History VideoGame / DeadEffect

''Dead Effect'' is a 2013 zombie FirstPersonShooter with a sci-fi setting, developed for tablets and other mobile devices by inDev Brain. It was then ported to the UsefulNotes/{{Unity}} engine for the [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] in 2014, initially through UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} Early Access. ''Dead Effect 2'' followed in 2015 on mobiles, and was then ported to PC in 2016, and to UsefulNotes/PS4 and UsefulNotes/XboxOne in 2017.

While the name is a [[TheMockbuster clear riff]] on ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' and ''Videogame/MassEffect'', the actual gameplay is heavily reminiscent of ''VideoGame/{{Doom 3}}'', with players travelling through the corridors of an abandoned spaceship while battling hordes of zombies comprised of the ship's transformed crew. The sequel had also added ''VideoGame/Borderlands2''-style RpgElements to the series' formula.

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:Wagner claims you're just a test subject in a military experiment to create a supersoldier, but not only is he out of his mind, this contradicts a lot of the logs you find lying around. Unless they were planted to help conceal the truth about the experiment and convince you that you really are just stuck on a colony ship during a zombie outbreak- but if that's the case, why do so many of them [[{{Foreshadowing}} foreshadow]] that Wagner is responsible for the zombie army? The sequel indicates the ''Meridian'' really was a colony ship, most of the zombies you encounter are clones created by Wagner (most of the actual crew is still in cryosleep), and Wagner took over the ship and converted it into a testing facility.]]

* OnlySixFaces: The zombies only have about 10 models. {{Justified}} as the BigBad cloned the ship's crew several times, resulting in a zombie horde that has shades of MesACrowd.

* [[spoiler: TreacherousQuestGiver]]: [[spoiler: Turns out Dr. Wagner, who's been your guide for most of the game, is actually the BigBad.]]

Players take the role of either RatedMForManly SpaceMarine Gunnar Davis, or cybernetically-enhanced DarkActionGirl assassin Jane Frey, as they wake up from hypersleep on the starship ''ESS Meridian'' to find the rest of their Space Marine squad missing and the crew of the ship transformed into flesh-hungry zombies. Guided over the intercom by a surviving scientist named Dr. Wagner, the player must navigate the ship and find a cure before they also succumb to the zombie virus.

* MusclesAreMeaningless: The log file that details Jane Frey's background mentions that she's been heavily augmented, and jokes that despite her relatively slim figure she could probably fold RatedMForManly SpaceMarine Gunnar Davis in half. In-game, though, there is no difference between the two player characters.

* {{BFG}}: The explosive crossbow is this. Even without upgrades, it one-shots any of the EliteZombie types (including the BossInMooksClothing GiantMook with a minigun) and knocks off about 80% of the first boss's life bar and over 1/3rd of the FinalBoss's life bar with one shot. It even uses normal primary weapon ammo, so you can use it pretty liberally without worrying about running out of ammo. The only downside is that it uses up your primary weapon slot, so you'll be limited to it and a sidearm, which leaves you without an automatic weapon to deal with the fast-moving "demon" enemy types (cannibals).

While the name is a [[TheMockbuster clear riff]] on ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' and ''Videogame/MassEffect'', the actual gameplay is heavily reminiscent of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3'', with players travelling through the corridors of an abandoned spaceship while battling hordes of zombies comprised of the ship's transformed crew. The sequel had also added ''VideoGame/Borderlands2''-style RpgElements to the series' formula.

While the name is a [[TheMockbuster clear riff]] on ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', the actual gameplay is heavily reminiscent of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3'', with players travelling through the corridors of an abandoned spaceship while battling hordes of zombies comprised of the ship's transformed crew. The sequel had also added ''VideoGame/Borderlands2''-style RpgElements to the series' formula.

* {{BFG}}: The explosive crossbow is this. Even without upgrades, it one-shots most of the EliteZombie types and knocks off over 1/3rd of the FinalBoss's life bar with one shot. The only downside is that it uses up your primary weapon slot, so you'll be limited to it and a sidearm.

* BFG: The explosive crossbow is this. Even without upgrades, it one-shots most of the EliteZombie types and knocks off over 1/3rd of the FinalBoss's life bar with one shot. The only downside is that it uses up your primary weapon slot, so you'll be limited to it and a sidearm.

* BoomHeadshot: As in most zombie media, headshots are the most ammo-efficient manner of dispatching the zombies.