Microsoft Studios released State of Decay last week on Xbox Live Arcade, and I have to say that this may be one of the most impressive, if slightly flawed zombie-based games ever presented.  With a sandbox-style atmosphere, accessible vehicles and a massive open world, State of Decay has high replay-value and smart, immersive gameplay.  The title is almost hilariously misleading, really.  As an apocalyptic zombie-thriller, State of Decay has the shelf-life of a Twinkie.

Some experiences may vary.

To start, the game doesn’t fall into the same category of zombie-shooter as Left 4 Dead, or even Dead Rising.  You’re not the greatest zombie-killer in the world, and the undead in State of Decay aren’t simply a line of moving targets that you can mow down with reckless abandon.  Throughout State of Decay, the game reinforces again and again that you and your band of fellow survivors are in fact, mortal.  Resources are scarce, ammunition is limited, and weapons can break in mid-fight.  This isn’t a game about killing zombies:  It’s a game about surviving zombies.

If you’re envisioning frantic gunfights and melee brawls with the zombie hordes, think again.  If you find yourself on foot, in the middle of the countryside and armed with an assault rifle as you face down seven or eight zombies, you’re already dead.  Most of the fighting you do in State of Decay creates sound, which attracts the attention of even more zombies.  What began as a half-dozen zombies at the start of a fight could eventually turn into a horde as more and more arrive.

You can expect to do a lot of this.

You don’t survive the zombie apocalypse through firepower alone.  If it were that easy, the army would have handled everything before the zombies got started.  You survive by being clever, and by making friends.  As the game progresses, you’ll meet more survivors, who will either join your group or simply create their own enclaves and occasionally trade supplies with you.  Your group of survivors will have its own headquarters (usually any building with a wall, a fence and plenty of space will do) that you can upgrade at any time, after you’ve gathered the appropriate building materials.

When they’re not sleeping or recovering from wounds, your band of survivors will defend your headquarters, or they’ll be out in the world and gathering much-needed supplies (fuel, food, medicine, ammunition and building materials).  You may be expected to rescue them from time to time, but that’s the risk you take with the streets populated by the living dead.  Everyone, not just the player’s character, pulls his or her weight in the zombie apocalypse, and you can switch playing from one survivor to another if your character needs a rest.

Visit the supply locker at your home base for weapons and supplies you’ll need in the field.

The actions that you take, or don’t take, in the game world will effect your band’s morale.  Calm frightened or angry residents, or clear an infested building or two, and your survivors will feel a lot better.  In the worst case, you’ll even be asked to kill a fellow survivor who may be in danger of turning.  If you don’t try to maintain order among your group of survivors, residents will leave; and the fewer you have, the less safe you’ll be.  The only chance you have of surviving the zombie apocalypse is together.

Ho-hum graphics and standard-definition glitches, as well as the lack of multiplayer make this game less than it could have been, but as a single-player Xbox Arcade game, State of Decay is a masterpiece that’s worth every penny for its value.

Final Score:  4.5/5