While Overwatch sparked a boom for the hero shooter genre, Team Fortress and its beloved sequel are credited as being the pioneers of the genre. The original Team Fortress served as a baseline for class-based gameplay thanks to the Spy, Medic, Pyro, and more, with the models for these characters becoming downright iconic thanks to internet memes involving them. The Team Fortress brand is also synonymous with the PC modding scene, as the original game was a mod for the classic shooter Quake. It’s only natural, then, that a series which began as a standalone mod would spawn its own mod, that being Steam’s Mann Versus Zombies.
Team Fortress is only a part of the equation that is Mann Versus Zombies, with the other half being Call of Duty’s beloved Zombies PvE mode. Mann Versus Zombies heavily leans into TF2’s humor, visuals, and character models, but mechanically, it plays a lot more like Treyarch’s survival experience. In fact, it plays just like CoD Zombies, as practically every mechanic, from Pack-a-Punch and Perk Machines to wallbuys and power-ups, is featured within the Steam game. There’s even a familiar trap and Wonder Weapon for players to look forward to, and with CoD Zombies about to go on hiatus, now is the perfect time for a TF2 mod like this to release.
While Mann Versus Zombies’ Steam page provides no release date, its trailer suggests a 2027 launch date for the game.
Mann Versus Zombies Content List
- FIGHT waves of zombified TF2 characters in 8-player co-op, starting with nothing but a pistol and building an arsenal via earned cash.
- UPGRADE an arsenal of real-world weaponry via the Mannifester machine, adding special effects and buffing all stats.
- PURCHASE perks, rebuild barricades, and grab power-up drops to survive as long as possible in an endless survival experience.
- EXPLORE a range of locations, each with unique challenges and creatures, like a zombified yeti mini-boss.
- WEAR any and all cosmetics earned within Team Fortress 2, and download custom maps and skins to keep the fun times rolling.
Merasmus has torn open the veil of death, unleashing endless waves of the Undead in this Team Fortress 2 mod! Face the horde alone or with friends in co-op survival, where each wave grows more brutal. Acquire deadly weapons, test your skill, and stack powerful perks as you fight to survive…
Mann vs. Zombies Pulls No Punches With Its CoD Zombies Mechanics
Calling Mann vs. Zombies a Call of Duty Zombies and Team Fortress 2 hybrid couldn’t be any more accurate. That combination looks like it’s going to provide plenty of fun, especially for players who prefer old-school Zombies mechanics or something like BO7’s Cursed mode. Groups of up to 8 players will start with nothing but a pistol, calling back to the days of starting with a 1911 as opposed to loadouts. They’ll have to expand that arsenal via cash earned from damaging and killing undead enemies, all of which look like re-skinned TF2 classes. Players can purchase new weapons off the wall via some familiar chalk wallbuys, and once they have their ideal gun, they can head to the Mannifester.
The Mannifester is Mann vs. Zombies’ spin on the iconic Pack-a-Punch machine, and like the best iterations of the device, weapons placed inside it undergo a proper transformation. For instance, a traditional crowssbow can be placed in the machine, and once it’s pulled out, it could fire 3 glowing red arrows in a spread pattern. This is hardly the only CoD Zombies mechanic to make a jump, though. Players can rebuild barricades to hold back the undead early on, and they can use traps to their advantage to take out larger hordes, one of which looks just like Shi No Numa’s Flogger. Add in a stand-in for the Thundergun Wonder Weapon and one map that looks a whole lot like Verrukt, and it’s very clear that Breadworks has no intention of hiding its love for Treyarch’s work.
Mann vs. Zombies also takes after the CoD Zombies trend of regularly introducing unique special enemies to throw players off, with a snowy map seemingly featuring a large yeti-like creature that uses grab attacks and will surely be able to take a good deal of damage before it falls. Unlike newer CoD Zombies projects, there’s no exfil system, and no main quests are mentioned as a way to end the game. Players simply survive for as long as they can, with waves getting progressively longer and harder to overcome. Players will have to carefully manage their ammo, make good use of returning drops like insta-kill, and purchase Perk-a-Colas like Tuff Brew, Quick Fix, and Cobalt Cola (Juggernog, Quick, and PhD Flopper, respectively).
Mann vs. Zombies is Releasing at a Perfect Time
If Mann vs. Zombies successfully makes its 2027 release window, then it’ll be dropping right when Call of Duty Zombies fans need it most. Black Ops 7 Zombies’ post-launch content drops came to an end with Rex Infernus, and Modern Warfare 4 has forgone Zombies in favor of a DMZ revival. Assuming Sledgehammer’s 2027 Call of Duty game doesn’t feature a Zombies iteration of any kind, then players will not have a new CoD Zombies map to play until late 2028, creating a drought of over two years. While players could lean on custom maps for BO3’s PC port to fill the void, a brand-new game fully inspired by the round-based mode may prove even more appealing to some.
Mann vs. Zombies also allows for custom maps and skins, which theoretically provides its fan base with an endless amount of content. As a total-conversion mod for Team Fortress 2, the game also has the added benefit of existing TF2 players being able to carry over all the cosmetics they’ve collected over the years, meaning that anyone with an impressive hat collection can show it off while gunning down packs of undead Soldiers, Medics, Scouts, and Pyros. Hopefully, Mann vs. Zombies lives up to its potential, as it’s both a great way to keep Team Fortress 2 alive and a solution to a big gap in releases that CoD Zombies fans haven’t had to deal with for a long time.
