Reviews from

in the past


Akin to getting jumped and brutally murdered. The back half of this game should not be experienced by anyone. Abandoned somewhere in the final few levels.

The serenity to accept the neighbors already eaten by zombies, the courage to rescue the neighbors I can, and the wisdom to tell the difference between the two

I love this game. It is a legit good time to be had, with friends and family!

Zombies Ate My Neighbors might be the greatest title in video game history. Somehow, breathy B-movie titles that elicit shocking, horrific images and primitive, pixelated games are a matrimonial pairing. It certainly caused an intrigued sensation in me to play this game even though it was released before my time. Also, the Konami and LucasArts collaboration is bound to create something at least moderately engaging considering the marvelous streak of successes under both developer’s belts. While all of these factors would signify the makings of a quality product, I realize that I might be suckered in by a gimmick. The B-movies that this game takes obvious inspiration from used those elongated sentences as their names to drum up a superficial sense of spectacle because the films were ultimately cheap in every sense of the word. Does the gaming industry also have a history of using the same tactics to hook naive consumers? Given that Halloween is approaching and I’m feeling festive, it is finally time to play Zombies Ate My Neighbors and form an educated conclusion on if this Konami/LucasArts is a thrilling romp fueled by a tongue-in-cheek shlock value, or if the game comes up short and leaves me disappointed like the deliberate shlock that it reminds me of.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors features two playable characters: a “sick” and “radical” teenage boy with spiky blonde hair wearing the classic 3D glasses with the red and blue lenses and a girl of a similar age bracket named Julie, who still exudes a tasteful amount of feminization with her kickass fighting combination of a baseball cap and leather jacket. I believe we used to refer to this as the “tomboy” look in the less enlightened era of the 1990s. I chose to play as Zeke not because I’m a sexist or because I’m trying to fulfill some kind of male power fantasy of massacring the throngs of the undead, but because giving the cheerleaders the highest point values wouldn’t make any sense unless they were arbitrarily assigned by a male teenage horndog (unless the game is suggesting something about Julie’s sexuality on top of her choice of outfit). You see, the past tense form of “ate” is rather misleading. Zombies have not eaten Zeke and Julie’s neighbors yet, so the game is neither a mission of vengeance nor is it the breaking point of the zombie outbreak where they are the two remaining human survivors. Actually, all of their neighbors seem to be treating the zombie outbreak around their town with a sense of aloofness, going about their business as usual as if they aren’t in any danger. Because the denizens of whatever American town this is are so oblivious to the current crisis that surrounds them, Zeke and Julie have to round up their stupid asses and bring them to safety from an isometric viewpoint. Once they’ve all been accounted for (all of the ones that are still alive by the end, at least), the player can move on to the next level with their victory signified by a magic door portal materializing in front of them. Their neighbors are categorized by a smattering of neighborly folk including a man at his barbeque, a guy floating in his pool, a middle-aged couple tied at the hip, a ginger-haired girl hopping on a trampoline, babies, etc. Of course, how could I forget about the squad of cheerleaders, for they are apparently the most valuable neighbors to rescue in the game’s points system, while the stern, sexless schoolmarms are worth the least. Frankly, it seems harsh to distribute differing levels of value to certain kinds of people, but this is a dire situation where all societal niceties have to be disregarded. I would think the archeologist, a man of science, would be imperative to have in a post-zombie society, but maybe Zeke is smarter than he looks and is thinking ahead for a repopulation scenario with these pom pom girls. Nah, Zeke was probably still thinking about populating with these cheerleaders far before patient zero of this outbreak ever surfaced.

While the sluggish reanimated corpses are indeed a common enemy type in Zombies Ate My Neighbors, this factor of the game also isn’t telling the whole truth. Yes, the rotting, emaciated undead are the most common threat to the neighbors, but they are hardly the only kind danger on the prowl. Do titles like, “chainsaw-wielding maniacs decapitated my neighbors” and “giant spiders swallowed my neighbors” not have the same ring to it? “Dolls chopped up my children” is catchy, but no parent in the 90s would stand for that title. The true identity behind Zombies Ate My Neighbors is really a comprehensive homage to the horror genre, a vehicle in gaming popularized by Konami’s staple series Castlevania. Sharing the isometric screen with the zombies is practically every conceivable horror movie monster ever to scare the shit out of people through the celluloid. The Universal movie monsters move next door from their trailers at the Castlevania set to haunt the domestic lawns of the common folk. The atomic age is greatly represented with mutated insects, aliens, giant blobs, and pod people that will catch the player off guard when they see clones of themselves roaming around. The game is even up to date with horror history with the burly psychos and their loud lumberyard contraption, along with the pint-sized dolls possessed by demonic forces. Sadly, the game did not find a clever way to manifest existential or psychological horror as an enemy to chase our protagonists around and send their neighbors to the great beyond. As the final enemy roster for the game is, it speaks volumes about how storied the horror genre has become over the several decades since it was founded and how it has adapted and evolved with growing societal trends. The monster mash coalition here doesn’t seem out of place and provides plenty of surprises with the vast enemy variety.

