I’ve got a complicated relationship with Project Zomboid, mainly because it takes such a ridiculously long time for new versions to be released. These new versions, though, are often the size of a veritable sequel, and Build 42, in particular, is massive. Now, at long last, B42 is in closed beta.
It’s hard to believe, but Project Zomboid made its way into Steam Early Access back in 2013, and it’s been slow going from that point onwards. That’s not necessarily a critique, granted, as the game definitely is the single most impressive and immersive RPG zombie survival title on the market. Yet, Build 42 in particular has been a very long time coming, with the current Build 41 having released in 2021. According to the developer Indie Stone, the first batch of tester feedback on B42 is now in, and the studio’s latest blog post on Steam says that “their first impressions have been positive. Which has been a relief.”
Beta testers are very happy with Project Zomboid’s Build 42 so far
Indie Stone has iterated time and again in the aforementioned blog that the initial batch of feedback that’s now been shared doesn’t include extended survival sessions. Yet, it’s hard not to get excited over some of these quotes if you’ve been keeping track of Zomboid for years. I highly recommend going through the blog proper to get proper context for some of the longer quotes, but here are a few excellent highlights:
“The empty road, felt really rural. Like how I’d expect to drive down my road both currently and in an apocalypse. Then I was just on my way out of Rosewood now, and because it was foggy, I accidentally stumbled into the prison, driving. Holy shit. Outside is crazy, I cannot imagine inside. I barely got out the gate with my car. A true trailer ‘But I would never make it home’ moment,” said one beta player when discussing the improvements to the game’s atmosphere.
Lighting and performance are getting huge upgrades in Project Zomboid‘s Build 42, and these are the bits I am most excited about. The quote featured above also riffs on the fact that the inter-city wilderness is now going to be used to generate micro-survival scenarios on the fly. Zombie grouping appears to be hugely improved as well:
“Probably the most [important] QoL change for me. It really makes the world feel more alive in a way. Instead of having zombies spread out everywhere and having to do the ‘lure away ball up’ rinse and repeat just to get to an area, now it really feels like I can sneak around and explore areas while losing a group…” said one of the beta testers.
Players have also been very happy with Zomboid‘s new liquid handling system, door-opening animations, basements, the character trait rework, and the existing areas’ wide-sweeping improvements. Build 42’s feature-complete version is seemingly on the right track, according to Indie Stone’s early bout of feedback.
All in all, then, this is the first time that a group of players has had the chance to play and offer impressions on Project Zomboid‘s next major iteration. To hear that the feedback is largely very positive is excellent news, and it’s bound to bring back some hype into the community.
“As mentioned before we will also need feedback from more elongated play sessions – and far more contact with the huge new systems like Crafting and Animal husbandry,” says Indie Stone. There’s still no release window for Build 42, then, but things are looking up at long last, and a tentative launch may be on the horizon.
