A colony sim with people at the center
Survivalist: Invisible Strain is an open-world colony-building sim set ten years into a zombie infection. Every living character in the world has a name and a personality, and they remember what you do. Their memories shape their mood and their opinion of you. They go about their own lives: gossiping, eating, sleeping, keeping warm, working and fighting. Some hand out quests, and you decide whether to take them on. You can use negotiation, friendship, violence, stealth or trickery to get what you want.
Playing together in online co-op
You can get up to 3 friends to join you in online co-op, for a maximum of 4 players, and this works in all game modes. Together you can split up the work of running a settlement: chopping trees, mining rocks, hunting, farming, and building walls to keep enemies out. Followers need somewhere to sleep, food, a fire, and protection, so there is plenty to share between you. The combat is a hybrid of third person action and real time strategy, so one player can fight directly while another issues orders from the overhead view. You can order your community to attack together or send a single person in as an assassin.
Before you start
There are two modes to choose from. Story Mode uses a hand-crafted narrative set in Moose Valley, and it is the sequel to Survivalist, though you do not need to have played the first game to follow it. Sandbox Mode generates a random world with a loose story and quests that change between playthroughs. When you start, you set your character's appearance, clothing, equipment, skills and personality, and different personality traits open up different dialogue options. Watch the wind direction when hunting or sneaking, since animals and zombies have a keen sense of smell. Keep an eye on your group's morale and relationships too, as members can fall out, fight, or get depressed. And be careful who you let in: the mysterious Invisible Strain can infect people who seem perfectly normal until they turn on you.