Stubbs The Zombie in Rebel Without A Pulse
I saw a preview for Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse in an issue of PC Gamer about a year and a half ago, and being something of a zombie enthusiast it tickled my fancy. After a year and a half of waiting, I finally got ahold of my copy and dug in. Here are a few thoughts.
As the game opens, you’re introduced to the city of Punchbowl, a 1950’s city of the future promising all the sweet luxuries you could ever want. That’s where you come in, as Stubbs bursts from the ground, interrupting the picnic of a young couple. The mayhem begins right there, as you eat their brains and start building your undead army. Stubbs makes his way through the city, through the police station (which ends with a hilarious showdown with the Chief), to a mall, then farmland, and finally ends up at City Hall to close out the adventure. The origins of our decayed protagonist are finally revealed at the end, but until then there isn’t a whole lot of story to talk about. Stubbs’ success lies in its gamepley and charming twist, as you get to be the zombie this time.
Naturally, as a zombie, there’s not much you can do, so the developers had to get a bit creative. Along with the expected undead punching and brain-eating, Stubbs is able to throw organs like grenades, bowl his own head, detach his hand and use it to scout out territory and control enemy characters, and stun a crowd of enemies surrounding him with a fart from beyond the grave. Each ability can only be used once, aside from grenades which you get three of. Once used, they need to be recharged by eating brains. It’s a simple mechanic that keeps the combat interesting.
With such limitations placed on your offensive abilities, you need to actually plan your method of attack instead of just rushing into a battle. Do you sent your hand forward to possess a soldier to make use of his rifle, or lure a few away to convert them to zombies? Often some preplanning will be the difference between a strong zombie army or being permanently penned in the deadbook. In one instance, combat up front kept getting me killed. Then I noticed the sniper, so I let a few zombies go forward while I sent my hand (which can walk on walls and ceilings) after the sniper to possess him. With his rifle at my disposal, it was a breeze to provide some cover fire as my zombie minions cleared out the rest of the humans.
Graphically, Stubbs isn’t necessarily impressive but the Halo engine pulls its weight just fine. The art style and animation are quirky and do the game’s light-hearted horror setting perfect justice. The sound production is solid, with a great soundtrack of 50’s era hits like “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “Earth Angel” covered by several alternative bands. Imagine raising an army of the dead one victim at a time to “Lollipop.” Voice work is minimal, but effective, as characters rattle off one-liners such as, “I got him! I saved the world!” and “Not the face!”
Overall, Stubbs the Zombie is a quirky game that may not be a blockbuster, but it offers a different experience that definitely warrants some play time.