Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)

Remember all those great late night horror movies? And how you stayed up to watch them even when your parents told you not to? Remember how you told yourself you wouldn’t look away? And how, when the scary music hit, inevitably you found yourself always cowering behind the family sofa? If you do, then this is the game for you! Relive all your favorite horror B-movies in Zombies Ate My Neighbors! Being that it’s October and Halloween season, I can’t think of many other SNES games I would rather reminisce about right now than this one. But has it stood the test of time nearly 25 years later? Let’s take a closer look…

A QUICK HISTORY LESSON

Originally titled MONSTERS, LucasArts flaunted its eclectic game at the Winter CES in January 1993. Incorporating elements from various gaming genres; run ‘n gun, action, adventure and puzzle to be specific, MONSTERS is a clever pastiche of all the horror movies you’ve ever seen, from the supernatural Hammer Film efforts to the timeless rubber-suited alien invasion shockers of the McCarthy-ite era. It borrows freely from such directors as George Romero, John Carpenter, Roger Corman and a host of others. Everything from the 1950s to the early 1990s…

Now throw all of that into a two player game with a quiet American suburb as its backdrop and some kickass tunes. It was clear that LucasArts had one of the most memorable SNES efforts of 1993.

All they needed was a publisher. Konami was the winner when the dust settled, having acquired the rights to MONSTERS. Only now it was no longer to be known as such… thankfully it was rebranded as Zombies Ate My Neighbors. And the rest is history.

DO THE MONSTER MASH

Growing up, my best friend Nelson and I loved (and I mean LOVED) monsters. In the early 1990s my dad bought this monster book for me at Suncoast of all places. I fondly remember spending that entire evening flipping through the book with my best pal, Nelson. We loved those campy old Godzilla flicks, we loved horror movies (the Halloween series in particular) and we drove people nuts with our constant monster chatter. We believed in ghosts, aliens, Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster. Hell, we even did Bloody Mary one time. So when we saw magazines such as EGM and GameFan previewing Zombies Ate My Neighbors in the late summer of 1993, it was as if the game was made specifically for Nelson and me. It was on an idyllic Saturday in September of ’93 that I rented and brought home Zombies Ate My Neighbors. I immediately called Nelson and before I could even hang up the big guy had rode his bike over. This was big time. This was serious business. This was indeed a happening.

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly 25 years later, I still remember the swirling title screen as if it happened only yesterday. It was cheesy, sure, but right away the game set the mood proper.

Zeke and Julie play exactly the same, which is a bit of a shame when you think about it. For example, Zeke could have been stronger (two extra energy bars) while Julie could have been slightly faster. Nonetheless, it’s a riot with two players and the game almost has to be experienced in this way.

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE 55 LEVELS

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is filled with nods to classic horror movie icons, such as Chucky from Child’s Play. A supernatural horror movie, Child’s Play follows the exploits of the “Lakeshore Strangler,” Charles Lee Ray. Moments before croaking in a toy store, Charles Lee Ray does a demonic ritual to transfer his soul into one of the “Good Guys” dolls.

It was good campy fun that frightened the shit out of the five year old me back in 1988! Coming up on 30 years? GAWD DAMN!

On a side note, the Child’s Play franchise continues to this very day. The latest entry in the series, Cult of Chucky, is released officially on October 20, 2017. I’ve seen it and found it to be only OK, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless to see the old Chuckster still kicking and screaming nearly 30 years after his initial appearance.

The Zuni Warrior doll first appeared in Trilogy of Terror, which aired on ABC in 1975. A sequel was made nearly 20 years later. Trilogy of Terror II aired on October 30, 1996. I remember staying up to watch it. The little guy even graced the cover of TV Guide that week. Possessing the spirit of a Zuni Warrior, he springs to life to kill if the gold chain adorning his neck ever comes off. Lots of camp value and a true guilty pleasure on a stormy night!

Tommy the Evil Doll, in another nod to Chucky, may give chase even after death! Remember the apartment finale from the first film? Or the factory finale in the sequel? Cinematic masterpieces! Er, maybe not, but you really oughta watch them if you haven’t already, if nothing else but to appreciate ZAMN even that much more.

