Zombies shouldn’t run.
Horror purists say it. Simon Pegg says it. Even Zoey says it. Unfortunately, no one told the zombies in Left 4 Dead. They’re positively athletic in their dogged pursuit of our heroes.
But is this criticism valid? Should zombies be slow, shambling ghouls, condemned to an existence of inching towards their prey?
The Old School
Despite having been part of folklore for thousands of years, the zombies of popular culture are defined by horror movies of the late 20th century, notably George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. These zombies are slow witted and slow moving, being as they are dead and decaying. They therefore emanate a plodding yet constant menace. Although they can easily be outrun, you are always aware that they will never stop. It is just a matter of time before you must rest, and they will get you.
However, to be truly terrifying, such zombies must be present in overwhelming numbers. 2005’s Dead Rising had legions of slow, menacing zombies. With your improvised weapons and scant firearm ammunition, you could not possibly hope to annihilate them, and were instead forced to run. The key experience in the game is that dreadful moment where you are leading a bunch of survivors whom you have rescued from a dangerous lunatic through a wall of zombies, with only a fraction of them making it through the thronging mass of undead.
Moving Swiftly on
More recent Hollywood blockbusters have, however, used a different breed of zombie- those that are as fast or faster than the survivors whom they are chasing. Purists may turn their decaying nose stumps up in contempt, but the modern zombie is definitely a runner. This was combined with the explanation that zombies were humans infected by a cannibalistic-tendency-inducing virus, as in 28 Days Later.
Not only are such zombies gloriously flammable, but you need considerably fewer to terrify your audience. No-one who has played Half-Life 2 can fail to be chilled to the bone on hearing the scream of the Fast Headcrab Zombie, despite them operating in small packs.
Left 4m/s
The key game experience in L4D is that moment. You’ve been vomited on by a Boomer, or set off a car alarm, or contacted the rescue vehicle. The familiar musical sting starts. You know there’s a horde on the way- the only thing you don’t know is from which direction. Suddenly, you see a couple of zombies, and then some more, and a whole crowd of the buggers charging toward you like shoppers in the January sales. And they’re all coming for you.
Such a moment could not exist if Valve’s Infected were the shambling ghouls of yore. Instead you’d be faced simply with certain locations that were jam-packed with the undead that you would have to fight your way through. This wouldn’t work in L4D, a game bristling with ammunition. You’d simply pack your assault rifle, aim at head height, and mow them down before they’d even started to limp towards you. The zombies that lie around in wait are not of concern. It is the horde, accompanied by one or two Hunters, Smokers or Tanks that gets your heart going.
So before the purists among you flex your typing fingers to respond, consider how different the game would be if Valve had opted for the classic undead. A decent enough game it could well be (take Dead Rising), but Left 4 Dead it would not.
And ye Left 4 dead would mot be as intense if they were slow walking ones with slow moving arms.