Considering that the range of monsters that are running amok in people’s backyards is an eclectic array of abominations, Zeke and Julie need a suitably large arsenal to match. Their base weapon that starts the game is a squirt gun with a surprisingly stacked number of water magazines to not leave the player defenseless in the early levels. The gun will be formidable enough against any zombie, but its defenses against all of the other monsters is but a tepid splash. Don’t tell me the guys with the hockey masks who are clearly inspired by Jason Voorhees aren’t averse to H2O like I’m not knowledgeable on my horror lore. Other weapons picked up off the ground that will prove more effective in sending these vile fiends back to hell are soda cans that act as domestic grenades, a cross, silverware to fend off werewolves, and a bushel of food items such as popsicles and tomatoes. I’d comment that the oddly childish weapons at hand makes for a feeble arsenal unfit to fight off the hoards of monsters, but perhaps it's appropriate because the two main characters are kids using all that they have at their disposal. Then I remembered the military-grade Bazooka complete with ballistic missiles and realized this game was just wacky. It was developed by LucasArts, afterall. Some weapons have alternate properties for other uses like freezing enemies with the fire extinguisher and mowing the infected plant growths with the weed whacker. Located right of the weapon roulette on the screen are the alternate items. Keys will be the most plentiful priority on this wheel to traverse through the levels without complications, but it also keeps other defensive methods in stock. Planting an inflatable clown will hoodwink the monster into attacking it until it pops, and consuming the contents of the potions have a number of mysterious effects. If luck is on your side, the potion might transform Zeke or Julie into a hulk-like monster and pummel zombies with their fists for a brief period. Of course, the kits with the red crosses on them are health items. While the resources here waver in utility, the player is still forced to be resourceful because every resource is scant. It’s advisable to not jet to the exit door as a job well done because the player could’ve missed a quantity of keys, ammunition, or medkits which would prepare them for the future.

I implore any future player of this game to take the extra initiative to find as many items as possible because the later levels are no joke. I thought the hedge maze and the frantic, giant baby boss were a struggle, but I’d gladly face both of them over the horrors on the horizon. I couldn’t concentrate on the radar with the UFO hovering over my head, and the linebackers were none too pleased with Zeke receiving all that positive attention from their female counterparts with the pom-poms, charging at him with a deadly vengeance. The level that destroyed me was the one with the goliath-sized worms that burrow through the ground like in Tremors, for I couldn’t hit them with any of my bazooka shells to save my life. Like many games on the SNES, Zombies Ate My Neighbors does not feature a save system. While I bemoan the passwords in most pixelated games of the time, the one here is at least short and the player can use it to hop past four levels after the horrific hoards subdue them. However, abusing the password system does not come recommended because the game will teleport the player to a later level with the base materials of the squirt gun. Don’t press your luck and just rinse and repeat with every failure. I guess rival studio Capcom had the right idea with incorporating trained soldiers to dispose of the undead because if the protagonists are extraordinarily capable, at least completing the game will be feasible.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors isn’t schlocky at all. The B-movie title may allude to cheap thrills and kills, but the game is more substantial than I ever imagined. The LucasArts genetic code half has a strong presence with the game’s cartoonish silliness, which is certainly charming. Beneath the silly surface, mastering Zombies Ate My Neighbors requires treating the game with a sense of urgency like a bonafide survival horror game. I, however, do not have the patience or chutzpah to eventually blaze through all of the steep challenges. I will appreciate the craft of Zombies Ate My Neighbors for the fraction of levels I can actually complete before the game turns into an ugly nightmare.

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Attribution: https://erockreviews.blogspot.com

Honestly a total joy to play. On the surface it seems like a rather basic but well-themed shooter but dig a little deeper and suddenly you'll realise this game has a lot more smarts than its letting on.

Take the weapons system for instance. On first glance, a lot of the weapons seem very arbitrary and unbalanced but as you play, you'll realise in reality almost every single weapon has key uses. Waterguns for basic fodder zombies, soda-cans to throw over fences. fire extingushers to freeze troublesome enemyes and rocket launchers which not only deal out big damage but also come in handy as makeshift door openers.

The overall design is just an absolute joy as well and if you happen to be a B-Movie fan like myself, has a ton of nods, references and full blown parodies to wade through. Its glorious.

If I have one complaint (and I do), its that the difficulty curve is just all over the darn place. You'll happily skip through some levels with barely a moment of stress, only to have something like the big baby boss ruin your perfect run as he slams about everywhere.

Even that cant run just how ridiculous and fun this game is. Come on Lucasarts/Disney. Re-release this already!


I remember watching my older sisters and cousins playing this and thinking it was super cool, and it is super cool. I need to try it multiplayer, but I have no friends...

how does anyone beat this fuckin game

Starts strong, but as time goes on, levels become more balanced towards players who didn't game over (aka have more weapons and items). Some levels feel like they only exist to drain resources. By the end, I didn't care anymore and used a trick + passcode to complete my run. Shame, because I otherwise really like the game.

