Gamers as of late have been submerged in a deluge of titles starring zombies and it has become difficult to find one that stands out from the proverbial horde. As such, I was pleasantly surprised when Zombie Pub Crawl found its way into my life.
In Zombie Pub Crawl it is your constant duty to protect your mates that are traveling from pub to pub. Your friends are in need of said protection due to the constant onslaught of undead that are attempting to devour them on their way to the next stop. Fear not, because naturally you have a tank at your disposal.
One moves the tank around the screen by using a simulated analog stick in the lower left corner of the display, and using the tank’s gun is as simple as tapping the screen where the zombies stand. Guiding your mates to the next pub is done by sliding a giant target area along the ground-which they will slowly walk toward. Tanks can be upgraded to improve their cooldown, speed, and blast radius and this adds a nice little persistent element to the game’s campaign mode.
The first time I booted up Zombie Pub Crawl, I was admittedly wary that it would fall into the ever-growing list of bland zombie games that really just attempt to cash in on society’s love for the undead. Yet the simplicity of the game, its cheeky attitude, and its remarkably gripping nature won me over.
There are, however; some changes I would like to see. When attempting to shoot zombies that have entered your mate’s rally point, one will often accidentally move the rally point instead of taking a shot. This can lead to some dead friends, and an unfair end to an otherwise well played round. Being able to significantly shrink the rally point would rectify this stumbling point. Controls for the tank are spot-on, but the faux analog stick often covers incoming zombies (not to mention the zombies that are hidden by the player’s thumb!). An option to move the control circle to the top of the screen or the addition of tilt controls could potentially make moving your tank without losing your mates much easier. I also noticed some slight path finding issues: one such issue occurs when a human that has run into a building does not have the smarts to change it’s y-coordinate until it has a clear path to the rally point.
When combined, these problems can lead to a momentarily poor player experience, but all the while the competency of the core game shines through.
Ultimately, Zombie Pub Crawl is a highly entertaining game. I know that I will be moving it to the front page of my apps and using it quite frequently. At launch, the game has a reduced price of $0.99 but if the price hovers around the 3-dollar/ 2 pound mark it will be well worth the purchase. Simple, addicting, and challenging are descriptors thrown around as often as zombies are awkwardly placed into video games, yet I cannot help but use them when describing Zombie Pub Crawl.
Presentation and graphics
The visuals from a technical view are nothing special, what does stand out is how well the visuals work together with the witty in game text to exude the delightful tone of the game.
Sound
The in-game music works very well to set the mood and is quite catchy, but not being able to play your own music is a disappointment.
Gameplay
The gripes expressed towards the controls do not stop this from being a joy to play, but they are faults nonetheless. If the fixes suggested were to be made the game would be much easier to play and even more enjoyable, yet one should not critique based on potential.
Gamelife
I have already invested quite some time into this game, and I anticipate much more will be spent in a similar fashion. Later levels get difficult, partially due to controls, but Zombie Pub Crawl is enjoyable enough to warrant many hours of play in its current form.
Final rating
Recommended !
