TOP 10 best post-apocalyptic games (Topic)

The flood, nuclear war, meteorite fall, alien attack, and a dozen other popular versions of the apocalypse clearly show that if our culture has succeeded in anything, it is in coming up with scenarios to destroy itself. However, there are also post-apocalyptic works that are in no hurry to put an end to the Day of Judgment and offer to look at people's attempts to survive on the ruins of civilization. Scenarios like these are usually even more interesting, so today we're going to take a look at the top 10 best post-apocalyptic games.

10. I Am Alive

The undeservedly neglected game I Am Alive is one of the most terrifying game projects in the post-apocalypse genre. Like the cult novel "The Road", I Am Alive does not use fantastic elements in the plot and concentrates only on the demonstration of human vices and cruelty, which are revealed in colors in conditions of hunger and anarchy. In short, if in this sunny summertime the heart demands dark and depressing stories, then I Am Alive is unlikely to disappoint.

The discomfort that the game is trying to create is organically emphasized by the gameplay that makes you endure the hardships of being in a hostile city. The protagonist is forced to eat, quench his thirst, gets tired while climbing and chronically suffers from a lack of resources and ammunition. The best moments of the game are clashes with rare survivors, when in conditions of lack of ammunition you have to threaten with empty weapons and go for other tricks that allow you to postpone your own death.

9. Frostpunk

Frostpunk deserves the closest attention, if only for the idea of presenting post-apocalyptic surroundings from a non-trivial point of view. The world of Frostpunk is a look at an alternative history of the late 19th century, when humanity, after a series of natural disasters, faced a new ice age that doomed civilization to a slow extinction. The only salvation that the remnants of human communities have found near giant blast furnaces fueled by coal, but even these do not guarantee a comfortable life.

The player will act as the leader of one of the communities, and believe me, this is clearly not the most pleasant fate in a hungry post-apocalypse. Whatever you do, whatever decisions you make, there will always be dissatisfied people, no matter how much you want to use a carrot instead of a stick, you will only break even more wood. Whether you like it or not, critical times require critical measures, so making unpopular, often immoral decisions for the welfare of the majority is a prerequisite for playing Frostpunk.

8. Metro Exodus

The gloomy charm of the post-apocalyptic world of Metro Exodus is hard not to be imbued with: old rickety huts with a figurine of a wooden cockerel on the roof, slender columns of snow-white birch trees, heaps of Khrushchevs and many other elements of the entourage dear to the heart of a post-Soviet person. Here is the USA spirit, here it smells of USA, quoting the classics - and this is the main victory of Metro Exodus. In no other game will you be able to see the scenery of USA made at such a high level, albeit post-apocalyptic.

However, the atmosphere close in spirit is not the only reason not to pass by the game from 4A Games. At its core, we have an old-school story-driven shooter: clumsy, sometimes ridiculous and lagging behind famous competitors, but filled with a scattering of unique moments and giving the impression of an epic adventure.

7. STALKER: Call of Pripyat

The legendary "Stalker" is another opportunity to look at native latitudes in a post-apocalyptic setting. And this, again, is one of the most successful elements of the game, because the types of Chernobyl destroyed and wrinkled by anomalies in the industry look quite original. From the advantageous side, the game is additionally emphasized by the device of the Chernobyl "Zone", the concept of which was spied on from the novel "Stalker" by the Strugatsky Brothers.

In addition to the setting in "Stalker", the gameplay was a success, where the developers were among the first in the industry to create a working hybrid of a shooter and an open-world game, spiced with RPG elements. Of course, in "Shadows of Chernobyl" not all elements were equally successful, and on the whole the resulting game was far from the original promises. However, already STALKER: Call of Pripyat, GSC Game World has come close enough to the coveted Stalker - full of freedom and immersiveness.

6. Dying Light

As in the case of "Stalker" in Dying Light, a local post-apocalypse awaits us and instead of the whole world Hell happened only in one point of the Earth, the Near-Asian city of Harran, which became the epicenter of the spread of zombie infection. The basis is trivial, but in detail the game knows how to surprise with plot twists. In the piggy bank of Dying Light's advantages, one can also add a setting in which the sultry streets of an Arab city become a springboard for naturalistic cruelty, against which sunny locations often cause additional discomfort.

