5 most iconic takes on zombies in video games

Zombies are a predominant concept in video games, giving the player an enemy they should feel no remorse for killing. These are generally reanimated corpses that are either under some sort of hive control, or simply function on instinct. Said instinct being to kill anything that lives and breathes.

Just like the Korean entertainment industry, video games are also somewhat obsessed with zombies, and at least one game is churned out every year featuring some sort of reanimated undead or the other. However, they are not always termed as zombies, and may not always be created by the now-standard virus infection.

Over the course of video game history, there have been many different takes on the reanimated undead. Here is a look at five examples of the most iconic takes on zombies in video games.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 video games with non-standard zombie fare

1) Bioweapons - Resident Evil

The Tyrant in the Resident Evil 2 remake (Image via Capcom)

Capcom’s Resident Evil series has been a cornerstone of the zombie game genre since the late 1990s. This video game franchise first appeared on the scene in 1996 with Resident Evil, giving audiences a horror survival game unlike any other before it. However, one important distinction is that shambling enemies are actually termed as Bioweapons in the series.

This is due to the fact that the origins of this plague is tied to the Umbrella Corporation, which was trying to create super soldiers using a viral agent. The virus underwent many different changes, finally culminating in the T-virus which appears in the first game.

Over the course of the various Resident Evil video games, the viral agent has seen many different forms, such as the G-Virus, C-Virus, and Prototype virus, among others . In the game, it is generally used to create super mutants that develop special abilities and are quite difficult to put down for good.

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2) Clickers - The Last of Us

A Clicker from The Last of Us Part II (Image via Naughty Dog)

In the fictional universe of The Last of Us, a zombie outbreak has nearly decimated the world's human population. As humanity lives in closed off secluded areas, these wandering undead crowd the streets and abandoned buildings while looking for a nice juicy individual to feed on.

However, unlike most depictions of this scenario in popular culture, this infection did not originate from a viral outbreak but a fungal one. Taking inspiration from real life, a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus started spreading across the United States in late September 2013. This infection infected the brain, taking away eyesight, and rendering the host fully blind.

A rare fourth stage where the individual grows hardened fungal plates over their body might also result in very advanced forms. Without eyesight, these creatures developed an echolocation technique, which involves them making a clicking noise while hunting, and earning them the nickname of Clickers.

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3) Necromorphs - Dead Space

A Necromoprh from the first Dead Space (Image via EA)

Possibly one of the more horrifying looking entries on this list, Necromorphs are enemies from the Dead Space series. Protagonist Isaac Clarke first encounters these in the first video game while on the USG Ishimura space mining vessel. After the vessel unearthed an alien artifact known as the Marker, an extraterrestrial lifeform erupted from it and began infecting the entire crew.

These lifeforms first kill their prey, then mutate the body into a horrifying blend of bone and tissue with scything arms and legs. Necromorphs exist to kill and infect other living tissue to create more necromorphs, which are controlled by beings known as the Brethren Moons.

These entities are nothing but a single Necromorph formed after infecting an entire planet’s population. Thus, the Brethren Moons seek to create even more Brethren Moons, so as to one day cause the extinction of all life in the universe. It is fortunate then that Isaac is equipped with a glorified saw blade, because he has his work cut out for him.

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4) Husks - Mass Effect

A Husk as seen in Mass Effect 3 (Image via BioWare)

The primary antagonists in the original Mass Effect video game trilogy are the Reapers. These are gigantic metallic beings that wish to see all sentient life in the galaxy extinct. While they do not themselves contain armies, they are capable of powerful mind control and a process known as indoctrination.

By indoctrinating a being, Reapers override the living tissue with synthetic parts and ultimately gain full telepathic control of their body. This is seen throughout the series - they use reanimated dead bodies, turn them into Husks, and use them as waves of expendable soldiers.

Along with normal soldiers, Reapers can use the potential biotic powers of a host to create some terrifying variations too. As seen in the third video game, Reapers attack an Asari monastery and transform the residents into Banshees capable of delivering a death blow if they manage to get up close.

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5) The Flood - Halo

The Flood from Halo: Combat Evolved (Image via 343 Industries)

This is a threat so devastating that the Forerunner species created the Halo rings as a contingency plan. The objective of these rings was to wipe out entire galaxies, and collectively the entire universe, if the Flood ever managed to start infecting planets again. So what makes them such a big deal?

These are macroscopic parasitic life forms that can infect sentient beings and mutate them into grotesque monstrous creatures. Once infected, the creatures come under the control of a hivemind. Called the Gravemind in-game, its sole objective is to spread across the universe and take over all life, all the while growing and becoming ever more omniscient.

The Master Chief first comes into contact with this threat in the second half of Halo: Combat Evolved and remains a major threat for the next two games as well. Since Halo 3, the Flood has taken a backseat; however, with Halo: Infinite taking the game back to its roots, it's only a matter of time before they make another appearance.