Undead Neighbor Eaters — Android Native Port

Undead Neighbor Eaters is an unofficial Android port of Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It requires a separately supplied compatible game ROM; no commercial ROM or original game manual is included.

Licensing and distribution status: The repository contains upstream-derived translated game logic for which project-wide redistribution permission has not been established. Android-specific files and shared netplay files have component-specific licensing notices; those grants do not cover all upstream-derived code or confer permission to distribute complete APKs. See LICENSING.md and RELEASE_READINESS.md.

Features

• Native Android ARM64 gameplay with SDL2 and the shared native runtime
• ROM import through Android's system document picker
• Landscape Xbox-inspired menus that use the entire phone display; gameplay retains its original aspect ratio
• Editable touchscreen HUD, eight-way disc, floating stick, adjustable deadzone, per-button size/position, on-screen MAP, previous and next weapon
• Remappable physical gamepads, including PlayStation-style controllers
• Offline pause, ruleset-separated local saves, and save protection for No Save modes
• Direct Connect and Public Room multiplayer with the compatible Original Xbox port
• Android hosting and joining; automatic/manual delay and 1–3 frame rollback (maximum 1 frame for Xbox peers)
• Synchronized online Start+Back pause and save/load barriers; leaderboard, profile and chat UI

Requirements

• Android 6.0 (API 23) or newer; ARM64 device
• A legally obtained compatible USA version SNES ROM (provided by the player)
• Network connection for multiplayer, public rooms, profiles, chat and leaderboards
• Matching compatible Xbox/Android netplay protocol builds for cross-platform play

Running

Install a locally built or appropriately licensed and signed APK, open the application and import the compatible game ROM using the system file picker. Select Offline for local play, or Online for matchmaking. A ROM is not provided by this repository.

The application ID remains com.zamn.android for compatibility with existing saved preferences and installed testing builds; the displayed application name is Undead Neighbor Eaters.

Build from source on Windows

The project builds through Gradle 8.9, Android Gradle Plugin 8.5.2, JDK 17/21, Android SDK Platform 34, Android NDK 27.3.13750724, CMake 3.22.1 and SDL2 release-2.32.10. Git is required on the first build to obtain SDL2. The build downloads tooling dependencies but does not download or package game ROM data.

A short source checkout and Android SDK path is recommended on Windows because the NDK/Ninja toolchain can encounter Windows path-length limits.

From PowerShell in the repository root:

.\BUILD_ANDROID.ps1 -SdkRoot 'C:\SHSDK' -GradleRoot 'C:\Android\gradle-8.9'

If ANDROID_HOME / ANDROID_SDK_ROOT, JAVA_HOME, and GRADLE_HOME are configured, explicit arguments may be omitted:

.\BUILD_ANDROID.ps1

Gradle's test APK is written to:

android_port/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

For device installation, add -InstallApk with Android Debug Bridge and USB debugging enabled. See BUILDING.md for troubleshooting and build configuration.

Release APKs: The optional BUILD_ANDROID_RELEASE.ps1 script builds and verifies a signed APK using a locally created signing key. See RELEASE_ANDROID.md. Signing does not by itself establish permission for public redistribution of the game-derived code.

Repository layout

Directory	Description
android_port/	Android Gradle project, Java menu/UI, native Android frontend, SDL2 checkout location
src/	Shared translated runtime and netplay code, with Xbox-origin compatibility files
third_party/lakesnes/	SNES compatibility implementation; MIT notices preserved
tests/	Android-specific regression test fixtures
LICENSES/	Component license texts

Multiplayer and compatibility

The companion Original Xbox port is maintained at Undead Neighbor Eaters — Original Xbox.

Android and Original Xbox builds share the ZNP1 network protocol and compatible game state. Public-room features connect to the project's remote matchmaking service. Android-hosted mobile-only sessions support rollback up to three frames; Xbox sessions are limited to one. The online synchronized pause is Start + Back, while Android's local control editor is available offline.

No matchmaking server binaries or private administration keys are included. Multiplayer connections and account handling should undergo security/privacy review before broad distribution. A public IP address configured in the app is not an authentication secret.

Credits and legal notices

See CREDITS.md, LICENSING.md, and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

This is an unofficial community project and is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with the original game's rightsholders.