Stories from the Outbreak is a turn-based roguelike zombie RPG. Lead a group of survivors from the doomed city of Riga towards a ferry sailing across the North Sea. Scavenge for supplies, battle the undead, decide the fate of your team. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to survive?
Players consistently praise the strategic depth of the turn-based combat system. By carefully managing the timeline and synergizing character abilities, players feel a profound sense of satisfaction when outmaneuvering enemies. The combat encounters demand tactical thinking, as players must consider factors like turn order, damage types, and status effects to overcome the challenge.
The game's cast of playable survivors offers a wealth of customization options. Each character possesses unique skills and abilities, allowing players to experiment with various team compositions. As players progress, they can unlock and upgrade these character abilities, fostering a rewarding sense of progression and encouraging repeated playthroughs to discover new synergies.
Complementing the character abilities, the trinket system provides a layer of strategic customization. These passive bonuses significantly impact a player's approach, leading to careful optimization of their team's loadout. Managing the trinkets becomes an integral part of the gameplay loop, as players seek to maximize their chances of survival.
The game's roguelike structure, with its emphasis on permadeath and randomized elements, cultivates a profound sense of replayability. Each run presents a fresh set of challenges, as the unpredictable encounters, team compositions, and resource management decisions keep players on their toes. The ever-present threat of failure heightens the tension and excitement, ensuring that no two playthroughs feel the same.
Beyond the core gameplay loop, the game's atmospheric presentation and storytelling elements contribute to the overall immersion. The evocative pixel art visuals, coupled with a fitting soundtrack, successfully convey the bleak, post-apocalyptic setting. The written event system, which presents players with moral dilemmas and character interactions, enhances the narrative experience and adds depth to the gameplay.