The Killing Antidote PREVIEW

On October 6, 2024, The Killing Antidote, a zombie action game with horror elements developed by the independent Chinese studio MetalStar, was released on Steam Early Access. The game was clearly created with an eye to modern remakes of Resident Evil. We have played with the novelty and are ready to share our impressions in this review.

The Killing Antidote takes place in a world plagued by a mysterious pathogen that turns people into bloodthirsty monsters. The main character, brave journalist Jody, is trying to find out the causes of the disaster and find an antidote that can save humanity.

In terms of gameplay, The Killing Antidote is a third-person action game. In this regard, the game is very similar to modern remakes of Resident Evil, especially the third part. Here, in the same way, you need to shoot the living dead, while the pace is quite high: opponents often attack in large groups, and the heroine fights well in close combat, knows how to dodge, roll over and break out of the zombie’s grip by stabbing the enemy with a knife.

The basic action mechanics work well. The shooting is pleasant, the weapons are well balanced and feel different, and the zombies clearly react to hits. Aiming at the head, you can quickly eliminate most opponents, but if the heroine is cornered, you should take something heavier, such as a shotgun or a submachine gun. Shots from such weapons literally tear the walking dead apart. There are also tactical elements. For example, you can pre-set mines in the path of opponents to inflict additional damage on them.

Of course, the matter is not limited to battles alone. In the best traditions of survival horror, the levels are full of puzzles, locked boxes, hiding places and even collectibles. Exploring dark corners is not only fascinating, but also useful: caches often contain supplies necessary for survival, more powerful weapons, as well as cosmetic items.

The level design is not bad at the same time. True, from a visual point of view, the office premises and corridors feel too empty and formulaic, but the layout of the complex itself with the presence of many hiding places feels organically.

The disadvantages of the game include uneven difficulty, jumping at certain points, and some clumsiness in management.
There are still a lot of such quibbles, and although they do not particularly affect the quality of gameplay, I would like to hope that the developer will listen to the community and release updates.

One of the main features of The Killing Antidote is an advanced customization system, which is unusual for games of this genre. In fact, there is a full-fledged character editor here: you can customize your appearance, hairstyle, body proportions (there is a separate slider to increase or decrease your chest and waist), as well as clothes. At the same time, wearing things does not affect the game balance. These are exclusively cosmetic items that allow you to change Judy’s appearance.

In the Resident Evil series of games, you can change the appearance of the main characters using mods or a small number of alternative costumes. But in The Killing Antidote, this is a full—fledged game mechanic, because every new element of the wardrobe, which has more than 230 items, must first be found or received as a reward in additional modes.

In addition to the story campaign, several additional test modes are available as part of Early Access. Some of them need to be unlocked beforehand by finding special items on the levels.
This includes, for example, shooting at a shooting range for a while, survival tests where you need to fend off opponents, a procedurally generated maze, as well as a task where you need to get to the evacuation point as quickly as possible.

The Killing Antidote attracts with its dynamic gameplay and rich customization system of the main character. Yes, there are some flaws in the game, but do not forget that it is in Early Access. If the project is not abandoned, but continues to be finalized and supported with new content, then an excellent alternative to Resident Evil may turn out.