One of the consistently frustrating things when you play quite a lot of indie games, is seeing titles that have some real potential in their overall story or design that just don’t quite come together. Whether the issues are more technical, presentation-oriented, or simply revolve around gameplay that fails to suck you in, it’s clear that having a good idea isn’t often enough to sustain a gaming experience. Undying, even though it has a compelling conceit (though one already explored in movies and television), just can’t seem to bring the idea home, making for an uneven time.

The zombie apocalypse is a tough place to try to raise your kid, but when you’ve been bitten, and know that the time you have left to help them be equipped to survive is fleeting, it makes every decision important. Running with that line of thought, the game really revolves around running into different characters or situations and deciding how best to work through them. Keeping in mind that your son is watching and learning how you choose to act or react, it does make you carefully consider what you do and how, in a way you normally wouldn’t concern yourself with in a survival game of this type. You can’t necessarily go down the “anything goes” path where the ends justify the means, you’ll need to be more thoughtful.

Earlier on you’ll typically end up being focused on having your son watch and learn fundamental skills like how to search or repair things, and it’s very convenient once he’s learned them to let him do things while keeping yourself rested. Over time you’ll end up having choices to make about which more advanced skills he’ll acquire, with both a mind for his future and what could really be helpful in the moment as well. Combat is often necessary as you move around looking for supplies, and while it works it can also be a bit frustrating since it tends to be a clumsy affair, and you’ll need to be careful not to push yourself too hard or your struggles with your bite and emerging condition will get worse. 

Despite working well enough overall, and having a compelling story thread as its focus, there just seems to be something missing here to take it to the next level. If you’re really invested in the story and seeing how things can play out for this mother and her son in extraordinary circumstances, it will probably remain compelling for the most part. If, however, you’re expecting the gameplay itself to be the driver, it isn’t as clearly a winner. Granted, survival games are inherently pretty repetitive by nature as you work to find supplies, craft better equipment, and simply try to stay alive, but the better games usually find ways to feel more satisfying with their combat or other high-tension elements. Undying works, but it comes up just shy of making itself feel like an essential survival experience on the Switch.