Undead Empire: Hellfire (XBLIG): "Sequel to Big Rook Game's Apocalyptic Horror-Survival Shmup!!!"

During my time as an XBLIG journalist I've played a handful of noteworthy top-down zombie shmups (shoot'em ups). Whether it was "Claustrophobia", "Block Zombies", or "Attack of the Zombie Horde" each game stood alone as a somewhat unique experience that entertained me for quite some time after my initial review. Big Rook Game's latest sequel, "Undead Empire: Hellfire" also provided such fun induced playthroughs as the previously mentioned games did. While I have never played the original title I was definitely glad to see that the developer included recap of the last game's plot during the intro sequence. It helped me to understand what exactly it was that my chosen character was fighting for. In this particular series it turns out that the zombie apocalypse was started by a mad scientist whose plan was thwarted by 6 unique individuals who were trying desperately to save mankind from the threat. As you can imagine the story did not end with the first game. The fight began anew as the reality of six heroes situation presented itself in a very unlikely manner.

In Undead Empire: Hellfire the six heroes of the previous encounter find themselves once again confronting their nemesis, Dr. Hubert Von Scythe who has narrowly escaped their fatal attack by fleeing underground. Standing above an underground stairwell the six heroes gaze down in horror from the bloody battlefield they had just finished fighting on. One by one they venture downwards into the darkness to confront their worst fear. That fear of course is realized once they enter the underground laboratory. Dr. Hubert Von Scythe makes his presence known to the heroes, and unleashes hell once again. With nowhere to run the six heroes have no choice but to stand their ground, and follow the mad scientist ever deeper into his domain. Will these unlikely heroes be able to rid the world of this apocalyptic nightmare, or will they fall victim to the Doctor's unholy creations? It's up to you to find out ...

As you can likely imagine "Undead Empire: Hellfire" is a top-down dual thumbstick shmup geared around a zombie apocalypse scenario. It features simple graphics with a decent selection of animations, and special effects. The story opens up with typed dialogue accompanied by a rather impressive narration, and loud thematic music. While the game is simple in nature it's the small things like the characters, and the plot that sets this game apart from others. All of the characters in this game, including the enemy creatures are brought to life through simple hand drawn animations, and and descriptions that flesh them out as legitimate protagonists.

As the gamer you control one of the six available heroes. These heroes include A.Carboni ( A Mob Hitman), L.Hryb (A musclebound Rambo type), R.Chambers (A female character whose name resembles that of a Resident Evil character), E.Boon (Cop + Mortal Kombat reference?), S.Mikami (Japanese Schoolgirl), and M.Branagh (Military Soldier). Each character, or protagonist has their own starting weapons, and group abilities that make them a substantial asset to any multiplayer playthrough. Some characters will start off with more powerful weapons such as the sniper rifle while others will be initially equipped with weaker weapons like the shotgun, or the SMG. The lack of a powerful weapon is usually balanced out with a better perk, or "Group Bonus" though. The group bonuses included character specific things like 'Extra Cash', 'High Health', 'Healing', 'High Damage', 'Discounts', and 'High Max ammo'. Choosing the best character for yourself will be best determined by your play style.

Undead Empire: Hellfire features two different modes of play in either offline, or online match types. If you want to get into the heart of the game then you'll find that the "New Game" feature will drag you, and possibly three other friends kicking, and screaming into the continuation of the game's story. The levels, or stages in the "New Stage" campaign are completed through your successful annihilation of the waves of attacking creatures that bombard you from all four corners of the onscreen area. These creatures/zombies usually arise out of lava pools located in the area that you find yourself in. They will continue to chase, and attack you until the very last one is killed. You'll encounter various types of zombie humans, animals, and birds as you fight your way deeper into the cavernous laboratory.

In order to rid yourself of these undead denizens you will have to maintain your health, ammo supply, and weapons as you face each incoming wave. To assist you in this task there is an unlikely merchant who will sell you the supplies that you need after each wave of zombified creatures have been dispatched. You can refill your health, buy various types of weapon specific ammo, and even upgrade your weapons with the cash you earn from the fallen foes. How well you equip yourself will greatly effect how long you last within the game. A I mentioned earlier you'll also want to take into consideration the different perks that come with using certain characters. surviving for the long haul can prove to be quite the daunting task, and the fact that you have a limited number of lives only makes that task all the more difficult.

The second match/game type you'll encounter while in the game's menu system is "Survival". Anyone who has played a zombie shmup will be familiar with this particular mode. In "Survival" you are given the use of your chosen character's main two weapons which includes a pistol, and a more powerful gun. The ammo is unlimited, but there is a huge catch. You'll find that in this mode a single hit from either the attacking creatures, or the hazardous lava will end your game in a heartbeat. There is no shop to buy from, and the waves of zombies continues on without an end. In fact the zombies go from being the slow "Night of the Living Dead" type to the "28 Weeks Later" rage induced zombies. Getting that highest score on the global leaderboards will not be an easy task any way you look at it.

If you've read my previous contest article, and followed the included link then you'll know that the game has a global leaderboard for high scores in every mode that "Undead Empire: Hellfire" offers. You'll find leaderboard listings for both the online, and offline portions of the game. Speaking of the online ... Online in "Undead Empire: Hellfire" is very much like that of it's offline counterpart. You can have up to three friends join you through the game's matchmaking menu. As any proper online game would have it you can also create your own game for others to join, or join other sessions in progress. This is a huge feature for a small time indie such as "Undead Empire: Hellfire". It takes time, and resources to maintain such a feature. The fact that Big Rook Games included it only speaks of how much they value their customers.

In conclusion I found "Undead Empire: Hellfire" to be a trying, but very fun experience. The difficulty is definitely heightened in this game, but wasn't so aggravating that it was hopelessly lost. With that being said I can definitely see the reasoning for the challenging difficulty. The contest for the game needed to be challenging, and in turn the game also had to be challenging. Aside from these contest challenges the game does have a lot going for it. The fact that the game offers an interesting core campaign, and a survival mode really adds to the game's likeability. Features like online co-op, and local co-op also add to the game's replay value. As far as graphics are concerned I'm not going to say they are the best I've ever seen, because honestly they're not. What makes this game so great though are things like the impressive voice acting, the hardcore music and the core gameplay. The fact that there's a contest going on with the game merely adds to it's appeal. I think it's nice to see some high score competition going on in the indie gaming community. I almost forgot to mention that there's also a cool song that can be heard while in certain parts of the game's menu system. Add all these good points up, and you've got at least a 4.5 star worthy XBLIG title. Last I checked it was darn near 5 stars! Do I suggest getting this game? Hell yes! For a small amount of money/points you have the chance to win something in a contest, and you also have an awesome game that you can revisit with friends!