Back in the early ’90s, Nelson told me a story that resonated with me so deeply I’m crazy enough to retell it on a Super Nintendo gaming blog a quarter of a century later. In our old hometown, according to Nelson you see, there was a maniac on the loose. On the prowl. Believed to be… at large. Again, according to Nelson, mind you. This maniac wore a white hockey mask and wielded a deadly chainsaw. He was… THE MASKED MANIAC. Of course, I knew Nelson was just bullshitting, but there was a small part of my nine year old being that latched on to the story. The Masked Maniac became our little inside joke over the years, and these days whenever it gets brought up, we still laugh about those good old days… to be young again, eh? Anyway, so imagine our shock (and delight) when we first came face to face with Stanley Decker. HOLY CRAP!

 

 

 

 

 

Chainsaw Hedgemaze Mayhem legitimately spooked me as a 10 year old kid playing this back in late 1993. Wherever you go, Decker pursues you relentlessly. And not just one but several. The first time I saw one cutting through the hedgemaze I nearly crapped my pants. Very few levels have ever made me feel as tense as this one did, especially back in those olden days.

 

 

 

 

 

Stalked wherever you go. The AI was absolutely relentless, like ants on sugar.

 

 

 

 

 

Killer man-eating plants and debris nearby? Call upon the ever handy weed whacker. Just a shame it uses up “ammo” so fast. Rescue the cheerleader down there before they can get to her.

 

 

 

 

 

Pyramid scheme? More like pyramid scare! Am I right? Sorry, I’ll see myself out.

I always got a kick out of seeing what lies behind those clumps of dirt. Sometimes you get something good, other times not so much. This is also the first level that takes you outside your suburb. It’s good to see the variety. Expect to see a lot more.

 

 

 

 

 

[Something tells me we would get along, Dr. Tongue -Ed.]

One of the most memorable villains in 16-bit history, this baby is nothing but bad news. He’s double tough, fast and annoying as hell. Forget about using your water gun here. Even the almighty Bazooka doesn’t work well — it’s just too damn slow. No, the best way to handle this gigantic goober is by…

 

 

 

 

 

Somehow, Zeke manages to rip off one last shot from his bazooka cannon in this life or death tussle.

 

 

 

 

 

Relax, Snoop. Your stash is safe. Fo shizzle. [Don’t EVER say that again -Ed.]

Do you remember watching this film in the mid-late ’80s? I do. The plant gave me the creeps. The shit the ’80s got away with!

 

 

 

 

 

Doctor Tongue, you’ve got it all wrong. Pimpin’ ain’t easy.

Interesting flick, this one. I remember watching it on TV in the late ’80s. They were hyping the national broadcast debut of the film on the TGIF lineup during the commercials. Years later, around 1997 to be precise, I was introduced to the wonders of the internet. There I poked around for the title of this film as it had slipped my consciousness over the years. All I remembered was there being red, yellow and blue alien-like monkey creatures and some pool scene. Bless the internet — 23 minutes later my memory was validated. I knew I hadn’t gone bonkers (yet), and I dropped by the local rental store to relive a blast from the past. Er, let me just say some things are better left in the past!

 

 

 

 

 

Terrifying to the bone? I don’t know, Doc, have you ever seen teenage girls at the mall before? It’s more like their play pen…

 

 

 

 

 

What’s worse than facing Tommy or Decker? Facing them both at the SAME time. It makes for some tense moments and as a kid it was the closest thing to a dream (nightmare?) Child’s Play-Friday the 13th crossover as you were gonna get!

 

 

 

 

 

[Sounds like an exciting Saturday night -Ed.]

Too bad we don’t get a Freddy Krueger-inspired monster, though.

TREMORS was a fun little horror comedy monster film that ushered in 1990 with a bang. The movie centered around a small Nevada town being hunted by a group of large burrowing man-eating monsters dubbed “Graboids.”

Tremors developed quite a cult following for its simple, easy-to-get-into premise and memorable characters. It spawned several sequels, but the original will always be #1 and fondly remembered by B-Movie fans everywhere. For what it’s worth, Tremors currently has a very respectable 7.1 rating on IMDB. Besides, it’s got Kevin Bacon. And if there’s one thing everyone can agree on: you can never go wrong with a little bacon.

 

 

 

 

 

Zombies Ate My Neighbors was almost meta at times and it was one of the earliest games that I can remember feeling like it broke the 4th wall…

GAME OVER, MAN!

