Who would have thought having a zombie apocalypse in your pocket would bring you so much joy? It's been a year since Sarah Northway's immensely popular survival strategy sim shambled out of your browser and onto your mobile device, and what better way to celebrate than with an update that allows you to inflict even more misery and mystery on your hapless band of struggling survivors? Now updates with the challenge of winter, new endings, and secret events, Rebuild for your iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire is better than ever... and now on sale for just $0.99USD!
If you're not familiar with the series, there's no time like the present to get acquainted. The game tasks you with handling the survival and growth of an initially small, struggling colony of people after a zombie outbreak effectively brings an end to the world as we know it. You'll need to ensure you have enough food for them by capturing and cultivating farms, but also enough housing, and though sending them out on missions to build, recruit other survivors, scavenge, and more may be dangerous, it's the only way to proceed. The simplest way to victory is to reclaim a certain amount of buildings from the city you find yourself in, fortifying them against further infestation after you clear out the undead, and eventually reestablishing a government. But that's not the only way, and the game is packed with endings to discover that depend on the choices you make during certain events, and how you choose to spend your time. The game lacks any real "hands-on" action, consisting mostly of decision-making and resource management, but manages to strike a perfect balance between approachable depth and customiseable challenge so that both longtime fans of the genre and newcomers alike will find a lot to enjoy.
There's no denying that all developers put a lot of heart and soul into their work, but Sarah Northway's dedication to her popular series is particularly impressive. She continues to work on and expand it, and the result is a robust and addicting experience about people getting their faces eaten... or, uh, in the case of this update, potentially eating each other's faces. You can still play Rebuild and its sequel for free in your browser, though only the mobile versions have received this latest update and have considerably more content and customisation. Who can say what else the future may hold for the series? In the meantime, it's the perfect time to get your hands bloody rebuilding the world (or maybe just settling down into your own Cabin in the Woods... ?) however you can. Just... don't ask me for help. Apparently I'm not so good at managing colonies. Or negotiating with traders. Or recruiting survivors. Or not eating corpses. Maybe, uh. Maybe I should just sit here quietly and let you handle everything...
NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on an HTC One X. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.
Walkthrough Guide
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Rebuild iOS Strategy Guide
General Info/Tips
Equipment is not permanently attached to people, so feel free to give them whatever suits the job they're doing.
The only requirement to reclaim a square is killing all the zombies. The survivors will move elsewhere for recruiting later, so only wait to reclaim if you need more supplies from it.
In more dangerous squares, it is more beneficial to kill the zombies before scavenging/recruiting.
It takes more play time, but changing out who's on guard duty (or farming, etc.) will help increase your number of effective soldiers/scavengers.
The above is also a good reason to have an extra person tag along for reclaiming/recruiting jobs.
Research is important, pick and choose carefully: communication research gets you random survivors, zombie research makes all survivors more effective killers, food research puts less strain on needing farms/farmers or scavenging for food.
Be careful about what you build: labs and schools are permanent and cannot be changed into other buildings.
It is usually a couple of game weeks before the first zombie horde attacks, so wait until then to worry about guard duty.
A Guide to All 4 Endings
#1 - Escape by Helicopter
The helicopter is always sabotaged as soon as the heliport is reclaimed.
You need to acquire the right parts, tools and expertise.
There are two different ways of acquiring each one.
The first is that they're randomly gained.
Parts: a trade with Gustav.
If you take the cure instead, nothing happens as it's bogus.
Tools: by researching electricity.
Expertise: by having someone read a helicopter manual.
About a game month after the sabotage, it should be ready to fix.
From this ending, you can start a new game taking up to five of your current survivors.
#2 - Defeat the Last Judgement Gang
First you must find the subway.
Shortly after fortifying both ends, you will discover a hidden route to their HQ.
A few days after that, you will come across an escapee whom you must feed to hear her story.
About two/three weeks after fortifying the subway, you will be ready to attack the gang (it's beneficial to ask the Riffs for help).
#3 - Discover Zombieism Cure
Two days after completing your first research, a crazy scientist will show up. Let him in.
About a week later he will demand an assistant.
Many days later (once he asked before an assistant) he will request a samples from a zombie horde.
The horde's movements toward your base are predictable, so as they get close, just send someone on a mission in the square they will be in the next turn.
It is still possible to complete this ending if you reclaim all the squares before you collect a sample.
About a game month after he shows up, there will be an explosion at the lab.
After investigating the explosion and translating his notes, you can continue his research from any lab.
Note: he once asked for the body of a dead dog for research. Obliging him lessened the wait for the explosion.
#4 - Draft a Constitution
First you must reclaim the required number of squares (indicated at the top, but you'll also receive notices when you've reached it).
Next, you should reclaim city hall.
Lastly, start drafting a constitution from city hall, which requires ten people with some leadership skill.
From this ending, you can start a new game taking up to five of your current survivors.
Tips to Beating Impossible Difficulty
Be sure to read the general tips first.
The easiest advantage is first completing the game on an easier difficult and taking your five most skilled people to the impossible city.
At the beginning of the game, your main concern should be food. So you should do your best to reclaim farms/suburbs in the area.
Scouting is essential so that you can determine in which direction to reclaim the blocks since they have to all be adjacent to each other.
High risks can pay better than playing it safe. A good number to shoot for is danger no more than about 30%. If you are trying to scavenge for equipment, that should be at least 50%, if you can.
Getting a lab quickly is a good idea as the food researches help you from needing to have committed farmers.
Expanding your area into a corner helps keep down the perimeter from which the zombies can attack you.
Happiness will become an issue. Be sure to have good leaders preaching/bartending (Gustav's love caravan also comes in handy if you can spare the food).
The ending you choose depends on your city layout/situation.
The constitution ending is the most straightforward with the least amount of randomness.
If you can find the heliport early, that could be your route.
Same with the subway for the Last Judgement ending.
The cure ending takes the most time and effort, so that is least likely. Though if you're trying for all four in one game, it'll probably be your last one achieved.
It's called impossible difficulty for a reason! Good luck!!
NB: We originally posted this strategy guide here. Thanks to Kyh for the guide!
Walkthrough content for the updated version coming soon!
Posted by: Mike
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October 12, 2012 4:08 PM