Zombie Slaughter Is Fun! (XBLIG): "A Dual Thumbstick Zombie Shmup FTW!"

By now most of my readers know I'm a die hard shmup (shoot 'em up) fan. I absolutely love any shmup that offers unique gameplay, and leaderboards (especially online leaderboards). It actually took me by surprise that 'Frooty Game Studios' would not only venture into making a zombie game, but also that they made it a shmup as well. Their latest game 'Zombie Slaughter is Fun!' takes the overhead zombie shmup genre to a new level, and has gamers punishing zombies who are actually fleeing for their lives (or lack there of ^.^). The game features an awesome array of weapon power-ups that literally cover the playing field as you slaughter the incoming/outgoing zombie attackers. The fact that the game is based on highscores, and features a multiplayer only makes it that much better.

The gameplay in 'Zombie Slaughter is Fun!' is simple yet very enjoyable. While the game features only one playing field, the zombie types come in a wide variety that get increasingly harder to kill as you make progress. As you try to kill off the zombie hordes, and slaughter those that are running scared you'll find plenty of weapon power-ups from fallen foes that can be used to continue your punishing killing spree. Some of the weapons include rocket launchers, lasers, machine guns, and even shotguns. When you play the game you'll notice that there are zombies which are more aggressive, but that there are also those that are trying to escape. Anytime you let a zombie escape you will have points deducted from your score, and the game does keep track of how many have escaped. You'll know when a zombie is trying to escape when you hear comments like "No Kill Zombie ...". The escaping zombies also flash when they are trying to escape, so it helps you keep track of them. The ultimate goal in the game is to survive the longest, and kill as many zombies as possible. Your ending score depends on how long you managed to stay alive as well as how many zombies you killed, and how many you let escape.

When it comes down to graphics 'Zombie Slaughter is Fun!' isn't the most impressive indie game out there. This may be important to some gamers, but for me the fun to be had outweighed the looks of the game. Little things like the female announcer's voice, and the constant moaning from zombies really made this game more enjoyable. I've actually played another more graphically impressive zombie type shmup (Claustrophobia), and it wasn't nearly as fun as this one. The simple dual thumbstick controls in this game make it easily accessible for gamers. Racking up highscores for zombie kills is fun, and isn't overly complicated. The only issue I have with 'Zombie Slaughter is Fun!' is that the developer (Frooty Game Studios) didn't invest in an online leaderboard. I'm not sure how many times I'm gonna have to mention it on my blog, but online leaderboards in highscore based games are necessary for better replay value. With that being said I really enjoyed playing 'Zombie Slaughter is Fun!', and I have revisited it several times since I got it for review. The game is definitely worth the 80 msp.