It can be scary enough trying to take on an entire swarm of slow but dangerous zombies with only a gun and a handful of bullets, but some games have taken a different approach when it comes to creating these iconic enemies. An effective way to ramp up the tension of a horror game is by allowing zombies to move at full speed — or even faster than a normal person. This makes it easy for the player to fall into a state of panic once they find themselves being chased by an army of brain-hungry freaks.
With that being said, while it's always a lot of fun taking on zombies who are as fast as the player character, pulling this off effectively can't be easy for the developers. If they end up being too fast, it can slow down the experience and make the core gameplay feel unfair. Thankfully, several horror titles have managed to implement zombies who are fast on their feet, but still fun to fight. These enemies add to the core experience rather than taking away from it, and it's these excellent games that this list will be taking a closer look at today.
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Left 4 Dead
Players Need To Stick Together To Make It Through The Relentless Hordes
Left 4 Dead
- Released
- November 17, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Once players leave the safe room at the beginning of a mission in Left 4 Dead, it won't be long before they're hounded by the absurdly fast zombies known as the Horde, who act as the main enemies of each campaign. It's advised to try picking off as many of these bloodthirsty grunts as possible from mid to long range. If players don't nip them in the bud, the Horde can easily close the gap and start dealing damage to the player if they manage to catch sight of them before being shot down.
While regular infected enemies can be a handful to deal with, considering they almost always come in large packs, players will also need to keep a close eye out for the dangerous Special Infected. These unique zombies can incapacitate survivors using their special personal abilities. With this in mind, it's crucially important that all four players stay together at all times, in case someone gets caught out amidst all the chaos. All of this results in an addictive, enjoyable gameplay loop that benefits from having enemies that are the exact opposite of the slow and bumbling zombies seen in many other horror games.
Dead Space
Sci-Fi Zombies Who Are Impossible To Escape From
Dead Space
- Released
- October 14, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Visceral Games
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
While the Necromorphs in Dead Space may not look identical to the traditional zombies from a visual standpoint, they are still clearly designed to be futuristic iterations of the popular enemy. What's more, they are also a lot more dangerous than their typical counterparts. These mutants have multiple limbs spouting out from their bodies that they will use to tear Isaac apart. Not only that, but they also move about as fast as the average human, resulting in many intense scenarios where Isaac is forced to gun his way through countless Necromorphs at once to avoid getting surrounded.
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The original Necromorphs already provide players with plenty of nightmare fuel to keep them up at night, but the game slowly starts to introduce more enemies as it progresses, who somehow manage to be even faster. A prime example of this is the Twitchers. These are Necromorphs who have fused with their Stasis Modules, which makes it seem like they are teleporting any time they dart around the environment towards the player.
The Last Of Us
Infected And Clickers Won't Waste Time Once They Spot Joel Or Ellie
The Last of Us
- Released
- June 14, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
Players do have the choice to run and gun their way through a room full of infected humans and Clickers in The Last of Us. However, it doesn't take long to learn that nine times out of ten, this will result in a Game Over screen, and there's a pretty big reason why. Both these enemy types are quick, and considering Clickers can kill Joel and Ellie in a single attack, taking them on directly is never a good idea. This is why stealth is the best way to go when navigating through a new area. Trying to outrun the multitude of enemies who appear in the game is ultimately a death wish.
It would be a little boring and predictable if all the infected could do was slowly shuffle their way towards Joel after catching a glimpse of him. By ramping up the speed of the enemy types, Naughty Dog ensures the game always feels tense, whether there's a single Clicker in a room, or an entire swarm of Infected waiting to find their latest snack. This is also what makes the iconic first scene of the game so stressful and exhilarating. The player is well aware that if they stop running even for a moment, they are guaranteed to get grabbed by the horde of monsters lurking behind them.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3
Collect Weapons And Perks As Fast As Possible To Prepare
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
- Released
- November 6, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
In a typical match of Black Ops 3's Zombies Mode, the first few rounds will be pretty slow and even a little boring. But once the enemies start breaking through the flimsy barricades, it won't take long before the pace goes into overdrive. The zombies in Black Ops 3 are relentless in their speed, and will chase a player to the ends of the earth until they are either gunned down, or caught in a deadly trap. Because of this, players need to ensure they get their weapons and Perks as quickly as possible. These are they only tools they have to survive the nightmare they find themselves in for as long as they can to reach a high score on the leaderboards.
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These zombies are only a tad slower than the player when at full sprint. This means that bumping into a wall, or even opening the Mystery Box at the wrong time can end in a quick death. This is why the mode is considered so addictive and replayable among the fanbase. Every player is desperate to prove that they have what it takes to last the longest against a relentless swarm of fast and vicious zombies, though reaching those high rounds is far from easy.
Dying Light
Daytime Zombies May Seem Easy, But At Night, It's A Different Story
Dying Light
- Released
- January 27, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Techland
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Survival Horror
These days, a zombie game needs to do something unique in terms of its mechanics to stand out from the crowd. This is why Dying Light made such a strong impression on those who have played it, as there isn't anything else on the market that plays quite like it. The game features a day and night cycle which determines how these zombies act when players encounter them. When the sun is high in the sky, they resemble zombies from classic horror movies, moving at a slow pace. During this time, they're not too much of a danger due to their lackluster speed and mobility.
However, this changes in the nighttime. When the sun goes down, all the enemies gain a tremendous boost to their speed, to the point where even trying to loot a single building can be a huge risk considering how many of them will come running. Thankfully, the game's immensely fun parkour movement system does give players a fighting chance to avoid getting torn to pieces by a group of zombies. Still, that doesn't take away from the fear factor that comes with running away from a massive crowd of zombies who can sprint around the streets like Olympic marathon runners.
Days Gone
Decon Relies On His Trusty Bike To Outrun Freakish Zombies
Days Gone
- Released
- April 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Bend Studio
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action, Adventure
In the leadup to Days Gone's release in 2019, the one thing many people pointed out from the trailers was how merciless the zombies seemed. Any time Deacon tried to scope out an abandoned building to scavenge a few extra bullets or resources, he would be chased by a gigantic swarm of zombies who were all trampling over one another just to get their hands on the protagonist. This resulted in some of the most intense chase sequences in recent memory.
While Deacon does have his trusty motorbike to get from A to B, there are many points in the story when players will need to travel on foot to fulfill a certain objective or side mission. A lone zombie is easy enough to deal with, thanks to Deacon's impressive arsenal of heavy weaponry. However, it's when they band together into a group that things start to become a lot more nervy. These grotesque enemies can move at blistering speeds, so players will need to make sure they don't stray too far from their bike so they have a backup plan, just in case things end up going horribly wrong.
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