Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven Reviews

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 102: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10) A text-based interactive fiction game from Hosted Games, [i] Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven [/i] is a sprawling survival sim, RPG, and narrative sandbox all rolled into one. You build your character from the ground up—occupation, background, personality traits, combat style, hobbies—and then drop them into the early days of a zombie apocalypse. Every choice you make shapes your skills, your relationships, your moral compass, and ultimately, your chances of survival. Written entirely by Jim Dattilo, this is not a short read. It’s a multi-volume epic (currently two parts out, more planned), with deep stats, dozens of branching paths, and shockingly granular customization. Whether you want to be a doomsday prepper, a con artist, a medic, or just a dad trying to protect his kid, [i] Safe Haven [/i] has space for you. 🪓[b] Pros: [/b] [list] [*] Unmatched character customization. Want to play as a charming ex-firefighter who’s great with dogs and has a drinking problem? Or a neurotic hacker with zero combat skills but a loaded bug-out bag? Go for it. You define everything from your diet and sexuality to your crafting skills and leadership style. The sheer flexibility makes it quite repayable. [*] So. Much. Roleplaying. This game isn’t just about shooting zombies (though you can do that too). It’s about forming alliances, managing group tensions, handling supply shortages, scavenging runs, morale crises, and ethical dilemmas. Want to be a ruthless warlord? A benevolent camp leader? A ghost who drifts through the world solo? It’s all valid. [*] Tense resource management. Food, water, fuel, ammunition, morale—all of it counts. The game tracks your inventory and plans over time, so your decisions during downtime matter just as much as the big cinematic scenes. Fail to stock up before a storm or zombie horde? You’ll feel it. [*] Excellent writing with grounded emotional beats. While it leans a bit melodramatic at times, the prose is sharp, character-driven, and tense. Whether you’re comforting a grieving survivor, flirting with a crush, or gunning down raiders, the writing pulls you in. Dattilo’s attention to human relationships, grief, and survival trauma gives the apocalypse emotional weight. [*] Branching paths that feel meaningful. Your choices aren’t just flavor text. Entire characters, locations, and scenarios can change depending on how you build your character or what alliances you make. Some of the most exciting chapters play out *entirely differently* based on your decisions hours earlier. [*] Companion dynamics are deep. Your ragtag group of survivors all have personalities, loyalties, and evolving relationships with you. Romance is available (and well-written), but even platonic dynamics are rich—watching a shy teen grow into a fighter under your guidance, or seeing tensions erupt between clashing egos, makes the apocalypse feel alive. [/list] 🪫 [b] Cons: [/b] [list] [*] Still more stories planed in this universe. You'll have to be patient to see any potential sequel. [*] Stats can get overwhelming. There are a lot of stats to track: combat skills, crafting, interpersonal abilities, leadership, willpower, stress, and more. If you're not paying attention, it’s easy to tank a skill check you didn’t realize mattered. That said, for min-maxers and narrative gamers alike, this can be a feature, not a bug. [*] Occasional pacing bloat. Sometimes the game gets bogged down in slice-of-life detail (like managing chores or group meetings) which, while immersive, can drag the momentum during action arcs. [*] You can die suddenly. Some choices have very harsh consequences. It’s part of the appeal—permadeath is real—but if you’re careful, you can lose hours of progress because you went down the wrong alleyway with the wrong weapon equipped. [*] Still some typos and odd phrasing in places.

A really fun game. I loved the story and characters. Everyone reacts realistically to a zombie apocalypse and i love how there is such a variety of characters which makes the game so fun to play. 10/10

I already played the Game on Smartphone and i loved it. Is there any chance that this game gets a translation in other languages? Would like to play the whole game in german cause of the mass of text. This would be very nice.