A plethora of categories exist for the classification of undead abominations: infected, reanimated, slow & durable, fast & fragile, lone roaming, mobile horde- the list continues. They pose a variety of threats, from being the laughable subject of memes, to being relatively sinister and deadly.
The threat isn't so pressing if your zombie is a turn-based RPG zombie. In such circumstances, a Phoenix Down or Curaga is enough to neutralize the threat, as your turn undoubtedly comes first (unless your didn't raise your speed stat). Even if your characters are lazy and out of shape and they get turned into zombies, all hope is not lost. Your coup in the fantasy world can be revived from their undead status with a simple OTC med sold at every local vendor- the Holy Water. It seems the zombie apocalypse is even less likely in most RPGs than it is in the real world.
Consider a threat that is more immediate than the outdated ATB gauge zombie from the Final Fantasy series. Instead, you're facing an early Resident Evil 4 townie, at some undisclosed village in Spain, so recently exposed that the T-virus is still relatively undetectable (as is the Spanish). A well-aimed round from your handgun is sufficient to eliminate one target. But a single target is so rarely the case in a zombie apocalypse. Now there's a great shift in the locus of the threat; one mindless roamer with a pitchfork is much less intimidating than twenty (with pitchforks and torches!). Defeating this zombie horde requires something more along the lines of a shotgun or rocket launcher.
There are still many greater threats than the townie. Perhaps the most fearsome undead presence, even moreso than the nasties encountered in Left 4 Dead or Dead Space, is the level sixty Forsaken rogue. Stealth, evasiveness, speed, poison, and daggers, would be to name just a few of its combat utilities. The most valuable of its deadly traits, however, is ageny- the ability to reason. A veteran rogue's exemplary micro skills will make your death inevitable. The enemy can reason and ensure your demise by choosing to attack when the greatest opportunity presents itself. Regardless of your armor class, attack speed, or spell power, surviving a one-on-one encounter with any number of Forsaken rogues is impossible. The only chance to escape the ambush depends upon talented and reliable guild mates.
Fortunately, if your guild mates are mouse clickers and keyboard turners who can't be depended upon for challenging encounters, Forsaken don't turn you into a zombie when they kill you. Instead, you get to suffer the comparably horrifying and significantly more frustrating experience of being ganked. MMO gamers face the most terrifying form of zombie threat that is recognized.
The OTC holy water is an apt example of common satanic comparisons associated with the undead. These connotations transcend zombie cannon and enter the realm of monster.
ReplyDeleteHowever, is a zombie a monster? Or are monsters monsters regardless of agency or taxis? The forsaken are calculating and deliberate. This uncharacteristic intelligence is unique in zombie(undead) lore and is, arguably, more readily associated with vampires.
Widely known vampire vulnerabilities are holy water and Christian crosses. However, in more recent vampire adaptions such as Mom's got a Date with a Vampire(2000), the characteristic vulnerability to crosses is irrelevant and laughable in certain scenes.
This begs the question: is human fear of the undead innate? Or are these fears manifestations of religious ideologies that have only recently been put to rest?
Perhaps neither. Perhaps religious connotations of evil are so ingrained into what we perceive as monster that they can only be moderated to fit modern dogma.