Dead Engine

Dead Engine is a survival action-roguelike set in a post-apocalyptic city overrun by intelligent zombies. You explore the city, scavenge for critical items and decide whether to fight or flee. Zombies track and adapt to you, and work together to hunt you down; each run lasts 10–20 minutes.

Explore and survive

The city is rendered in hand-drawn pixel art, with hand-crafted maps where terrain can help you survive. Plan escape routes, set traps and turn the ruins into obstacles for zombie hordes. You can also use defensive turrets. Dynamic environments give you strategic options as you explore and fight.

You find backpacks to expand your carrying capacity, merge items to free up space and customize your pack to suit your playstyle. Managing your inventory and collecting critical supplies are central to each run.

Manage your camp

Your camp needs ongoing attention. Balance morale, hygiene, shelter and resources, keep the fire burning, build shelters, clean up poop and maintain survivor morale. If these needs fall out of balance, order in the camp can collapse.

Some survivors may ask to join and improve your chances of survival, but some may be hiding that they are turning into zombies. Check people at the gate and decide whether to accept, reject or kill them. Other visitors come to trade without wanting to join: consider their requests and sell them needed items to earn scrap and learn their survival stories.

Face the zombies

Zombies use a pathfinding system to move through the city and adjust their routes to your position. They can merge into hunting hordes when they spot others nearby. Ranged zombies keep their distance while attacking and can throw acid bombs over structures if you try to hide.

Characters and progression

Characters are scattered across the map, and you can encounter them by following their traces. Each meeting offers a different perspective and way to survive; discovering a character unlocks them as a playable character. There are four unique playable characters, and a roguelike progression system.