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Zombies Ate My Neighbors
The co-op classic that earned its cult status
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PRESS START
An Introduction To Today’s Game
Halloween retro month continues with something playful rather than frightening. Zombies Ate My Neighbors captures Halloween the way kids love it, all thrills without real scares. LucasArts understood the joy of Saturday monster B-movies and transformed that feeling of staying up past bedtime, watching creatures invade small towns, into an adventure you could control.
Zombies threw teenage heroes Zeke and Julie into the most absurd rescue mission ever conceived. Mad scientist Dr. Tongue has unleashed classic horror monsters across suburbia, and only two kids armed with the contents of a garage sale could stop them.
LucasArts crafted something memorable here, a run-and-gun adventure that celebrated B-movie horror with affection and a knowing wink. The premise alone deserves applause. Vampires, werewolves, chainsaw maniacs, and yes, zombies, all standing between you and saving cheerleaders, babies, and barbecuing dads.
Grab some tots, a good root beer, and let’s check out this cult classic.
One of my least favorite enemies in the game. They hurt.
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BEHIND THE PIXELS
Let’s Dive Into The Game
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a run-and-gun game that plays from a top-down perspective across 48 increasingly challenging levels with a few optional bonus stages. You control either Zeke or Julie, navigating through suburban neighborhoods, shopping malls, pyramids, haunted castles, and other horror-movie staples while rescuing neighbors from certain doom.
The goal sounds simple enough: touch neighbors to save them before the monsters do, then find the exit door to progress. Lose all your neighbors on a level, or die too much, and it's game over.
The genius lives in the details. Every level contains up to ten neighbors, each worth different point values. Tourists, teachers, babies, dogs, cheerleaders, and others all need saving. The catch? Enemies kill them permanently.
No respawns, no second chances. Once a cheerleader gets snatched by a zombie, she's gone. When the Jason-inspired chainsaw man finds the cute baby, it disappears. Yeah, that one feels pretty bad to see.
Live look at my last job!
Some levels even feature day-to-night transitions where tourists transform into werewolves at nightfall, counting as casualties whether you like it or not.
Combat relies on an arsenal that reads like a garage-sale inventory list. You'll wield water guns, weed whackers, explosive soda cans, ancient crucifixes, tomatoes, dishes, silverware, bazookas, and even Martian bubble guns.
LucasArts borrowed heavily from classic horror film logic. Werewolves fall instantly to silverware attacks. Vampires crumble faster when hit with crucifixes. Fire extinguishers blast away certain enemies while flamethrowers handle others. The weapon variety forces you to think strategically about enemy weaknesses rather than mashing one button through everything.
Power-ups scatter throughout levels, offering health packs, speed boosts, and potions that temporarily transform you into a hulking monster. Keys open locked doors, though a well-placed bazooka blast works too if you're feeling destructive. The game constantly rewards exploration and experimentation.
Yup, even aliens join the party.
Two-player cooperative mode elevates everything. Having a friend cover different sections of massive levels, share weapons, and coordinate neighbor rescues turns frantic solo gameplay into strategic teamwork. Most reviewers from 1993 agreed the co-op mode was essential to the full experience.
The presentation nails its B-movie aesthetic perfectly. Colorful, detailed sprites bring each monster type to life with personality. Giant demonic babies crawl menacingly. Pod people spawn as evil clones of the players. Blobs ooze across floors. Mummies shuffle from pyramids. The variety keeps levels visually interesting across all 48 stages.
Always save the good boy!
Joe McDermott's soundtrack channels classic horror-movie scores, mixing spooky organ music with upbeat action themes that somehow work together. It's intentionally campy and completely charming.
One critical flaw haunts the experience: there’s no save system. The developers wanted battery saves but couldn’t include them due to cost.
This means completing all 48 levels requires one marathon session. Die on level 47? Start from level 1. This design choice aged terribly and I feel modern players accustomed to checkpoints and quick saves will find this frustrating. Even for 1993, it was considered harsh, so I can’t really argue with them. The difficulty escalates quickly too, making solo completion genuinely challenging for most players.
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WHERE TO PLAY
Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol for the Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One
Original Copies of the Game (All prices in USD)
Loose: $32
Complete: $105
New/Sealed: $250
GAME INFORMATION
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Cover Art
 North America |  Europe |
RETRO NEWS
Here’s a quick roundup of the latest retro gaming news we’ve dug up.
Ymir Emulator Reaches 90% Sega Saturn Compatibility
The Ymir emulator marks major progress, running nearly the entire Sega Saturn library smoothly.
Read more at Time ExtensionFrom NES to SNES: TMNT’s 16-Bit Evolution
Retro News revisits how the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles leveled up from 8-bit to 16-bit glory.
Read more at Retro NewsAnbernic Reveals Budget DS-Style Handheld
Anbernic’s newest retro device mimics the Nintendo DS design while staying under the $100 mark.
Read more at Time Extension
PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS
What do you miss most from the retro era that has gone relatively missing from today's games?
Physical Media like Discs, Cartridges. Digital is taking over - 37.5%
Manuals packed with lore, art, and “how to” instructions - 25%
Memory cards - 0%
Cheat devices like Game Genie - 25%
Local co-op - 12.5%
No micro transactions - 0%
GAME OVER
Why You Should Play This
Zombies Ate My Neighbors holds up remarkably well for cooperative gaming sessions. The core concept remains fun, weapon variety stays creative, and fighting horror-movie monsters never gets old. Those willing to embrace the lack of saves will find a genuinely entertaining run-and-gun adventure that respects classic horror while poking fun at it at the same time.
Whether you're revisiting childhood memories or discovering it for the first time, make sure you grab a friend for co-op. This game was built for two players tackling suburban monster mayhem together and it really elevates the experience. Just remember, once you start those 48 levels, you're committed until Dr. Tongue falls. Your neighbors are counting on you.
ZAMN Game Over screen
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