SNES Zombies Ate My Neighbors Memories

I recently discovered a YouTube channel called Motron Games, and their video review of the Super Nintendo game ‘Zombies Ate My Neighbors’.

Watching this SNES game in action unlocked a treasure trove of memories of playing video games with my nextdoor-neighbor during my childhood in the mid 90’s.

It Started Back In The 90’s

During my middle-school years, I got to make a weekly visit to Blockbuster video, but only if my progress report was deemed satisfactory by Mom.

I remember browsing Blockbuster’s SNES games and the box for ‘Zombies Ate My Neighbors’ caught my eye, so I decided to make ‘Zombies my weekend rental.

Summary of Zombies Ate My Neighbors

SNES Zombies Ate My Neighbors was released in 1993, and it’s a top-down action game with campy horror “B-movie” aesthetics.

The game advertises 55 ‘un-deadly’ levels, and each of those levels is absolutely crammed with enemies and challenges.

Players choose between Zeke and Julie, our two suburban teen heroes, tasked with rescuing their neighbors from a barrage of classic movie monsters.

The gameplay is straightforward: your main objective is to rescue the eponymous ‘neighbors’ who are scattered around each level, and while this is happening, you must also combat a diverse array of enemies.

Either player starts with a water gun as their default weapon, but you can switch between different weapons using the B button on the SNES controller.

The game also includes special items, like keys and potions, which add an extra layer of strategy to the game, via shortcuts and player power-ups, respectively.

SNES Zombies Ate My Neighbors is known for its high difficulty,  but that didn’t stop my neighbor and me from having tons of fun while attempting to navigate the various levels.

 

The game starts off relatively easy… In fact, you can just stand and watch your neighbors for a bit in the first level, before a zombie inevitably comes by and chomps on them.

Throughout the game, the challenge ramps up significantly, and eventually there will be far more enemies to defeat, and continually-dwindling numbers of neighbors to save.

And then there’s the levels with the big baby, which are just… not fun.

If the game is too hard, then there’s always Game Genie, or you can use a four-digit code to jump straight to any of the 55 levels.

2-Player Mode Is Ideal

What made Zombies Ate My Neighbors truly special was its awesome co-op mode.

I remember inviting my best-friend/ next-door neighbor and together we’d gleefully wreak havoc with water guns, bazookas, and even kitchen utensils.

 

SNES Zombies Ate My Neighbors’ 2-player mode displays both characters on screen at the same time, with no split-screen effect.

Seeing both players on-screen makes it feel like you’re ‘in the game’ with your friend, rather than just watching them complete a different section of the same level.

A YouTube Channel to Remember

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I only remembered SNES’ Zombies Ate My Neighbors because of Motron Games.

The first video I saw of Motron’s was this video about comically-bad box art on Super Nintendo video games:

The thing that sets Motron Games’ videos apart is that his videos pack lots of N’formation and insight into concise, 10-minute videos.

Motron Games video reviews will always provide a quantified review score, which is reminiscent of classic gaming magazines like Electronic Gaming Monthly or GamePro,

As if that wasn’t enough, Motron Games made a  custom ‘Zombies Ate My Neighbors’-inspired song which plays in the background during the credits.

For those who fondly remember SNES Zombies Ate My Neighbors, or for newcomers curious about trying it, I highly recommend checking out Motron Games’ review, and his variety of other SNES videogame review videos, too.

In conclusion, while we can’t always relive the exact experiences of our youth, channels like Motron Games offer a wonderful way to revisit and appreciate the games that shaped 90’s kids’ childhoods.