Recent reviews by The Great Commandy One

Probably the best zombie game right now.

None of these annoying "special zombies", just your regular shambling zombies.
No forced "base assault" every x days.

And yet you never feel safe. Every time you're out there, looting, scouting or gathering; even with a high skilled character; you know that one mistake and you're dead in seconds.

One bite is all it takes, one bite and you're 100% dead in 3 days. There is no cure, no hope.

When you spawn, the game tells you "This is how you died", the game does not lie.

Sandbox mode allows for a lot of customization.
Want slower, dumber, tougher zombies than default but 5 times the amount ? No Problem.
Want super fast 28 days later zombies ? Sure can do.
Loot amount, vehicle amount, xp multiplier, zombie respawning, weather, start date, electricity / water cut off ...
You can pretty much change everything and the few things you can't ? there's probably a mod for it.

I also liked the logistic of resource gathering and building.
You won't be gathering thousands of wood in your inventory like in other survival games.
A few planks and you are already overloaded.
It emphasizes the necessity of a car, or even better a van, not only for speed of travels but for it's carrying capacity.
Coming back home with a few dozens planks instead of 5-10 is a game changer.

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I would add that it took me a lot of time to get into it.
I own the game since 2014 and 2 weeks ago I had 15h played, tried a playthrough every few years but quickly got overwhelmed and gave up.

This is not you regular survival game, do not try to play project zomboid like it's one of those.

You don't loot everything you see, even if you know it will be useful later, loot what is useful now, come back for the rest later (If you have a pen in your inventory, you can add note on your map ;) )

You don't start fight you don't need to start, You'll only tire your character quicker, damage your weapons durability, attract more zombies, all of that for little to no rewards.

A drowsy character (first tier of tiredness) get 50% melee damage reduction, reduced endurance regen, reduced cone of vision.
Tired (second tier) goes up to 80% melee damage reduction and there are two more tiers.

I would suggest watching some youtube guides on traits and occupations, having a great build is very important for a new player, you can get away with more fun / advanced build once you died a few times.