I'm currently playing Zombie Night Terror, a 2016 puzzle game where you control the zombies in an impending zombie apocalypse and must ensure that the zombies win. But unlike most modern games that would try an obvious action-packed approach, ZNT bases its gameplay on the old puzzler Lemmings where the zombies must be guided via a Real-Time w/Pause interface to help them avoid environmental obstacles and such to reach their goal (which usually consists of clueless humans). They even incorporate the old pixelated sprite graphics of the classic puzzler, creating an amazingly good blend to an entertaining game, though I was disappointed by how ZNT also comes with most of the pitfalls of Lemmings, even though 25 years have passed in the meantime that should have eliminated bad game design elements.
Those familiar with Lemmings will recognize some of the basic roles in ZNT. Blockers are now Overlords which direct the zombies in various directions, Bombers are now Sploders (who you'll need to get through rubble and doors) and Climbers have become Crawlers which try to use stealth to reach their targets. But other roles only bear the slightest of similarities between the two games, though zombie fans will recognize things such as Runners, Spitters, Jumpers, Screamers and even Tanks - there's something here for everyone. But where ZNT ventures into new territory is how Overlords have further roles than just herding zombies. They can be made to block directions, throw zombies through the air or give them a speedboost as they pass by - one role serving multiple purposes. It's also possible at times to just straight-up infect humans anywhere on the map for added mayhem. And ZNT ups Lemmings in one marvellous way - it's no longer a clusterfuck to select just the right zombie in a throng to do that one vital job, now the currently selected zombie is highlighted for easy clickings.
New roles for your braindead wards sadly doesn't mean much if you can't use them though, and this is one place where ZNT falters compared to Lemmings. Lemmings had dozens of levels and many of them offered 'freestyle'-gameplay, where the player could assign whatever combination of roles to the lemmings to reach the exit. ZNT doesn't have this at all, with the latest update the game packs 50 levels and I've yet to come across a level where all the roles are available from the start - there's always some small task or something that needs to be done to unlock further roles, if they're available at all. And while Lemmings had a mixture of these open freestyle levels and levels that came with a very limited selection of roles that had to be used in a very precise manner to reach the exit, ZNT jumps on the latter and never lets go. This restricts experimentation and just having fun with the game - two big reasons why Lemmings became such a hit back in the day.
But just because ZNT has such few levels compared to Lemmings doesn't mean they're as empty as the ones in Lemmings. Each level in ZNT is a finely crafted puzzle piece, populated by humans that are either just chilling, partying or keeping an eye out for your inevitable arrival. Better yet, some of them may engage in conversation, either to provide exposition, reveal a plot point or just throw in a joke. And the humans are also much smarter than your zombies. They may just cower there and wait for death, but others will run away, warn others and even call for help to bring armed thugs to fight your zombies. It won't take long to realize that ZNT isn't just about ensuring your zombies reach their food source, but how to do so with maximum efficiency. Disposing of the armed thugs first, for example, is an obvious strategy. Plot-vital characters also start to appear, like the Rick Sanchez-esque chemist that seemingly started the zombie apocalypse, along with nods to characters such as Ash Williams of Evil Dead, Michonne from The Walking Dead and even somehow the Terminator found his way into ZNT. One brilliant part of game design worth mentioning is the tutorial. In the opening levels, every time a new power-up is unlocked a TV turns on somewhere nearby. Click on the TV to watch a big-breasted news reporter explain during a live broadcast what the power-up does. I haven't seen such a seamless and non-intrusive method to include a tutorial in years - something that Lemmings successfully passed along, as its instruction manual mostly consisted of drawings that explained the game mechanics, instead of paragraphs of boring words such as this one.
Unfortunately ZNT also inherited one of the biggest shortcomings of Lemmings, which is the heavy reliance upon Trial and Error. Experimenting with the roles to learn their abilities is one thing, but levels incorporating unseen and unpredictable dangers to your zombies is something completely different. One great example of this is an early level where you're asked (as a bonus challenge) to destroy a van. Just reaching the van alone is a bother, but once your zombies are within visual range of the van, armed goons start pouring out of it non-stop until it's destroyed. Hidden traps like these were numerous in Lemmings, and they're far too many in ZNT as well. Throwing bodies at a problem until it's solved should not be the preferable solution to puzzles, but ZNT employs the term both metaphorically and literally.
Despite its shortcomings ZNT is a fun little game worth playing, though I enjoyed it most by only playing it in short burts, a level or two at the most. It's easily worth a price tag up to $15.
and a half out of 
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