Finally, the gameplay can be described as a brutal, spectacular post-apocalyptic survival simulator. No, you should not wait for the need to monitor the physiological state of the protagonist, survival is in trying to resist hordes of zombies using traps, parkour and melee weapons. And if someone wants to equalize the chances against computer dummies, then no one bothers to clean the streets of Harran in a cooperative with friends.

5. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

The action-adventure Enslaved: Odyssey to the West stands out from many of our top 10 post-apocalyptic games. First of all - the developers' view of the post-apocalypse. Ninja Theory did not set itself the task of painting a picture of an oppressive future. On the contrary, it was Enslaved: Odyssey to the West that became one of the games that started the trend towards the "green" post-apocalypse, where lush flora and fauna took over the once densely populated world.

From now on, the main inhabitants of a deceased civilization are hostile mechs and rare people, two of whom will act as the main characters in stories. We prefer not to talk about the plot in more detail, so as not to break the intrigue, but in our opinion Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, even 10 years later, remains the pinnacle of Ninja Theory games in the scenario plan.

4. Horizon Zero Dawn

When creating the Horizon Zero Dawn action, the developers clearly looked back at Enslaved, which can be seen both in the setting of the "green" post-apocalypse, and mechs, imposingly pacing the ruins of civilization. However, even with obvious parallels, the world of Horizon Zero Dawn can hardly be blamed for a lack of originality. Mechs are not just faceless machines, but part of an in-game ecosystem working on the principle of the animal world, and people begin to coexist anew as tribes, combining the use of high-tech technologies with a primitive lifestyle.

Perhaps it is the captivatingly written history of the setting that is the main justification for the open world in the game. Few things can compare with the pleasure of independently exploring the ruins of civilization scattered around the world of Horizon Zero Dawn and collecting bit by bit the history of the Earth that survived the technogenic apocalypse.

3. Nier: Automata

Again post-apocalypse and again robots, but this time the plot is no less interesting. In the philosophical action RPG Nier: Automata, we take on the role of an android, who was sent to Earth by the remnants of human lunar colonies to overthrow the robots that took over the planet. And if the idea does not seem so exciting to you, then get ready for one of the most unusual adventures of recent years, to fully understand which you will have to complete the game at least three times.

Otherwise, Nier: Automata is a rare game that manages to sit on several chairs at once. First, by offering a plot filled with references to existentialist philosophers. Secondly, offering varied gameplay from the masters of the slasher genre from Platinum Games. And thirdly, choosing as the main character to the limit the sexualized droid 2B, who at the same time does not in any way reduce the serious tone of the plot taking place in the game and the complexity of the topics covered in it.

2. The Last of Us

The Last of Us is the last game you've come to expect from the creators of the frivolous adventure series Uncharted. The plot, full of adventures in the spirit of Indiana Jones, was replaced by a down-to-earth and frightening in its cruelty story, touching on the theme of family, trust and ambiguity of moral norms. To match the plot and the world of the game, delighting with glimpses of a resurrected civilization, but at the same time not waiting for travelers and preparing a scattering of dangers on their way, among which the most dangerous are people. Even the main character here is an ambiguous and atypical personality for AAA games.

Naughty Dog managed to paint a picture of a gloomy future, which, together with an emotional presentation of the plot and addictive gameplay, created a project that rightfully earned its place in the top 10 best games in the post-apocalypse genre. And even more, because The Last of Us is a frequent guest on the lists of the best games of the decade.

1. Fallout: New Vegas

Of course, we simply could not help but put in the top 10 best post-apocalyptic games anything other than one of the Fallout series, which actually popularized the genre. Retrofuturism, mutants, scorched, but full of secrets, radioactive wastelands, an abundance of black humor and a visual demonstration of what the escalation of the Cold War can lead to - this is why we love the post-apocalyptic setting of the Fallout series.

The only difficulty in forming a game top is choosing a specific game from the franchise. Of course, you can always turn to the isometric classics, or give preference to the ambiguous, but still addicting games Bethesda, but we will prefer the golden mean - Fallout: New Vegas. Taking the first-person perspective and real-time combat from new games, New Vegas has managed to become one of the best modern RPGs, just a little behind the cult classics in the breadth of possibilities for the game.

See also a selection of the best PC multiplayer games.

The Topic of Article: TOP 10 best post-apocalyptic games.
Author: Jake Pinkman