Zombie Attack! – Review

Our rating:

By: Zombie Attack!

Version #: 1.2.1

Date Released: 2008-11-06

Developer: Iugo Mobile Entertainment Inc.

Price: 0.99

User Rating:

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Embarrassing as it might be to admit, one of my guilty pleasures in life are zombie movies. I don’t know why, but I just like them. Whether the zombies are caused by invading aliens, human disease run rampant, or any other source, there’s something about a good zombie movie that’s just a whole lot of fun.

Apparently there are plenty of other people who like zombies too, as evidenced by the fact that there are an increasing number of iPhone games that include the zombie motif as part of the overall action. One zombie game in particular has really caught my eye recently and I’ve been playing it quite a bit.

Zombie Attack is a surprisingly challenging game that has kept my attention for the week that I’ve been playing it thus far and I don’t see that changing any time soon. The game doesn’t invite you to attempt to get head shots, nor does it let you directly chop off arms or other limbs. Rather, it’s a well-designed strategy game that is as challenging as it is enjoyable.

Here’s how you play–

In order to kill the zombies you need to build turrets. These can produce fire, shoot bullets, involve a spinning knife, or be a cannon that automatically fires at the zombies. To place the turrets you use your "survivor" to move around the game field using the iPhone’s accelerometer. You then select the weapon you want and purchase it. If you have enough money available the new weapon will be placed on the game field and began firing/slicing away. You can add additional turrets anywhere on the board so long as it doesn’t conflict with the playing area for a previously placed weapon (if it is to close in proximity, the game will alert  you that you "can’t build here".) You can also upgrade each of the weapons a number of times to increase their frequency of fire as well as the damage that they can inflict.

All of this is possible, however, if you have enough money available. When your funds run out you need to wait long enough to build up additional money which is gathered, of course, by killing more zombies. In addition, by placing your "survivor" directly beside one of the weapons you increase the damage that weapon inflicts by 50%. If however the zombies attack your "survivor" he will lose energy points until, eventually, he will be killed and have to "respawn".

The whole time that you are building these weapons, the zombies are trying to make their way to an old shack. If they get close enough to the shack they will inflict damage on it and, just like the "survivor", they will inflict increasing amounts of damage until the shack eventually falls apart and you lose.

So what is it I like about the game? First off it includes zombies. That’s always a good start. Second, it includes a number of different weapons with which you can kill zombies. An excellent second step in developing a good zombie game! Third, it uses both the iPhone’s accelerometer and the touchscreen is excellent ways that make this game uniquely iPhone/iPod touch-esque. And finally, the game actually requires a significant amount of strategy. As time goes on building and/or upgrading weapons costs an increasing amount of money, making it more difficult to add new weapons. In addition, as time goes on the zombies increasing number and require more force before they are sent back to their graves.

I played the game numerous times and have tried a variety of different strategies. I’ve used different weapons in different locations, tried to anticipate where the zombies might go first so that I might slice and dice more effectively and each time it has been, in effect, a different game. That has helped keep my attention and ensure that the game as "legs".

There’s a free version available that is definitely worth a look prior to purchasing the actual game. But if you like zombies and like strategy games is no question my mind that they will be purchasing the full game shortly after downloading the trial.

Finally, it’s worth noting, I didn’t expect to actually enjoy this game all that much and yet I keep coming back to playing it. The degree of strategy that requires the use of the iPhone that it makes combine to make this game one of the ones I have enjoyed most since getting my iPhone.

Quick Take

Value: High

Would I Buy Again: Absolutely

Learning Curve: Medium. The game is actually rather challenging

Who Is It For: People who like zombie movies and games

What I Like: Fun, challenging, includes killing zombies

What I Don’t: Nothing- I really really like this game