PUBG Mobile Zombies Mode Gameplay Impressions: A Good Reason to Squad Up

The PUBG Mobile 0.11.0 update is currently in beta for Android and iOS. For most part, the beta patches for PUBG Mobile are far from compelling. This is because they usually include mundane additions like bug fixes and some new weapons. This time around however, Tencent has included the PUBG Mobile zombies mode or RE2: Sunset as it's known as officially. The beta has a 1.7GB download size on Android and is a part of the game's collaboration with Resident Evil 2 which just released for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows PC this week. We played zombies mode in the 0.11.0 beta update on a OnePlus 6T and here's what you need to know.

PUBG Mobile zombies mode is set on a part of the Erangel map. To play up the Resident Evil 2 association, the player lobby or spawn island as it's known has the Raccoon City Police Station as a part of its environment. It's a nice, albeit forced, piece of fan service.

Instead of the usual 100 players, the beta had a maximum of 60. Although this might change in the final release, we didn't feel like we had to look far to get into a fire fight. Reason being, zombies were aplenty and ready to kill unsuspecting players.

What's more is, Tencent appears to have recreated Resident Evil 2's zombies with care. The walking dead bear a striking resemblance to what we encountered in Resident Evil 2, right down to their movements.

Even classic bosses like the Tyrant with its hat are present along with its move set right from Resident Evil 2. Its agile dashes and short range attacks that have been brought into PUBG Mobile with stunning accuracy. Granted these are details that only Resident Evil fans can appreciate, but they're welcome additions that add authenticity to the collaboration.

To further add to the appeal is a day and night cycle. At regular intervals the time of day will change and the game will tell you when it's transitioning from dawn to dusk and vice versa.

At night, there are more zombies than usual, making survival tougher. Though if you're well-prepared by gathering enough guns and armour during the day, you'll be amply rewarded for taking them down with ammo, health packs, and other gear. You'll be dealing with the usual hazards of PUBG such as an ever-shrinking map and human opponents too.

More often than not, we found ourselves resorting to the PUBG Mobile squad feature, which pairs us with three other players in order to increase our chances of survival. This is because as a squad of four, it's much easier to kill tougher monsters like the Tyrant, which in our experience, can soak up a lot of damage. At the same time, having other friendly players makes it easier to keep an eye out for opportunistic human opponents looking to kill those of us distracted by zombies.

This combination of PUBG's battle royale gameplay mechanics of shooting, looting, and running gels well with Resident Evil 2's zombies. The pace of play feels hectic despite its smaller player count, forcing you to be more wary of your surroundings than usual due to multiple threats in play.

When it finally hits all devices, this mode will be worth checking out with friends, perhaps making us finally unmute other players in order to coordinate even better.

At the moment, Tencent hasn't said when the PUBG Mobile 0.11.0 zombies mode update will be available for all. Though given its past history, we won't be surprised to see it land sometime next week. As it stands though this is one mode you wouldn't want to miss out on.

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