What Nasty Zombies is
Nasty Zombies is a wave-based zombie survival shooter in the old-school boomer shooter style, with retro pixel graphics and a dark, gory atmosphere. You play as a Hollow Monk, an ethereal warrior whose single purpose is to wipe out the endless waves of the dead. Runs are PvE: the only enemies are the zombies, and they keep coming in wave after wave. Maps are semi-procedural, so the layout shifts between runs and you can't just memorize a route and coast. Hidden secrets are scattered around to find while you fight.
Playing it with your group
You can fight solo or team up with up to 8 players online. The whole thing is built around movement and positioning, so a group that spreads out, covers angles, and keeps moving holds out far longer than one that bunches up in a corner. Money comes from killing zombies, and you spend it between stretches on Miracles, Blessings, and Invocations to raise your power. Zombies also drop temporary power-ups with unique effects, which is where a coordinated group can turn a bad wave around by picking up the right drop at the right moment. Between runs you unlock permanent upgrades, plus weapon camos earned through kills and headshots, so the group keeps getting stronger together over time.
Before you start
Melee combat and firearms both matter, so don't treat it as a pure gun game. Staying on the move is a mechanic in itself: the Kinetic Energy system gives you more firepower and faster melee the longer you keep moving, and you have leaps, slides under walls, and air dashes to outmaneuver the horde. Standing still costs you more than it looks.
There are 10 Miracles, which are permanent upgrades with passive bonuses; 13 Blessings, which are activatable abilities you build a playstyle around; and 8 Invocations, which are powerful abilities with unique effects. Once you've unlocked everything, Prestige resets your progress in exchange for letting you equip more Blessings at once, which is how the strongest loadouts come together. Over 100 achievements are in the game, and leaderboards track Highest Wave, Fastest Speedruns, and Top Prestige ranks if your group wants something to compete on.