Zombie games are just as abundant as FPS games in the video game industry these days. Some are very good, while others not so good. Nevertheless, most of them involve you killing lots of zombies in a variety of different ways. All Zombies Must Die! is no different and is a game zombie fans shouldn’t be disappointed with.
As aforementioned, many zombie games are out so what does All Zombies Must Die! include to separate this from the pack. Is it even a game worth purchasing? Let’s find out as we take a look at the HOTs and NOTs of All Zombies Must Die!
HOT
Presentation
Let’s start off by saying the presentation in All Zombies Must Die! is light hearted and that the game does not take itself very seriously. The atmosphere and mood of the entire game is a lot more comical compared to the seriousness of other zombie-type games such as the Resident Evil series.
The zombies themselves don’t look at all that menacing. Although you could say the design of the zombies are somewhat generic, there are a lot of different types of zombies that you will encounter in the game. The zombies can transform depending on the surrounding environments that they might encounter. Zombies can be lit on fire and run at you like crazy!
The four main characters also look cool. Some people might say that the Jack (the main character) looks very generic but I like the way he has a smile on his face even in the face of danger. The same cannot be said with numerous other main characters such as the serious Cole McGrath from the inFamous series and the unlikeable Starkiller from the Force Unleashed games…
Gameplay
The best thing about All Zombies Must Die! is the fact that you are thrust into the gameplay almost instantaneously. There’s no long and unnecessary cutscene explaining the background of Jack or how the zombies get there, he’s just there in Deadhill from the start forced to fight for his life.
The gameplay reminds me a bit of the Dead Rising games. This is because zombies keep coming at you from all sides and will keep surrounding you until you choose to fight back. It’s one of those game where the enemy will keep respawning unless you are able to get yourself into next area. This is easier said than done because the zombies will block your path and it’s essential that you dispose of them as quickly as possible.
Controls
The controls are very easy to master and almost anybody will be able to familiarise themselves with them fairly quickly. I reviewed the PS3 version and the default controls sees you control your character using the left stick and pressing R2 to shoot. These are the two main buttons that you will have to remember throughout the entire game. There’s no complex button combinations to remember like you would for a hack-n-slash or fighting game.
Offline 4-Player Co-Op
With the focus these days heavily on online multiplayer gaming, it’s always nice to see a new release game having an offline co-op mode. There are four characters that you will encounter and you can get to play as them once you meet them throughout the adventure. Before you encounter them, other players can choose to play as an army soldier instead. Out of the four main characters though, there’s Jack, his angry ex-girlfriend Rachel, an alien named Luxo and a nerdy scientist named Bryan. Each of them specialize on a specific weapon and will have different strengths and weaknesses depending on how you level them up.
Another great feature is that you can revive your mates whenever you have the chance or you can choose to complete the level yourself. The game does not end if you choose to go solo instead. This is an awesome feature that I hope other game developers incorporate. Why should the game end if one person is still alive?
Not
No Online Multiplayer
As much as I admired the game including an offline 4-player co-op mode, it’s surprising to note that the game does not feature any online multiplayer options. The only online aspects featured in the game are the usual leaderboards to compare your high scores with the rest of the world. I find this to be an odd omission considering not everyone will have 4 controllers at home. Not that it’s entirely necessary to play the game with 4 players all the time, but you would think in this day and age that a game would feature online play…
Weapons Aren’t As Effective?
Although there a number of weapons in the game such as shotsguns, a machine gun, a cricket bat and a host others, they are not as effective as killing off zombies as your own fists. From my experience playing the game, the shotgun and cricket bat I used didn’t deal as much damage when I punched the zombies instead. This may or may not be a bad thing but you would think weapons would be more effective against zombies than your own fists. The best thing about this is that you don’t have to worry about collecting ammo if you use your fists all the time.
Backtracking
One of the worst thing game designers can to is to recycle the same areas to use for various different missions. Sadly, backtracking is something you will have to get used to doing if you wish to complete All Zombies Must Die! The levels get very repetitive and very boring once you are visiting the same areas all the time. It would have been nice if the developer found the time to design more levels into the game instead.
Verdict
Although there are some serious flaws in All Zombies Must Die! if you have enough controllers and friends to gather around, the 4 player co-op mode can really be an enjoyable experience. The light hearted and humorous tone of All Zombies Must Die! makes it a very fun game to play. Not to mention that it’s a fun title that even non-gamers might find themselves playing.
[Editor’s Note: All Zombies Must Die! was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 hardware. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
