Brickwall
2015
Does a lot right but has some major design flaws. The resource system is horribly imbalanced, you can't make changes to your deck after failing a battle without loading back to an earlier save, and many of the "puzzle" battles are pure filler. Played this on the Switch, mostly while on the bus trying not to look the crazy people in the eye
Does a lot I've always wanted from a zombie game that I haven't really found elsewhere, and the main gameplay loop and combat/resource management is fun. The major downsides are the total lack of a story and the fact that there's no real drive or directive to progress other than just filling your map with a bunch of the same "destroy the plague heart" task.
It seriously stretches suspension of disbelief and requires the occasional dash of moon-logic, but is overall quite well-written (despite being occasionally cringey) and is a fun, light experience. The main group of characters is diverse and well-rounded; Edgeworth in particular has an immensely satisfying character arc. Grabbed the trilogy on Switch and I'm looking forward to jumping into the next game. Mostly played in 30-minute chunks before going to sleep.
2018