Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a 1993 run and gun video game developed by LucasArts and published by Konami for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. The player controls the protagonists Zeke and Julie in order to rescue the titular neighbors from monsters often seen in horror films. Aiding them in this task are a variety of weapons and power-ups that can be used to battle the numerous enemies in each level. Various elements and aspects of horror movies are referenced in the game with some of its more violent content being censored in various territories such as Europe and Australia, where it is known only as Zombies.
While not a great commercial success, the game was well-received for its graphical style, humor and deep gameplay. It spawned a sequel, Ghoul Patrol, released in 1994. Both games were re-released as part of Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows by Disney Interactive in June 2021.
Gameplay
thumb|left|Zeke at the end of a level
The mad scientist Dr. Tongue has created a wide variety of monsters within the bowels of his castle and has unleashed them on nearby suburban areas, terrorizing its inhabitants. Two teenage friends, Zeke and Julie, having witnessed the attack of said monsters, arm themselves with a great deal of unconventional weaponry and items to combat them and save their neighbors from certain death. Ultimately, they will come face to face with Dr. Tongue himself and defeat him to put an end to his plans.
The player can choose between Zeke and Julie, or play both in a two-player mode. They navigate suburban neighborhoods, shopping malls, pyramids, haunted castles, and other areas, destroying a variety of horror-movie monsters, including vampires, werewolves, huge demonic babies, spiders, squidmen, evil dolls, aliens, UFOs, giant ants, blobs, giant worms, mummies, chainsaw-wielding maniacs, "pod people" (aggressive alien clones of the players), and the game's namesake, zombies. In each of the 48 stages, which includes seven optional bonus levels, the players must rescue numerous types of neighbors, including barbecue chefs, teachers, babies, tourists, archeologists, soldiers, dogs, and cheerleaders. Once all neighbors on a level have been killed by zombies or saved by the players touching them, a door opens that will take the player to the next stage. The ZAMN engine would later be used for Ghoul Patrol, Metal Warriors and Big Sky Trooper.
The monsters in the game are based on classic horror films released in the 1950s and more modern films like Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Release
The game was subject to some censorship. This game was released before the ESRB existed and, before then, Nintendo did not want violence in their video games. Nintendo of America ordered all depictions of blood and gore to be removed or changed to purple ooze.
Reception
Although not an immediate success, Zombies Ate My Neighbors became a cult classic years after its release. They also reviewed the Mega Drive version and found the game to be almost as good as the SNES version, except for the controls being more difficult and graphics not as good.
Upon the game's release for the Wii Virtual Console, Zombies Ate My Neighbors received immense praise and earned an Editor's Choice Award from IGN. IGN ranks it the 48th best Super Nintendo game. They called the game "Incredibly fun and funny." In 2018, Complex listed the game 48th on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time" list. They felt the game was amazing and the only criticism they had was the levels got a little repetitive. In 2017, GamesRadar rated the game 21st on their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Games of All Time" In 1995, Total! ranked the game 43rd in their Top 100 SNES Games. In 1996, GamesMaster listed the Mega Drive version ninth in their "The GamesMaster Mega Drive Top 10."
Legacy
In 1997, LucasArts released a game for the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn titled Herc's Adventures, which uses the same basic gameplay format and mechanics as Zombies Ate My Neighbors. Programmer Chris Long cited Zombies Ate My Neighbors as a major influence on his 1997 game Swagman.
, a film based on the game was in development.
An unofficial, spiritual sequel, Demons Ate My Neighbors, has been in development by Tuned-Out Games since 2020.