Warning: this article contains spoilers for Ninjas of Zombie City. Please play the map first if you want to experience the story for yourself!

Zombie City is overrun by… well zombies. But not all zombies are made the same. With their huge popularity throughout games and film, our artists had a lot of fun putting together dozens of concepts for classic zombies, as well as new takes on old favourites, and brand new designs too.

From grunts to ghastly bosses, the zombies of Zombie City come in a variety of flavours, all dangerous and all deadly. This guide is here to help you learn your Spitters from your Splitters, as well as what sets them apart from the other games and franchises which built their popularity on their gruesome zombie designs.

Grunts

Our classic grunts are the most plentiful version of zombie you’ll see in Zombie City and are pretty slow moving. But don’t let their shambling gait fool you, these grunts can soak up a surprising amount of damage and if they hit you, they hit hard and will slow you down making it just that little bit harder to escape being crushed under a wave of undead ghouls.

Used by franchises ranging from the Dead Rising franchise to George Romero’s Living Dead trilogy, grunts are a snapshot of a city’s population, but zombified. From graduates, cops and Bob Ross, everyone is welcome in the horde. We even have an undead Jigarbov, friend of Noxcrew and fellow Marketplace creator, hiding amongst the undead. Sad to see he didn’t make it out alive...

Sprinter

With a design falling somewhere between the Hunter from the Left 4 Dead franchise and the squid kids from Splatoon, the Sprinter is fast, she’s mean and she’ll chase you down no matter where you try to hide. Towering over the other zombies around her, she doesn’t hit as hard as the grunts, but her speed more than makes up for it, fuelled by manic relentless energy.

Fun fact, during development we kept losing the Sprinter in the vast hordes of zombies so we kept having to redesign her and make her taller and taller until she eventually became the towering monstrosity she is today.

Sneezer 

We wanted to take the idea of a zombie that uses its bodily fluids to help its fellow ghouls. Eventually we designed the Sneezer so that, rather than draw zombies towards players using bile, the Sneezer would sneeze out mucus and give other zombies a disgusting gooey shield that could suck up a set amount of damage. If players get too close, the mucus can also harm and slow the runner, making it easier for the horde to reach and attack them.

The design of the Sneezer came from a friend of the company that artist Skyao was chatting to while designing the myriad of monstrosities!

Exploder

The Exploder… explodes. Obviously. If anything gets too close, be it zombie or runner, the fungal pods enveloping this zombie’s body explodes, dealing damage to everything around it! So keep an eye our for this fungal menace hiding in the horde, less you become the next infected victim.

It reminds us somewhat of the fungal infected from The Last of Us series.

Zombie dogs

Infected along with its poor masters, these zombie hounds are a hybrid of dog and rat, roaming the streets in packs, ready to tear unsuspecting runners to bloody shreds. Even if you see one alone, be cautious, they’re just as deadly!

The idea developed into a consideration of what would happen to the vermin and wildlife of a city infested by zombies, especially after time had allowed them to mutate.

Scrambler 

Another creature born from our ideas about what would happen to the vermin and wildlife of Zombie City after a bit of time to mutate, the Scrambler is half alligator half human monstrosity that will follow you no matter where you try to run, climb or hide. These mutated alligator zombies have 6 legs, perfect to get purchase on any surface and are always eager to take a bite out of any runner foolish enough to get in their sights!

This was artist Skyao’s attempt to make the most revolting design she could think of and she still can’t believe it's in the map!

Fire Spitter

Once a master of the arcane arts, now a fire wielding nightmare, the Fire Spitter prefers to keep its distance due to its smaller frame being susceptible to melee damage, opting instead to launch fireballs to set runners aflame and knock them into the waiting hands of a nearby grunt.

Based on the design of Jiangshi, hopping vampires from Chinese folklore, we wanted to use other supernatural monsters to inspire our zombies and link them to the world and aesthetic we were trying to create in Zombie City.

Trap zombie

In the world of Zombie City, you need every resource you can find to survive and thrive. But be careful, that abandoned piece of scrap metal could be a zombie!

Initially planned as a zombie that would attack from a sewer grate, the trap zombie developed into a zombie slime that hides in piles of supplies, waiting for unsuspecting runners to try and claim their prize before attacking and enveloping their prey. Kill them to earn your reward, before your body becomes another hiding place for the ghastly piles of goo.

Tank

The jock of the zombie world...literally, the Tank has a huge reach, massive knockback and devastating damage, it's a powerhouse of hurt. You can find something similar in the Left 4 Dead games.

Thankfully it’s not all that fast so keep running and keep out of range and you’ll be fine!

Splitter

A huge disgusting pile of zombie slime, the Splitter does exactly what it says on the tin, it splits itself apart as it’s damaged to swarm and overwhelm runners. While it is initially slow and cumbersome with a devastating strike, as it splits apart it gets faster and smaller, but deals less damage. But when you’re getting attacked from all sides, drowning in a sea of zombie goo, it doesn’t really matter how much damage they’re dealing!

Initially designed as a tall wraith like figure akin to Necromancers from World of Warcraft, the design morphed to better fit the aesthetics of the other zombies in the horde, especially the trap zombies. Parts of this initial design still remain however, with the crown of ribs sticking out of the main boss designed to create almost a high collar to create that striking silhouette of a kingly robe.

Candyman

Similar to the BigClaw Crab boss from Monsters of the Deep, the Candyman is a formidable opponent but prefers to let others do the dirty work. With manic energy and insane theatrical flair, When he isn’t flailing around with like a whirling dervish with his ringmaster’s cane, the Candyman uses his giant gumball machine to create little candy minions to swarm and destroy all enemies!

Bug Bear

The only ranged based boss in Zombie City, the Bug Bear is a sweet innocent little panda plushie that has been infected with a nightmarish zombie bug! Using the soft exterior as a place to rest and recover, the Bug Bear flies into the sky, sending poisonous rain down upon any runner in the area. Attack it while it’s resting or risk succumbing to its poisonous grip.

Possessed suits became popular with the Five Nights at Freddy's games but the main design for the Bug Bear actually came from the Crimson Court DLC for the game Darkest Dungeon, which re-imagines vampires as bug like monstrosities hiding behind masks to lure people into their trap.

Death Mask

A dark reflection of the runners of Zombie City, the Death Mask is a ninja who succumbed to the zombie plague and now uses its skills against the people it once saw as allies. With a speedy attack that helps them get up close and personal in a flash, this master of Ninjutsu can also use smoke bombs to disappear and disengage from their opponent, lining themselves up ready for another vicious strike! 

Despite the Death Mask’s extensive use of Ninjutsu tactics, it’s design was inspired by samurai Dō-maru armour from medieval Japan, including its use of two swords instead of one. Its mask was inspired by Oni: malicious demons of Japanese folklore, believed to be invincible or undefeatable.