Intro

The latest anticipated game from Gameloft is finally out. Zombie Infection, an intensive Zombie FPS that boasts rich 3D graphics and immersive backgrounds. However, does it live up to all the hype? We shall see.

Gameplay 10/10

Fight an array of zombies, yes even dogs.

You play as either Damian Sharpe or Alex Rayne, exploring South America, from a dirty backstreet favela to a gloomy abandoned mine. Oh, and did I mention the zombies?

On each level you are faced with a ton of different type of zombies, and each one is dressed to fit their surroundings. For example in the mine level you will come across zombies dressed as miners, whereas in the secret laboratory level they are dressed as scientists. Furthermore, the zombies mechanics are excellent, meaning you are able to blow limbs off zombies (including the leg which makes the zombie crawl on the ground) and also take head shots. This feature is amazing and adds to the scare factor of the zombies.

There are 4 weapons you can equip yourself with during the game: Pistol, Shotgun, Machine Gun and Grenade Launcher. All weapons have limited ammo, which you can collect scattered across each level. This prevents the player from fragging everything with a grenade launcher, but also might discourage the player from using the better weapons because of ammo restrictions. Nonetheless, each weapon has certain stats, so for example the shotgun has a short range but amazing damage, whereas the pistol is long range and accurate, but not as powerful. It is a great feeling when shotgunning a nearby zombie and watching as he flies back and whilst losing an arm or two.

Alternatively, rather than using weapons to fight of the impenetrable horde of zombies you could resort to melee. Punching works surprisingly well, even compared to using weapons, but I would have liked to see a variety of punching styles rather than a repetitive movement. This is mostly because of a thing called fatalities. A fatality is when you are able to make a critical hit against a weak nearby zombie which kills it instantly. This can either be when you are fighting a zombie very close, or if you approach one lying on the ground. This can result in either punching the zombies head off or grabbing both of his arms and pushing the zombie away with his foot, ripping both its’ arms off or stomping on its’ head if it is on the ground. This is especially satisfying, but compared to the conventional way of shooting the living daylights out of the zombie, I could see many players resorting to the melee and then fatality technique as it is so much easier.

The saving in Zombie Infection is good and bad. It is good in the way that the game constantly auto-saves, which is excellent as when you die, you will return not far of where you left off. However, the bad thing is that there are no auto-save slots. So for example if you are in the middle of one level, and then you want to show your friend the first level, your saved game on your previous level will be removed once you play on a different level so therefore you have to start from the beginning of the stage you were at.

An example of a fatality, always as cool as it looks.

One aspect that really shines through in Zombie Infection is the cut scenes. These range from the fatality cut scene where you pull the zombies arms off to the longer ones at the end of a level, furthering the story. Even jumping down from a ledge is smooth and realistic. My personal favourite is when a zombie gets too near and attacks you. You are then led into a struggle as you try and fight off the zombie clinging to your back. You have to constantly tap a button to throw him off. All these cut-scenes make the character seem more realistic and free in his/her environment and not as linear in their movements.

There are also some interactive cut scenes where you have to turn a handle by spinning a finger in a circle to turn the handle. This is also used in some combat situations (although quite rare) in a boss fight where you have to deflect and dodge the opponent using various hand gestures and tapping points. Even-though I did find this a bit unresponsive in the heat of a fight, and it was disappointing when you get whacked in the face by the enemy when you know you hit that button, but nevertheless it makes great use of the iPhone touch interface.

There are 3 difficulty modes that you can choose from: easy, medium and hard. The harder you get the stronger the zombies become and the melee attack is less effective. However I did not see a massive leap from easy to hard which could have been improved.

Other than the standard Story Mode, there is a survival mode coupled in with Zombie Infection which you unlock once you have finished the game. In survival mode you are placed in one extra map, and you have to fight against never-ending zombies (from all levels, including bosses) until you die. The map in survival is very large and works extremely well in a survival setting, however, more than just one map would have been better, with maybe a level for each level in the story mode. Nonetheless it is an excellent addition for those looking for a quick fix once you have completed the game.

Lastly, there are Zombie Infection logos hidden in almost every level which, once you have collected all of them, release a surprise. These logos are not exactly well hidden and just require you to keep your eyes open, however, it would have been nice to know what levels you still need to find logos on.

Don’t be fooled by the graphics, they are less reliable than they look

Graphics 7/10

The graphics are no doubt, amazing. The scenery is vibrant and effective, and never got boring. The character animation is excellent as mentioned before and the zombie animation is fluid and realistic. Despite this, I have found the game to crash frequently. Even though I have been able to beat the game without too much frustration (mostly because of the numerous auto saves) it can be annoying. I also experienced lag, especially on the bigger levels, which can be particularly frustrating when you are in a fight. Sometimes, I had to wait a couple of seconds for the game to unfreeze. Nevertheless, don’t get disheartened, and even though there was a bit of lag, it didn’t ruin the game entirely.

Controls 7/10

The controls are reasonable, and probably one of the best for a TPS (third person shooter) on the iPhone and iPod Touch. To move you use the toggle stick on the left and then swipe on the screen to look around. Then to shoot you need to aim down your gun and a red laser sight will appear for you to shoot. The laser sight may add a realistic tone to the game, but I found it had to see where your aiming at times. Also, when enemies are closing in it can be quite cumbersome having to aim down your sights, swipe to position the gun and then shoot. Nevertheless I fund the controls manageable, and I was able to make my way through the game without any major problems concerning the controls and it is unlikely you are going to find a better control system.

Sound 10/10

The sound effects are superb in Zombie Infection. Even the little details, such as a different step sound depending on whether you are on a. The gun noises are punchy and the zombie groans are life-like. There is a tremendous amount of detail in the sound effects that make the game very realistic. The music is also great, and in-game, the music gets faster when there are zombies around you. This can be helpful to know when a zombie is about to jump on your back.

The gameplay is varied, with a load of bosses and plot lines to contend with.

Menus 10/10

The menus look great, and match the theme of the game brilliantly. They are also responsive and easy to select apart from sometimes where I accidentally select a level to play on in the level select menu, but this was too rare to deduct a mark.

Longevity 9/10

There are 11 levels in the story mode, which may not sound much, but each level is massive, and takes quite a bit of time to complete. Also the difficulty levels and collecting all the logos add more play time. Furthermore there are achievements and leaderboards from Gameloft Live which adds a ton more replay-ability.

Cost 10/10

$6.99/£4.99 may seem steep at first but for the long story mode and extras, Zombie Infection is well worth it’s price point.

Conclusion 63/70 – 4.5/5

Zombie Infection has certainly lived up to the sort of game i’d expect from Gameloft. But in the end it is an excellent title, and if you can look past the occasional lag then this is a perfect addition to your game library.

Zombie Infection on the App Store.