Zombies Ruined My Day (XBLIG): "A Love Story Complicated By An Undead Infestation"

Zombies Ruined My Day is an XBLIG title that was developed by Mancebo Games. If you have read my earlier reviews they are also the developer that created 'Mechanoid Army'. Mancebo Games has an excellent reputation of delivering quality games with superb graphics. I had contacted Mancebo Games months ago in hopes of securing a review code for this game. I found them to be very kind, and generous. The fact that they allowed me to do a review of their older game 'Mechanoid Army' was a huge plus. I have spent a few days playing through 'Zombies Ruined My Day', and found that it's not a game that can be easily rushed through. I'm definitely proud to deliver the review of this truly awesome XBLIG title to you guys ...

The story of 'Zombies Ruined My Day' is not what you'd expect. Instead of the usual apocalyptic end of the world theme, you get an undying love story (pun intended). It seems that our little hero dude is seriously in love with this girl named 'Carrie'. The day that the zombie outbreak occurred was the same day he was supposed to meet her for a date. He is bound, and determined to follow through with his plans even if it means facing mobs of the living dead. Armed with a pistol our unlikely hero sets out to meet his love.

The game's start menu features many helpful sections that are necessary for completing your quest of love. You have a 'Score' section that has such details as how many/what type of zombie you killed, and your current highest score. There is also a sub-section that features a list of the highest scores in the game. The second item in the start menu is the 'Notebook'. Unlike the romantic movie of the same name this section offers a control tutorial as well as in-game weapon/zombie descriptions. Each section is broken down into visual, and descriptive information about the controller's layout, the types of zombies you'll encounter, and even which weapons are more effective in annihilating your undead foes.

Each level in the game is broken down into 8 sub-rounds. The 8th round features the boss creature for that level. Before each round/level begins the game will display necessary info such as the types of zombies you'll encounter, the weapons/items you'll receive, and the controls you'll use. Every round/level in the game features something new whether it's a new weapon/item, or new type of zombie. As you progress you will earn the use of multiple Weapons/Items. Using the limited supply properly is a key to success. In that sense 'Zombies Ruined My Day' is more of a strategy type of game. You'll be able to use different types of guns in the game (pistol, uzi, shotgun ...), and throwing items such as barricades and grenades. Later on in the game you must use the barricades to defend survivors from the zombie horde.

In the 'Zombies Ruined My Day' you'll find that aside from the different types of weapons/items, there are also various types of zombies. To begin with you'll face only a small amount of the weakest zombie, and gradually be faced with more difficult varieties as the levels/rounds go on. You'll notice that as you make it further into the game the types of zombies will become mixed, and will increase in number. As the 'hero dude' you'll be given just the right amount of ammo/items to deal with the lifeless fiends. Figuring out how, and when to use the weapons/items is a must. When you reach the boss zombies you will also need to figure out how to defeat them in the best manner. The bosses in the game all feature a life/death bar that lets you know how close you are to defeating them. Unlike the bosses though, the zombies have no such feature. Learning what weapon defeats each type of zombie the quickest is another key to survival, and your ultimate date with destiny (or Carrie ...).

Mancebo Games definitely impressed me again with this delightful tale of undying love. Everything from the unique graphics, cute characters, and bloody gameplay made this game really stand out from most of the XBLIG titles out there (in a Very Good way). When you purchase this game you'll definitely be getting your money's worth. If you're a gamer, and love zombie games then I definitely think this game is a must have!

Controls


Movement -


L. Thumbstick: Left & Right Movement
A Button: Jump

Shooting -


L. Bumper: Previous Weapon
R. Bumper: Next Weapon
R. Trigger: Shoot
X Button: Laser Guide On/Off
R.Thumbstick: Aim Control

Throwing Objects -


L. Trigger: Decrease Force
R. Trigger: Increase Force
D. Pad 'Up': Throw
R. Thumbstick: Aim Control