I loved (and hated) the way the purple ooze would slowly drip down your TV screen each time you bit the dust. Of course it couldn’t be red…

PAYING MORE HOMAGE

It was clever, it was neat, and at the time it was a breath of fresh air. It never took itself too seriously and it was fun with a capital F. Just making it to the next level just to read the next zany title was all part of the game’s charm. And seeing with your friends who got the various references and who didn’t. The ones who didn’t were unmercifully mocked, naturally. Good times.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE LEVEL

With over 50 levels, you have no shortage in choice. I absolutely adore this stage. Nothing beats the rush of dodging, weaving and outwitting Stanley Decker and friends, all set in a giant crate factory warehouse. This level feels like the grand finale of a horror film — except this time you get to decide how it all plays out!

Upon further review it’s clear why Decker is so effective. Is it his raw, brute strength? No. Is it his sharp, loud chainsaw? No. Is it his deadly ass crack? Most definitely. It’ll get ya every single damn time.

TIPS

This is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, due to a high potential shortage of weapons and neighbors to rescue, the later levels can be downright BRUTAL. So then, some tips for ya…

• Keep an eye out for suspicious looking shrubbery. If you spot a hedge facing out of the screen, try firing your Bazooka. Chances are you’ll find a handy item for your troubles. Likewise, the grilled windows in the malls can be blasted to bits. You can see whether there’s anything of worth behind windows. Be thankful for small favors!

• If enemies get to the neighbors before you can — sometimes you’ll just hear a nearby scream indicating a neighbor’s demise off screen — then you need to try a different route. Perhaps one that may even take you through walls and over rooftops… hint hint.

• Speaking of the neighbors, the more points you earn the more bonus neighbors you’ll rack up. If you already have 10 neighbors, you’ll get an extra life instead!

• It doesn’t take much to kill the Martians but they are agile bastards. They also shoot fast and if nailed, you (or the neighbors) will be imprisoned in a bubble. Plus, Martians tend to hang out in packs which makes them 10 times as worse. Keep your guard up and keep moving!

• One tip that really helps with Martians is shooting them at an angle. This eliminates the chance of their bubble gun damaging you (their shot only goes straight). Keep in mind though, you have to be running about in order to shoot from an angle. This game really could have used a strafe and lock button.

• The same strategy applies for zombies. You’ll find them clawing their way up from the ground beneath your feet if you remain idle for even just a few seconds.

• Check under giant plants for any additional items (usually keys). It’s very easy to miss them. To check, of course, means to kill these plants.

• Some weapons, like fizzy cans and tomatoes, can be thrown over walls and other obstacles. Over the counter, through windows, over desktops, etc. This lets you eliminate foes from a position of relative safety before dashing in, or in some cases dashing out.

• These tiny spiders are easy to kill but sometimes hard to spot. The surroundings may obscure their position so tread carefully. And always keep in mind that every second wasted could mean the life of one of your bratty neighbors!

• Thanks to their agility, spiders are a major pain in the butt when you’re busy battling the bigger baddies! Be weary of spiders swooping in like vultures to sap your precious health.

• Don’t waste your time looking for weapons until you’ve saved all the neighbors. Try using a pair of Speed Sneakers at the start of a new level to bomb around the stage and rescue the victims before the monsters can get to them.

• Use the landscape to outrun pursuers. Being chased and have to cycle through your inventory to find the right weapon? You’ll need all the time you can buy. So duck into houses, nip through gaps and generally weave about to make life tougher for the incoming undead.

• As long as you have one neighbor to save, the game goes on. However, for each neighbor lost, the neighbor count on the next level goes down a notch. Having only one to rescue becomes impossible in the later stages.

• The inflatable clown decoys come in very handy but only work on some of the dumber monsters.

• A slime blob attached to your head eats up three health points. Be sure to use the medi-kit (if you have one) when you get down to your last three energy bars in any area that has been compromised by slime blobs.

• There are bonus levels galore! Can you find them all? Day of the Tentacle, f’rinstance? Can you reach MARS NEEDS CHEERLEADERS with the full complement of 10 neighbors? Also, look for bonus ?-boxes throughout the game. Can you find the son of Dr. Tongue?

• Save your monster potions for bosses or really hairy situations.

GAME GENIE CHEATS

While the game provides you with a password every fourth level, it’s still a damn tough cookie. These cheats may come in handy if you just want to mess around:

Unlimited lives: 82AA-CF07
Unlimited health: 3C20-4D0D
Unlimited weapons: DD30-1FA7
Unlimited special items: DD39-34D4

WEAPON KILL CHART

Water Gun
—
Your starting weapon. Refills are easy to find. Works well against low-tier baddies but against tougher ones… well, you know the drill.