I did wonder what happened to my neighbor’s chihuahua

Games a decent coop experience. Last few levels were beyond unenjoyable, like they didn't even test to see if they were fun. Fun to play, but sadly ended terribly.

A great game that gets ridiculously hard later on. Might finish one day

Best example of a zombie game from the 90s, I think, better then most games if its kind

Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993): Jamás la venda de la nostalgia cayó con tanta fuerza. Pasados los primeros 5 niveles, una idea original e interesante da paso a un carrusel de niveles repetitivos, laberintos bugueados y enemigos soltados al tuntún y con respawn. Decepción (3,75)

A classic love letter to old monster movies. Has a very 90's vibe on classic 80's monster movies and it gets crazy. It's a really fun Co Op game where you play as two movie fans that have to save their neighbors from zombies and monsters with their squirt guns and bombs. There are many levels and the difficulty can rack in the further you go. It's a fun game to keep going back to figuring out the best paths, what to use and what to save and trying to stay alive. I vividly remember seeing this game in stores with it's wacky cover and name. I never imagined what a high quality game it really was. There many reasons people keep going back to this title over the years.

FUCKING FUN AND FUCKING FUNNY ANF FUCKING GOOD GRAPHIC AND FUCKING GOOD CONTROL PLAY NOW!!!!!!!!!

Using passwords doesn’t work because the snakeoids need a very specific potion and like wtf I’m not alpha enough to beat this shit

As an Arcady SNES game it goes hard as fuck.

One of my fav childhood games, problaby why im so into horror games and movies till this day. it parodys so much from the genre and i love it for that, even a tremors level!

fun, wacky, and spooky like a b rated horror movie, alot of fun weapons and gadgets to kill the undead, also taking a potion to turn to a purple demon on steroids will never not be cool

and just like all great works of art, theres a life lesson to be learned, that lesson is: Life aint fair and its gonna beat the fuck out of you....

but seriously who actually beat this game (other than my uncle mark cause he said he beat every game before it came out, he wouldnt lie to me!)

other than being way to hard and very fun game, always will love it even if it gave me the toughest love

This game is a love letter to horror movies and a sparkling gem of couch co-op. I didn't fully appreciate all the references and details as a kid, but this game is saturated. Most of the monsters are inspired by 40's and 50's horror, including Zombies, Vampires, Mummies, Pod People, gelatinous blobs, 50s-style aliens with sci-fi comic guns, and creatures from the Black Lagoon. Some hearken to 70's and 80's horror, including possessed dolls and chainsaw wielding maniacs that appear to be an unholy mishmash of Leatherface and Jason Voorhees. Gameplay is smooth, buttery, and fun with the only major exception being the giant baby (which feels like a final boss from a quarter-sucking 80's arcade cabinet). The game can get a bit repetitive, but little details give it some extra depth:

-There's a plethora of weapons that have a wide range of mechanics and effectiveness against different enemies (e.g., silverware is super-effective when plunged into werewolves)
-Secret areas and power-ups are hidden all over the place
-Bazookas can be used to open closed-off areas and demolish locked doors. If you're brave enough, you can lure chainsaw wielding maniacs to do the same thing and save your ammo
-When you kill a werewolf, you can watch the human soul escape the monster's body
-You can catch a glimpse of the chainsaw wielding maniac's butt crack if he slashes in the upward direction

Top tier SNES gaming.

When this game gave me horrific nightmares about car sized ants, I had no way of knowing then that it would prepare me to beat Elden Ring nearly 30 years later.

Awesome vibes to this game, and really fun gameplay. Good co-op game too. I feel like I usually hit a wall around the midpoint of the game, but so many levels are still burned into my brain. Also one of the first games I experienced that had destructible environments, kinda blew my mind

A limited but fun shoot em up game revolving around different birds-eye view maze levels including zombies/axe murderers/poisonous plants and more pitted against you whilst you find and rescue all the neighbours in each zone..
Its challenging at times, fun and has a reasonably diverse range of levels keeping it fresh.

There isn't much else to add, just basic entertaining zombie madness, oh yeah and one massive baby!

Had a blast with this one. Made it towards the end but could never finish it. Too good to beat. (With cheats)

Bem divertido, melhor de se jogar multiplayer. Melhor parte é do chucky perseguindo no shopping.

>> Prós
• MULTIPLAYER : Jogar com um amigo fica mt melhor.
• SOUNDTRACK.
• JOGABILIDADE.
• DIVERTIDO : É bem engraçado de jogar em diversas partes.

>> Contras
• Nenhum.


the abbreviation for this game is ZAMN

and that's just awesome

uno de los juegos mas dificiles de la snes pero un juego muy bueno y de muchos niveles platinado en retroachievements.

I thought this game was a delusion of mine until discovering, ten years later, that it really did existed.
The nostalgia.

Goofy wacky fun with friends