The last thing most AAA game publishers want to do is get political. One just has to say the name "Blizzard" to show what happens when a company is even assumed to take a political side. Even flashing a message about how the game is "based on real world events" but not meant to make a direct statement doesn't always help. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare lost some serious Metascore after angering Russians with its portrayal of their people. If one is looking for games to comment on today's affairs, they have to look at the indie scene.
Ghoul Britannia: Land of Hope and Gorey is one such game. It's made and published by a group called Binary Space. As they're free from corporate constraints, there's no one telling them that their game about Brexit causing a zombie apocalypse is too political. So they went all in on the idea. The setup is the greatest thing about it so far. The old school point-and-click adventure game behind it is pretty good too.
In a near future where Brexit actually finally happens, the government is prepared to answer one of the movement's biggest questions: what happens with labor? If Britain isn't part of the EU, the country will end up ejecting a lot of "foreigners." These foreigners, according to the satirically foolish Prime Minister, are the kind that take all the jobs. But the average UK citizen wouldn't want to do these menial tasks. No, why would they? So the clear answer to solving the work crisis while still giving foreigners the boot is to bring back Brits as zombies. Let the undead do all of the grunt work.
This plan immediately backfires, naturally, unleashing a zombie horde on the country. Some time later, the player takes control of a citizen of this new apocalyptic Britain. The game gives a simple tutorial: find the main character's misplaced keys to unlock the door. The point-and-click mechanics are simple, so don't expect a complex puzzler. The game seems to exist to serve the story here.
The world itself is also a highlight. The zombies manage to look fresh – something rarely said about zombies – by having these weird smiley face helmets on their heads. The idea seems to be that the government thought they'd look friendlier that way. There are also great background details such as spray paint, government propaganda signs, and even character outfits that tell more of the story. Like a lot of modern apocalypse stories, it isn't really about the end of the world. It's about how people cope with uncertain times.
Ghoul Britannia: Land of Hope and Gorey is in Steam Early Access right now. The idea is that about half of the game is available now, with the full release aimed for February 2020. While the gameplay hasn't quite lived up to the creative premise yet, it might be worth revisiting in February.