Zombie Estate 2

Zombie Estate 2 is the PC release of one of the highest-rated Xbox Indie Games — a wave-based cooperative shooter built around frantic ridiculous combat against thirteen unique zombie enemy types. The setup is exactly what the genre promises: defend against escalating waves, purchase weapons between rounds, customize your character with stat-boosting accessories, and see how long you and your friends can survive.

The roster is appropriately silly. Thirty-five characters with unique stats are available to unlock, including a duck wielding a shotgun and a robot wielding his favorite flamethrower. Over 100 weapons cover everything from standard shotguns and SMGs to absurd choices like the Nuke Gun, the Welding Torch, the Bubble Launcher and the Card Shuffler. Thirty hats provide cosmetic identity plus stat boosts, and six different levels rotate through the gameplay.

The stat-balancing layer is the strategic depth. Want to be a beefy tank? A medic? A master of robot minions? A pure DPS dealing as much damage as possible? Each character starts with their own stat distribution, and accessories can shift their build in any direction you prefer. Coordinating with your team's other players to cover complementary roles is part of the long-term meta.

Online and local cooperative play both work, and unlimited wave mode lets you see how many rounds you can survive against the randomized enemy generation. Zombie Points earned at the end of each round unlock new characters, weapons and hats, giving every match progression toward something even when you don't beat your high score. The whole game runs on the specific late-2000s indie-shooter energy that made the genre so beloved — and it has aged considerably better than that period's average release.