camera perspective and RTS approach, They Are Billions fans should be interested in this game as well. Ebbtide is clearly mixing and matching bits and pieces from the entire zombie genre, an approach that could result in a very entertaining experience.
Ebbtide Wishlist, Features, and More
- Ebbtide is “Coming Soon” but has already accumulated 100,000 wishlists
- PLAN each operation from a world map, choosing which region to help.
- SCROLL to any street from the operations map to influence the battle, commanding or directly controlling military assets with no load times.
- BATTLE a horde that fights back, scaling walls, pulling down helicopters, and turning friendly soldiers into zombies.
- WIELD powerful tools like cruise missiles, tanks, and gunships against the undead.
- BUILD your bases to fight back against the undead, adding walls, lighting, turrets, and more.
Ebbtide’s Hordes of Hostiles Will Burn Through Resources Just Like Days Gone’s Freakers
Ebbtide sees players commanding every surviving faction in LA, from the police to the military. They’ll decide whether forces retreat or hold the line, send in supplies to survivors that need them, and swap between districts with no load times to influence multiple battles all at once. However, with 15 districts under siege, everyone can’t be saved, and players will have to make difficult decisions. Perhaps there’s a specialist in Hollywood Hills that they can’t risk losing, so they have to sacrifice a group of soldiers that are being overrun in the Port of LA. These kinds of choices will need to be kept in mind the longer the fight goes on, and the more scarce resources become, emphasizing the strategy portion of this RTS.
Thankfully, Ebbtide players have more tools in their arsenal to combat the massive hordes of undead than Deacon did in Days Gone. Instead of just a motorcycle and some guns, they have Tomahawk cruise missiles, destroyer guns, M777 howitzers, AC-130 gunships, and drones to use as they see fit. However, resources are finite, and the infected are dangerously smart, as they won’t just let players block them off with walls or gun them down with helicopters. The undead enemies fight back by leaping onto the helicopters and pulling them toward the ground, scaling walls like the hordes seen in World War Z, and infecting enemies. If a group of soldiers is killed, they won’t just stay dead, as they’ll join the seemingly endless zombie army that has spread throughout LA.
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When Ebbtide players zoom into a specific battleground, they’ll be able to take several strategic approaches or take control of a unit themselves. On the strategic front, players can set squad formations and alter their combat stances, while also commanding various ground vehicles. They can command helicopters to fast-rope more troops or land for refueling, too. And for those who want to take a hands-on approach, they simply need to press TAB to take control of a specific soldier, tank, or helicopter. A clip of a police car making donuts and running down zombies is even shown, suggesting there’s a good deal of variety when it comes to this aspect of the game. And when players have their fill and zoom back out, the battle will continue, with destroyed buildings, spent ship magazines, and lost lives carrying back to the world map.
Ebbtide’s Base-Building and Supply Lines Could Keep State of Decay Fans Busy
State of Decay’s general vibe and permanent death are both integral elements of Ebbtide, and to some extent, the community management is as well. Players will build a range of bases where they see fit, raising concrete walls, adding gates or scaffolding, and placing gun nests, mortar pits, or fuel and ammo depots. These bases house the resources that soldiers and vehicles burn through during the endless battles taking place throughout LA, and they’ll have to return to a forward operating base to stock back up. Protecting these bases is crucial, then, as is creating supply lines between bases spread throughout Los Angeles.
To build a base, materials will need to be carried to the chosen location via a hooklift truck or helicopter sling, and the horde will target these important vehicles to make the experience more challenging. This, again, forces commanders to make a tough choice: command the vehicles themselves to make sure they arrive, or gamble on the AI getting them where they need to go while influencing other battles. Whether players are base building, controlling a lone soldier to make them a one-man army, hunting for “hidden control nodes” to permanently weaken the zombie army, or simulating top-down battles at 4x speed, Ebbtide looks like an RTS that will overwhelm gamers with things to do the entire time they’re playing.
