Indie studio Brigada Games' "Quarantine Zone: The Last Check," published by Devolver Digital, offers a unique survival horror experience that blends the zombie apocalypse with the bureaucratic gameplay of "Papers, Please." The game recently launched on Xbox Game Pass, bringing its distinctive premise to a wider audience after an initial release on Steam.
Players step into the role of a checkpoint inspector tasked with evaluating survivors for signs of infection. Initially, inspections rely on visual cues, with players using a flashlight to identify symptoms like red eyes or oozing bites. As the game progresses, more diagnostic tools become available, including a stethoscope, reflex hammer, and portable X-ray. Based on the observed symptoms, players must then decide whether to direct individuals to the survivor block, quarantine, the laboratory, or "liquidation."
Symptoms are categorized by severity, ranging from green (mild) to red (definitely infected). Some individuals present with minor ailments, while others may conceal numerous bites. Any survivor exhibiting severe, red-coded symptoms is sent for liquidation, though those with novel symptoms that could be tracked further are sent to the laboratory. Each inspection's accuracy is graded as excellent, competent, or poor, based on correctly identifying symptoms and assigning the appropriate destination.
What begins as a simple process quickly escalates in complexity. Distinguishing between dirt and scratches, bruises and necrosis, or normal freckles and potentially symptomatic ones becomes a constant challenge. The game frequently reminds players of their fallibility as the quarantine space fills and survivor quotas increase, tempting them to overlook potential infections.
Beyond the core inspection gameplay, "Quarantine Zone" incorporates other mechanics. Raids occur periodically, requiring players to pilot a drone armed with weapons to fend off zombie hordes attempting to breach the compound. This arcade-style shooting offers a welcome change of pace from the methodical inspections. Base-building elements are also present, involving the expansion of quarantine capacity and ensuring essential facilities like the generator, canteen, and clinic remain stocked, with various upgrades available to unlock.
The laboratory minigame, however, is described as undercooked. This is particularly frustrating given its importance in cataloging new symptoms. The objective is to extract a target organ from a subject within a time limit by destroying surrounding organs, a process that proves confusing in practice, often leading to the immediate death of subjects. This difficulty, potentially stemming from the transition of keyboard-and-mouse controls to a gamepad, has resulted in limited discovery of new symptoms.
Players must balance these various components over a roughly one-month in-game period. Evacuations occur every five days, where survivors are sent to medical facilities for research points or military facilities for money. The game acknowledges the humanity of those passing through the checkpoint, with some survivors pleading for family reunification or begging for silence if symptoms are noticed. Others react with aggression, and some speak in untranslated languages, underscoring the life-or-death power the player wields.
"Quarantine Zone: The Last Check" is available on Steam and included with the Premium and Ultimate tiers of Xbox Game Pass. Its blend of zombie apocalypse themes and bureaucratic gameplay makes it a noteworthy addition for fans of survival horror titles like "The Last of Us," "The Walking Dead," and "Resident Evil."