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: No effect
Mushroom Men: 2
Mummies: 5
Werewolves: 11
Decker: 16
Tommy: 5
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 5
Ants: 5
Little Spiders: 1

Bazooka
—
Usually found near the soldier neighbor. Pretty much the BFG of ZAMN!

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 1
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 1
Werewolves: 1
Decker: 1
Tommy: No effect — they duck!
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 1
Ants: 1
Little Spiders: 1

Soda Cans
—
Great for tossing over barriers from a safe distance. Think of them as hand grenades, really.

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 5
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 1
Werewolves: 2
Decker: 4
Tommy: 1
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 1
Ants: 2
Little Spiders: 1

Ice Pops
—
Sorta like soda cans but not as effective (except on jelly blobs)

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 13
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 3
Werewolves: 6
Decker: 8
Tommy: 2
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 3
Ants: 5
Little Spiders: 1

Plates
—
Honestly, they’re pretty useless despite being long-ranged. Unless you have no other weapons…

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 9
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 2
Werewolves: 4
Decker: 6
Tommy: 2
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 2
Ants: 4
Little Spiders: 1

Silverware (Knife and Fork)
—
Works great on werewolves…

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 7
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 2
Werewolves: 1
Decker: 4
Tommy: 1
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 1
Ants: 3
Little Spiders: 1

Ancient Artifact
—
This talisman produces a fire that encircles and protects you, destroying the monsters it touches. Hold down for sustained use. Great on werewolves and everyone, really, but it eats up ammo fast.

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 2
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 1
Werewolves: 1
Decker: 4
Tommy: 1
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 1
Ants: 1
Little Spiders: 1

Football
—
Utterly useless including a slow release. However, it works extremely well against the Football enemies.

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 25!
Mushroom Men: 2
Mummies: 5
Werewolves: 11
Decker: 20!
Tommy: 4
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 5
Ants: 10
Little Spiders: 1

Tomatoes
—
Another long-range weapon that’s honestly a bit meh. Martians hate them, though…

Zombies: 1
Clones: 1
Plants: 13
Mushroom Men: 1
Mummies: 3
Werewolves: 6
Decker: 8
Tommy: 2
Martians: 1
Squid Men: 5
Ants: 5
Little Spiders: 1

Weed-eater
—
Mows down deadly ground debris as well as the monsters. Particularly effective against plants, werewolves and spiders

Fire Extinguisher
—
Freezes baddies temporarily. But can kill Jelly Blobs.

Martian Bubble Gun
—
Captures enemy in a bubble. Try it on ants…

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Monsters!
Grave Consequences
Zombie Invade Suburbia
Zombies Need BBQ Sauce
Suburban Zombie Bake-Off
Don’t Build That Mall Here!
Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun
Please Don’t Feed the Zombies!
My Zombie, Make BIG Mistake
The Zombies Wrong Turn At Alpha 6
Michael Barone and the Zombie Hunters
Return of the Teenage Son of the Bride of a Zombie, Part 2

ALTERNATIVE BOX ART

I much prefer this to the one we got. Needs some Julie, though.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

Zombies Ate My Neighbors turned out to be one of the most notable 16-bit games released in 1993. The critics ate it up. For its time especially, it was considered a work of art. Brilliant, ingenious and a tribute to all B-Movie horror fans everywhere. After all, when Anita Placetohide endorses your game, it simply doesn’t get any better than that.

I still vividly remember the GameFan issue with the Zombies Ate My Neighbors cover. Zombies, killer dolls, chainsaw wielding masked maniacs and titanic toddlers — what’s not to love? LucasArts had a mega hit on their hands. EGM rewarded it with “Game of the Month” honors, doling out scores of 9, 9, 9 and 9. GameFan scored it 88, 89, 90 and 93%. Super Play rated it 89%. Konami was wise to slap their name to this product. Even to this day, some people still confuse Konami as the developers to ZAMN. Hell, look at the GameFan cover above. But I see you, LucasArts. I see you…

