Post-apocalyptic settings can provide ideal backdrops for memorable gaming adventures. Hostile dystopias, barren wastelands, and ruined landscapes crawling with mutant baddies; these can inject an exciting dynamic and interesting worldbuilding to keep you engaged. The foreign, often chaotic nature of the virtual lands surrounding the player can create a sense of wonder that entices them to explore further.
Yet, much like World War II shooters, skateboarding games, and Mario clones, the post-apocalyptic overlay has become a bit of a gaming cliche as of late. In addition, the greys and browns that often dominate the color schemes of these wastelands can make for dull environments if not creatively used.
So let’s journey to the anarchic, desolate worlds of armageddon as we examine the 5 best post-apocalyptic games, at well as the 5 most horrifyingly bad.
10 Bad: The Matrix: Path Of Neo
You’d think the imaginative setting of a scorched earth and massive VR world 200 years in the future would make for a great setting for a video game. Apparently, that’s not the case, as many fans of the sci-fi trilogy found out after playing this letdown.
The game is ridden with some brutally slow pacing that bogs down what should be a thrilling action romp thanks to an abundance of boring tutorials and lame puzzle segments. The mechanics also feel rather clunky, and the controls are pretty awkward to fumble around with. There’s certainly a glitch in this version of The Matrix…
9 Best: Final Fantasy VI
This game, also known as Final Fantasy III if you resided in the US during the 90s, is largely considered to be one of the greatest in the series, bested only by the likes of VII on Playstation. Heck, it might just be one of the best RPGs ever, even to this day.
The RPG classic has just about everything; a wondrous setting, a masterful soundtrack, and an abundance of memorable characters and dialogue. It contains an enthralling dark narrative and an epic cinematic experience, an impressive feat during the relatively stripped-down 16-bit era. At the same time, it doesn’t sacrifice in the gameplay department, which is in-depth and addictive. FFVI was a magnificent send-off for the aging SNES.
8 Bad: Escape Dead Island
Though Techland’s zombie-infested RPG, Dead Island was something of a mixed bag, that game looks like an absolute gem compared to this mess of a spin-off. Gone are most of the nuanced RPG elements, replaced with basic beat-em-up monotony. About the only charming aspect to the game is its cell-shaded visuals, which basically ring as “Borderlands 2-lite” anyway…
The game is wrought with bugs which includes complete game crashes, rough frame rates, bland, repetitive combat, and pretty unlikable characters that are made worse by some godawful voice acting. This is one game you’ll definitely want to “escape.”
7 Best: The Last Of Us
It’s tough for Naughty Dog to outdo themselves, given their stellar track record of hits that include Uncharted and Jak And Daxter. And yet, they’ve actually managed to pull it off with this 2013 zombie-slaying epic. The Last of Us wonderfully presents a gripping post-apocalyptic narrative featuring some truly creepy mutated zombies known as The Infected.
The game’s tense survival elements, intelligent AI, and stealth-meets-action mechanics make for an endlessly thrilling experience. There’s an abundance of content that can keep you trekking across the mutant-infested post-apocalyptic US for weeks, or even months, on end.
6 Bad: Godzilla: Unleashed
You’d think a fighting game that allows you to brawl as the iconic monster Godzilla would make for an entertaining romp. Unfortunately, Godzilla: Unleashed on Wii is little more than a bland, mediocre button-masher that falls on its face in most areas.
Not that a narrative would typically matter in a fighter - but the post-apocalyptic premise here is particularly dull and nonsensical. An alien invasion spawned by large crystals, coupled with a barrage of natural disasters, are threatening to leave the earth in ruin. While there’s actually a decent amount of content—though it’s missing an online mode—it doesn’t mean much given how repetitive, basic, and shoddy it all feels.
5 Best: Gears Of War
Much like the iconic Halo series, Gears of War exploded onto the Xbox scene when it launched in 2006 and was largely a game-changer for the industry. Its gritty, realistic art style brimming with heaps of blood and gore proved to be a formula often copied by developers going forward.
At the time, though, Gears provided a truly groundbreaking, gripping cinematic experience that still looks impressive today. The game draws you in with its dazzling visuals and keeps you hooked with its solid mechanics, a satisfying cover system, and robust, addictive online matches. This title also helped pioneer the unique concept of the shaking cam while running, which fully immerses you into the grimy, Locust-decimated world of Sera.
4 Bad: APOX
Most of APOX’s traits can be considered derivative; both of the RTS genre and post-apocalyptic settings. Oh, there is the unique ability to go prone and loot bodies like FPS games, but the other 95% of the gameplay tends to fall back on the most boring features of real-time strategies, coupled with dull, empty environments of deserts and broken roads.
It also doesn’t help that APOX tells you virtually nothing about its narrative. It just drops you into open battlefields as you wrestle with a convoluted interface and gun down foes. Was this land decimated by an asteroid? Nuclear Warfare? Flesh-eating zombies? We suppose we’ll never know…
3 Best: Borderlands 2
There is some debate as to whether this is truly “post-apocalyptic,” as the world is relatively industrialized—though it certainly isn’t too civilized. No, Borderlands 2’s chaotic world of Pandora is absolutely crawling with hostile, suicidal bandits, mutant bugs, and a smarmy corporate dictator watching over the entire population from his lunar base.
This stellar sequel from Gearbox manages to take the already appealing formula of the first Borderlands and elevates it to another level in terms of scope, gameplay, and narrative. BL2 contains a terrific blend of action-packed FPS gameplay and a fleshed-out RPG system of customization; complete with fun wacky weapons and satisfying powers.
2 Bad: Hard Truck: Apocalypse
If you ever wanted to play a bland, uninspired version of Twisted Metal overlayed with a basic plot that cheaply mimics Mad Max, this might be your game. But for those who are looking for rich, interesting environments, appealing gameplay, or any level of depth, Hard Truck: Apocalypse falls flat.
Not that it really matters for a vehicular combat game, but the story involves a pretty typical backstory of a UFO crash-landing on the earth and contaminating it, leading to masked gangs and anarchy. Unfortunately, the loose mechanics, cumbersome interface, and slow-paced, repetitive gameplay aren’t much better.
1 Best: Fallout 3
Bethesda managed to take a classic post-apocalyptic RPG series and amped up its epic sensibilities, resulting in an even better sequel. Fallout 3 works the armageddon angle wonderfuly with its sense of realism and detail. The game incorporates some stunning visuals featuring vast ruined landscapes along with solid shooting mechanics. This is complemented by the unique, intricate VATS system that allows you to target specific areas of the body—a satisfying feat.
At the same time, Bethesda stays true to the charming characteristics of the post-apocalyptic lore found in the first 2 Fallout games. The game combines action-filled gunfights with a gripping post-apocalyptic version of America, which beckons you to explore its open worlds and elaborate subway tunnels.
NEXT: 5 Best Zombie Games (& The 5 Most Horrifyingly Bad)
