Today a coworker of mine pointed me to a web based Zombie MMO. It’s called Urban Dead, and once you get past its utilitarian interface, it proves to have considerable depth. First of all, as with all MMOs, you choose a class at the beginning of the game. You can be a Scientist, Civilian, in the Military or a Zombie. Aside from the Zombie class each class has multiple subtypes as well.

Urban Dead takes place in the sprawling suburbs of Malton. Although it’s conveniently blocked, it contains a fairly balanced and diverse territory. UD has a definite old school RPG feel to it. Each movement and action uses Action Points (AP), of which you are limited, and must replenish when you run out. You must make sure you are in a safe place before you log off, or you may get eaten. To give you an idea of a random player’s experience, I started the game scavenging ruins and searching for a safe place to stay. I chose a Scientist class, so I quickly began trying to take DNA samples from shuffling zombies. I became too ambitious and actually got infected from a bite. Now I have to find a hospital to cure myself before I become a Zombie. If I do become a Zombie, I can stay a Zombie, and hunt the survivors. Or, I can seek revivification from a Doctor.

Another interesting aspect of UD, is its involved community. It’s been out for a few years, but people are still battling for control of key areas. There are an astounding amount of factions and groups of both survivors and zombies. One look at the map of the suburbs shows that the zombies have pushed survivors to the brink. Drilling down to a specific suburb shows you an almost daily update of its progress, and even reads like its own little narrative. Currently I am hiding in Peppardville, which you can see is fairly volatile at the moment.

Although UD’s gameplay can be limited by its finite Action Points, it definitely encourages you to make multiple accounts, and provides an immersive experience. Give it a try; did I mention it’s completely free?