CLOSING THOUGHTS

I have to admit, Zombies Ate My Neighbors strikes an incredibly nostalgic chord with me. I remember spending countless evenings playing it with my best friend, Nelson, all throughout the fall of 1993. If you were a fly on the wall back then you would hear our hooting, hollering and cries of joy and agony as the game punished us as much as it rewarded us for our perseverance. ZAMN is a veritable melting pot of all those great (and not-so-great) B-Movies, low budget affairs and rubber-suited cheesy flicks we grew up on as kids. I think back to that fall of ’93 very fondly. Nelson and I were huddled around my 27 inch Sony TV monitor blasting Martians, mummies and mushroom men back to the stone age. All those sinister bedraggled figures shambling towards us through the half-lit haze… there’s something beautiful about it. Intensely atmospheric, ZAMN does a great job of sucking you in and may well provide for some sleepless nights…

The sheer joy of popping a zombie’s melon with a salad fork, or saving the teacher right before ole Tommy boy can chop her to pieces, is a great feeling. On the other hand, the pain of Frankenstein’s electric personality, or thinking you’re in the clear to rescue that cheerleader right as Decker comes out of NOWHERE, is absolutely crushing. There are so many mood swings one will encounter while playing through any given level in this game, and that is something that cannot be said for many games to the degree in which ZAMN pulls it off. You’ll go through the ups and downs, the peaks and valleys. You almost feel like you’re Zeke yourself, right down to the geeky 3D shades and Punisher t-shirt. OK, maybe just me then. But there’s no doubt ZAMN becomes super bloody fun when playing alongside a like-minded friend.

It’s not perfect, though. The weapons, while there are plenty to pick from, are excessive. Too many of them feel a bit useless and only clog up the inventory. The silverware serves its purpose against the werewolf but the football, plates and tomatoes seem like a waste. It wouldn’t be that bad if cycling through weapons were implemented better. Sadly, you can only switch weapons with button B which means there’s no backtracking through your weapon inventory. Miss the weapon you want by one? Sorry, you’re out of luck. There’s no way to backtrack — you have to cycle through your inventory another time. And no, you can’t pause the game to cycle through your many weapons. I mean, do we really need both L AND R to toggle off the map? A missed opportunity there. It sucks running away trying to get to the right weapon because of some thoughtlessness on the part of the programmers, but maybe that’s just me being nit-picky. A strafe or lock button also would have been nice. As great as this game already is, these features would have made it (in my opinion) one of the top 20 SNES games of all time. You can’t help but feel it’s not QUITE as polished as it could have been.

Thankfully, that’s pretty much where my complaints ceases. ZAMN has incredible atmosphere, it’s great at being a pick-up-and-play game, and the tunes are simply awesome. The music ranges from a carnival atmosphere to haunted houses and ancient Egypt all depending on the level you’re currently on. It’s eclectic and highly memorable. Some of the music and sound effects are firmly embedded in my soul even nearly 25 years on.

And who could ever forget that monster cast? Although it makes me long for even more, the enemies here are among some of the most memorable in 16-bit history. It’s a marvel to see some of those giant monsters muck about with zero slowdown in sight. The giant spider and titanic toddler in particular are a real doozy to behold!

Other than weapon cycling and a lack of strafe/lock option, there’s another way ZAMN could have been enhanced. I wished there were extra modes of play. Imagine if each stage had an exit and it played just like Doom. Saved no neighbors? No bonus points but you still can advance to the next level. The other option would be to kill every monster in a level in order for the exit to appear. This mode would be for the macho action heads out there, or when you’re simply in the mood to blow shit up without worrying about the neighbor count. Of course, that’s just me. The game gets difficult as nails and very unforgiving as you progress — I wished they toned it down a bit or like I said, gave you these extra modes to enjoy. But I digress.

It’s hard NOT to like Zombies Ate My Neighbors. The list of positives run high. It plays well and has a killer two player mode — ZAMN often appears on “Best Two Player SNES Games” list and rightfully so. It features tons of levels and secrets, a memorable cast of villains, terrific sound and a ghoulish atmosphere that will appeal to anyone who ever loved monsters… or still do. Sure it’s not without its flaws but there’s a reason why Zombies Ate My Neighbors is considered a classic and a staple of the vast SNES library. While I admit it has aged perhaps not as perfectly well as I would have liked, it’s still a top-notch effort and one of those games that truly brings out the 10 year old in me still to this day.

Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8.5
Longevity: 7.5

Overall: 9.0
Gold Award

 

Oh and speaking of ZAMN 2, or Ghoul Patrol, proceed at your own risk. It’s actually not that bad but as far as “spiritual sequels” go, it should have been a lot better. Oh well… at least we’ll always have Zombies Ate My Neighbors…