Nexon's next social game, Zombie Misfits, looks for brains on Facebook

Alright, we thought it too: "Another zombie game?" But hold on just a second there, naysayers. Nexon's new Facebook game, Zombie Misfits, takes the whole zombie craze in a decidedly different direction. Co-developed by Canadian studio Antic Entertainment, this social take on what's quickly becoming a tired trend turns is a side-scrolling tower defense game.

Wait, according to a release, it's a "cartoon-style apocalyptic tower defense game with an RPG flare." Does that sound different enough for you? And if you ask us, the game's art style looks like something you'd easily find on Cartoon Network.

Ever since Nexon struck gold with MapleStory Adventures, the company has been bullish on Facebook games, but has taken its sweet time. (The publisher likely could have thrown its name on a number of Facebook games this year, but didn't.)

But back to the brain bustin'. Zombie Misfits has players defend survivors of the zombie apocalypse in two-dimensional zones against wave after wave of walking cadavers. To do so, you must place Defenders in key, predefined points in each level to kill off the walkers (thanks, The Walking Dead) before they reach the hovel of "breathers", as tutorial character Slim calls them.


The game features a number of different defenders like the Biker, a club-wielding badass type, and the pistol-toting Trooper--all of which can be modified and upgraded. Of course, you'll need to strategize which Defenders to place as you unlock them to fight the numerous types of zombies. And players can enlist the help of their friends, as per usual. But really, nothing beats the feeling of taking a giant chain saw to a morose mob of undead mouth-breathers.

Click here to play Zombie Misfits on Facebook Now >

Check out the rest of our Halloween coverage right here.

Do you think there's room for another zombie game on Facebook? What do you think of the zombie craze overall--is it just a fad?

A sad 75 percent of (expensive) MapleStory marriages end in divorce

And you thought the 50 percent divorce rate of real marriages in the U.S. was bad. Nexon reports that, of the 26,982 in-game MapleStory marriages, 20,344 (or 75 percent) end in annulment. And those in-game betrothals aren't cheap--each union in the free-to-play MMO (massively multiplayer online game) costs $25 in Nexon Cash, the South Korean developer's paid currency.

After seeing the massive (and kind of depressing) divorce rate, the Nexon community team turned to its players to find out just what was up. And while the company didn't find out much, it did uncover some hilarious somber stories. Take Seth, a 19-year-old MapleStory player from Colorado Springs, Colo:

    My former Maple spouse and I started off great; going on party quests together, boss runs, training, helping each other become better Maplers. Then I realized after a while that she was only out there to get free things off of me and we got in this conversation where she admitted to this accusation, so I decided I would have to annul our Maple marriage.

MapleStory matrimony
Here's a pro tip, kids: Think hard before marrying someone online whom you've yet to meet in person. Sure, it's all in good fun ... right until you start to share account information and lose all your goodies. (Another major no-no.)

"Getting married in MapleStory can be quite a fun event for the happy couple and their friends," MapleStory producer Crystin Cox said in a release. "While it looks like our players break up at a much higher rate than people do in real life, at least our players are not on the hook for alimony."

Fair enough, we guess. I think it's safe to assume this feature won't make it into MapleStory Adventures, which debuted on Facebook just over the summer, a version of the game I enjoyed immensely (and so do over 3 million monthly players). But with stats like this, consider it good news that this feature won't see the light of day elsewhere.

[Image Credits: Ylwong, Phame]

Have you ever married someone in MapleStory? What do you think of marriages in games like MapleStory, and would you like to see this feature come to the Facebook version of the game knowing the risks? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment