I have loved the idea of Zombies, Run! ever since I first heard of it. A running app that is part radio drama and part running aid, helped in no small part by some outstanding actors playing the roles. It took me around six years to get through the sixty odd missions from season 2, which just shows how little I actually ran in that time. With season 3 you have another sixty, but am happy to say this one took me two years to get through (which I acknowledge is still a long time!). Spoilers for the previous seasons to follow.
After the shock cliffhanger of season 2 in which a large proportion of Able Township's population under mind control got up and left the compound for parts unknown, this season has you, again playing the non-verbal role of Runner 5 as you try to find out who is behind this latest evil. This includes you tracking down the way this mind control was carried out, investigating the shady headquarters of the Comansys science corporation, and identifying the mysterious leader of the group that is using the brain washed people as unwilling slaves and soldiers.
Rather than be split up into main missions, side missions and bonus missions, all sixty to be found in season 3 are main line missions. Variation is the order of the day and this time things go to some interesting places. You get a few missions that essentially take place within your own mind, quite a few missions set in London, far away from Able Township, and even some missions that take the form of flashback sequences. These include the moment that Able and New Canton first fell out with each other, as well as why runners became to be known as numbers rather than by their names. The story despite my reservations was really interesting, it tackled something that shows like The Walking Dead never did. It also surprised by having the antagonist turn out to be someone I really hadn't suspected. Definitely someone more cerebral than physical, which works when you are passively playing the role of someone whose key skill is running rather than fighting.
By this point there is a solid cast of characters, with my favourite being the return of the slimy character Simon. Turned traitor in season 2, this time around he forms a convenient alliance. I don't know who the voice actor is for this character but he was just perfect. This character gets the most developed character arc in the whole season, outside of the antagonist. With the lack of side missions, I'm not too fussed as some of those had previously felt pointless. As a running aid, this is primarily used at the gym when I'm rowing or on the cross trainer, and so gone are the days of running around my local wood while using this. Later seasons strayed away a bit from woodlands and so while it is not ideal to not be running while using this, I can still enjoy the story despite a reduced layer of immersion.
I'm never keen on the trope of there always being a bigger and badder antagonist behind the orchestrations of a previous antagonist, this time that idea was handled well. It both builds on the story that has taken place while increasing the scope of the zombie infested world. This was as always a joy to get through. A quick look tells me there are currently nine seasons out there, so I better get exercising.
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