‘N.Y.Zombies’ Review
Intro
We have seen an abundance of zombie games hit the app store recently and to be frank, not much of the have taken my fancy. When I got the chance to play Foursaken Media’s new 3D zombie game N.Y.Zombies, I was skeptical yet intrigued. Could this be the new zombie hit or another dead weight?
Spot the zombie.
Gameplay 10/10
The story is that everyone has suddenly started turning into zombies. The cause is unknown but all you want to do is stay alive. The story spirals from their and you are given an extra piece of the plot at the start of every level. As the story developed it really began to pipe my interest and soon I couldn’t wait to read what happens next to my poor little character.
There are loads of weapons to equip yourself with in N.Y.Zombies. Firearms range from a mini-gun to a sniper and everything in the middle. Each weapon has unique stats, such as reload time, damage and zoom and using the right combinations of weapons are key to winning a hard level. Other objects you can use against zombies include grenades, Molotov Cocktails, a seismic wave, which collapses all zombies on screen, and loads more. Not to mention the upgrade you can do to your health and armor. Every weapon and improvement is upgradeable to make them more affective in the firing line. Keep in mind that you can only take 5 weapons with you when playing
The levels are extremely varied and offer something new at every stage. Zombies advance from every angle and strategic placement of proximity grenades and Molotov Cocktails is key.
There are many types of zombies you face while playing through N.Y.Zombies. For example there is the jumping zombie which leaps at you, attacks and leaps back. Then there is the tall one which is extremely hard to kill, but very slow, however, I would have liked to see a more of these special zombies to keep the gameplay interesting and varied.
Holy...
There is a mini-map on the bottom right of the screen which helps massively with tracking down zombies and making sure you haven’t got a fast one sprinting at you from your blind side. In some levels, mini-map is disabled because it is too dark. To combat this you need to use a flare which lights up your surroundings and enables your mini-map.
This adds a unique twist to the game as you are faced with the decision of either using up a valuable weapon slot for a flare, or throwing caution to the wind and going without one.
N.Y.Zombies is extremely hard and the chances are that when you start you are not going to survive. However, one great thing about N.Y.Zombies is that it is all about strategy. The first play-through is just to get used to the level, and form a plan on where to place bombs, and where the main bulk of zombies migrate from.
At the end of every level you gain money on how well you did paired with a score out of 5. This is sourced from how much health you had, your accuracy, highest hit streak, highest kill combo and survivors saved. A hit streak is the count of the amount of shots you took continually that didn’t miss. The kill combo is the count of how many zombies you killed one after the other in a short space of time. Every level you get a certain amount of survivors that need to be saved. Annoyingly these terrified civilians have the knack of running, arms flailing, right at you, only to be met with a cold bullet in their face. Survivors are saved when they reach you. These also link in with achievements (more on that in the longevity section).
Other than the story mode, there is also an Endless mode packed in with N.Y.Zombies. This involves fighting wave after wave of zombies. Starting with just a pistol and a knife, you have to upgrade your weapons and try to survive for as long as you can. This mode is a neat feature, but I was disappointed that it only included one map. It would have been nice to make it so that you can replay any level in Story Mode in Endless.
Lock and load baby!
The graphics are good, but not brilliant. I especially noticed on the zombies that when they were turned away from me, you could see that they were just a flat image. I was disappointed by this as it ruined the authenticity of the game. None-the-less, the backgrounds are detailed and I especially liked the rain effect.
Controls 10/10
Many of you will be disappointed to read that your character can’t move. You are at a fixed position. Despite my first impressions, I actually prefer this option. Granted, there are times when I am in an open area and I have a wave of powerful zombies lumbering towards me I just want to run, but in fact the lack of movement doesn’t seem to take anything away from the gameplay. Especially in the smaller levels such as the train where zombies are advancing from all sides, all I want to do is stay where I am and fend of those living dead. Furthermore, I think the addition of controls would only make the game clunky and more frustrating.
To turn you drag your finger across the screen. You can tap the mini-map to turn 90˚, which comes in handy if you suddenly realized there’s a load of zombies coming at your back. Turning is crucial in N.Y.Zombies and Foursaken Media have executed it perfectly.
To fire your weapon you need to tap on the screen where the zombie is. This is great compared to the standard of point and shoot and makes great use of the iPhone’s touch controls and screen real estate.
The menus are responsive, and well designed.
At the bottom of the screen you have your weapon selection menu. To equip a weapon you just need to tap it and you can double tap to reload.
The controls are extremely simple, which prevents the game from being frustrating and focuses you on shooting those darn zombies rather than waste time fiddling with horrid controls.
The sounds are perfect. The main theme sound is sympathetic with a dark twist and fits extremely well with the games theme. Also the sound effects are superb. The gun sounds communicated a sort of punch feel, and the cry the zombies let out when attacking are reasonably good, but I would have liked to have maybe a groan of a zombie just to add to the spooky atmosphere.
Menus 10/10
The menus are extremely well designed and I like the idea of the level selection being a map of New York with each level being an extra pinpoint on the map. The menus are also responsive and easy to use.
Longevity 10/10
The trophies are epic!
With 20 levels and 20 upgradable weapons and abilities, N.Y.Zombies is going to take a long time to complete. Once you have completed the game you can also participate in Endless mode and replay the story in ‘Apocalypse’ rather than the standard ‘Contained’ difficulty. Furthermore, there are also trophies/achievements to collect which I must say are the best I have seen in a game. Once you have won an achievement, you are presented with a 3D trophy of something related to that achievement (see picture). I constantly strive for the next achievement just so I can see what the trophy is. This game is extremely addictive I was happy playing through previous levels to either get an achievement or get a higher score out of 5.
Cost 10/10
$2.99/£1.79 is great value for the amount of gameplay in N.Y.Zombies.
Conclusion 68/70 – 5/5
N.Y.Zombies is no doubt the best 3D Zombie shooter on the market. Forget Call Of Duty: World at War: Zombies, this is the game to have. If you are unsure about the controls or anything else about this game then why not get the lite version?
