I downloaded ZR in 2012 after hearing an interview on NPR with Naomi Alderman. It sounded like a fun way to get exercise, which was exactly what I felt like I needed at the time. I had just graduated from college, and was broke, jobless, and severely depressed. At first running was just a way to get out of my head, but at some point in the next few months, it turned into something important and meaningful. I was running because I wanted to learn more about the residents of Abel Township, I wanted to hear Jack and Eugene bicker and flirt with each other, and I wanted to collect bras and water bottles to support a fictional community that sometimes felt more real than my own. An activity that had in the past served as a kind of self-punishment became an activity that brought me closer to my values. It made me feel fulfilled and accomplished. I can’t count the number of times this story has made me laugh, and how many times it has brought me to tears. Since 2012, I’ve run hundreds of miles. With the virtual races, I’ve pushed myself beyond anything I ever thought I was capable of. But I no longer do it to become more fit, or even to feel less depressed (although both of those things did happen). I did it - and still do it - because it’s truly fun. Thank you.

I’ve used this app for quite a few years and it’s just gotten better and better. I just got an Apple Watch and I have to say it needs some serious improvement. Mine has connected to my phone all of 2 times. It recognizes that I’m running the app on my phone and displays “Connecting” 99% of the time it won’t ever connect. Not that it’s that handy to begin with. I can play/pause and end and that’s about it. I request that that gets fixed but I would also recommend adding in more functionality. Like being able to load runs onto the watch so I don’t have to take my phone every time. I can load my music onto my watch, it can track via GPS, all it needs to be able to do is download runs to my watch and it’ll be completely standalone and super useful!Another issue I have with my app (I have a pro membership) is the stories won’t chain together even though they’re supposed to. When I finish a mission in the middle of a run I have two options, listen to radio or stop running, end the run and start a new one. That was a big reason for me to get pro and it doesn’t work. I do have one more suggestion too. I know the app recognizes when you are walking versus running, and I have to admit I haven’t tested for this, but I would like it to be able to track a bike ride! I ride every day I’m not running but the app says nothing about being able to track a ride and I don’t want to try to test and lose data from my other tracking app for biking if it doesn’t work. Again, I love the app I just wish the watch version worked and had more functionality.

I have ran a few times with this app and I love the immersive story line and the zombie chases but that’s were the fun stops. I’ve ran outside with it and it seemed to connect with my watch just fine. But the other times I have ran in the gym it won’t connect to my Apple Watch 3. Also it seems almost after every transmission it won’t go back to playing my music. I after to stop running and either pause the run a couple of times to get it to play or advance the song a couple of times to get it playing again. Also I have noticed that when I am at a jog and am getting chased by zombies I can’t get away even when I’m almost at a dead sprint....which seems crazy when your at 5 miles or more and are having to sprint to escape....but I can’t escape and end up having supplies dropped to escape!! I got this app years ago when it first dropped and came back to it....it seems really buggy now and also like the developers aren’t putting the time in it to fix the bugs....I am will to pay for the subscription but not with these kinda bugs.....I did order the book and am looking at doing the virtual race....so hoping they get these bugs worked out!!!!

I usually don’t write reviews but with all the problems the app is having at the moment I decided to write this. It’s been taking a long time to start up, crashing, zombie chases glitching out and tracking has been off both on screen and with the audio. Also when the chase audio plays and you hear the zombies, normally the audio would play and warn you about the incoming zombies. During this and the 20, 50 meter warnings the audio would muffle your music. Now it’s just completely muffles the music even when no audio is playing and zombie chase are 100 meters with tracking not working correctly so I’m sprinting far more then I’m supposed to. Zombie noises would never muffle the music. They would slowly increase in audio as you got closer to them without the muffling. I’ve been using the app since 2015 when I was in middle school running track and cross and never once ran into a problem. Now with the app change it’s been doing all of this and making it impossible to use the app to train. Please I hope this gets fixed because I don’t want to stop using this app because of all the sudden problems. (Once the issues have been fixed I’ll switch the rating to a 5 because other than the problems it’s having the app is super good. Just that the problem make it practically unusable for some who’s been using it for years.)