Thursday, June 14, 2018

Dead Ahead: Zombie Warfare - My Brief Thoughts And Opinions

Zombie indie games seem to be on the rise these days. Pun intended. Everywhere you look there seems to be a new zombie game of some sort popping up. I assume it's because of all the end time hysteria, and whatnot. Whatever the case may be "Dead Ahead: Zombie Warfare" attempts to capitalize on said trend like so many other games do. Does it succeed in being interesting, and different? I'd say for a zombie themed mobile style indie with RTS gameplay mechanics it does alright to that end. Like many mobile games of that kind though it's a quick to pick up, and easy to put down experience that definitely caters to the casual crowd. Not that that is a bad thing in this case. As far as the game goes it does have an objective, but not a really story. That objective, as simple as it may sound, is to get a bus load of people across areas that are both blockaded by debris, and guarded by waves of zombies. As the bus driver you pay for help with courage, and rage points that refill over time or can be refilled through single use items. Your help comes in the form of tools as well as weapon toting individuals that make their way from the bus to the guarded blockade to deal with the problem, and the threats at hand so that the bus can move on to the next area for supplies. Supplies in the game which are basically rewards are used to upgrade your ragtag RTS brigade, and make them more fit to handle the increasingly more difficult odds, and objectives. Supposing you use your resources, and manpower correctly you can earn up to a three star ranking per level, and loot the area as well. Of course that is the end goal. Completing each mission area with three stars, and on all difficulty settings.

After clearing a short lived stage you will level up, and be able to unlock different troop, and tool types as well as earn survival kits (loot crates) that will gift you both upgrade supplies and single use boosts for when taking on the next missions in line. When a mission in one of the 5 main maps is completed you will be taken to an overhead map that is only partially visible, initially. To reveal key points, and new missions you must use the earned blue tokens while on the map screen. Sometimes you'll uncover new missions, or survival kits if you are lucky. The mission points each come with a designated difficulty ranging from easy to hard making for decent replay value. That, and the stars you can earn to complete a perfect playthrough will keep you busy for a while. Also at the map menu you'll find a few sub-menus that lead to various features that will enhance and build upon your in-game efforts. You'll find an upgrade menu for your bus that comes complete with a paint option and perks option. For some gold coins, which are also a reward for mission completion, you can upgrade your bus to allow for the recruitment, and use of new troops and tools. Along with the bus upgrades comes a menu for troops. In the troop menu you can recruit troops for a price as well as assign required supplies per attribute slot for a troop upgrade. Most troops require three specific supplies, and a set gold cost to upgrade. The tools which can also be leveled up in the same menu require that your bus be at acertain level before they can be upgraded.

Beyond the bus, and troop upgrades you'll also find the survival kit, or loot box menu where you can trade in a certain number of survival kits, and a certain amount of gold for special survival kit items. These include themed boosts, bus parts, and special supplies among other things. The more you play, and progress the more the game will open up to you in that regard. While everything isn't explained outright as I feel it should be it is easy enough to pick up on without a tutorial. The gameplay itself isn't to taxing either, but with it being an RTS (Real Time Strategy) game you will need to carefully spend you courage and rage points as some troops and tools will be better suited for certain situations.

The Verdict ...

I actually ended up liking this game. I could tell it was a game meant for the mobile scene, and I do believe it has microtransactions available on the PSN store, but there's enough given without having to pony up your dough for that extra side content. Sure, it will be shorter lived if you don't pay for the extras, but at the end of the day it is a budget priced indie, and from what I've played it is worth that base price, in my opinion. Keep in mind though it is a casual mobile style game. It can be played in short sessions, and put down for later. It's nothing big, but it is interesting and unique enough to enjoy. If you fancy something new in the zombie video game trend this might be worth looking into. 

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