Review: Zombies vs. Sheep

Update

We haven't looked at Zombies vs. Sheep since the end of July. A lot has changed since then with two big updates. The main addition is a campaign mode to go along side the survival mode. As part of the campaign mode there are three new bosses and three new enemy types. The game is set up to play the original survival mode, or to go through campaign mode. The game breaks down your score by scene (six in total with each boss). Open Feint has been updated so there are online high scores for each scene as well as survival mode. A bunch of challenging achievements are included as well for doing nearly everything in the game. It's been awhile and Zombies vs. Sheep is a brand new game. Instead of having to play the same levels over and over in survival mode you can now progress in campaign mode. You can play any of the scenes individually, and your entire earnings are saved from game to game. Even the hassle reload system has been rectified to make it automatic after two attempts to fire without bullets. Zombies vs. Sheep moves from a should buy to a must buy, and is easily the top of its genre. As a matter of fact it's in the top tier of games in the App Store, and it's only $0.99.

Overview

Zombies vs. Sheep is a tap to destroy object game, where you tap to shoot, and the objects are zombies. Zombies and other enemies drop from the top of the screen on strings, and hang there a couple seconds. You tap to shoot them, and also control a sheep at the bottom of the screen to avoid falling obstacles and collect coins. There is a shooting gallery theme with a Mexican tilt. To kill a zombie you have to hit them in the head, which is worth one coin. Once a zombie is killed, faded pieces fall from it, and you can shoot any of the pieces for more coins. Your sheep has hearts to indicate its health meter, and loses one every time it’s hit by an enemy.

Features

Zombies vs. Sheep has only survival gameplay mode with 10 levels, and about 50 enemies to kill per level. The enemies include obviously zombies, plus bats, spiders, and there are three boss battles. Your main weapon is a pistol, and then as you progress you can unlock an assault rifle, or even dynamite. There is also a shop to upgrade either your sheep’s health, number of bullets before reloading, speed of the sheep, and radius of dynamite explosion. You buy upgrades with coins collected from killing the various enemies. Zombies vs. Sheep uses Open Feint 2.0 to keep track of online high scores and achievements. The controls are as simple as can be, you tap to shoot, shake to reload, and tilt to control the sheep. You have an unlimited number of bullets, you only have to reload every few bullets fired.

The Good

The graphics are great and reminiscent of Little Big Planet. The zombies, sheep, and the background look like cardboard cut outs. The animations work nicely as seen by hitting a zombie in the head and it explodes into different parts. When you miss, the cardboard background gets all shot up with varying blast sizes. Western music plays in the background the whole game, but becomes more hectic with more and stronger enemies on screen. The bullet fire sounds authentic, and there are varying zombie moans, and sheep baas. When you kill a zombie there is a wonderful bone crunching smash. The gameplay itself is as fun as can be for a tap to destroy object game. As you progress you’re tapping frantically on screen and shaking your idevice to blast all the enemies and reload your gun for more. Controlling the sheep adds even more difficulty as you try to collect the numerous falling coins, but at the same time avoid fireballs and flaming skulls. The online achievements and high scores work nicely, and add reason to continue playing. The controls are as simple as can be, and get out of the way to simply enjoy it. The game also saves your progress so it picks up in the exact part of the level you were on.

The Bad

There aren’t many problems with what the game sets out to be. The main problem is there is only survival mode which gets somewhat repetitive when you have to play the same beginning levels over and over. It’s fun and quite addictive, though, and the online high scores and achievements help. Another problem is the shake to reload feature. It‘s finicky, and doesn’t pick up your motion every time which can become quite frustrating with a bunch of enemies on screen. The best way to get around it, is to just tap the upper left corner, instead of shaking to reload.

The Verdict

Zombies vs. Sheep is a fun experience, and excels at what it sets out to do. It’s the best tap to destroy object game yet on the iPhone. A shooting gallery theme switches up the typical zombie game, and sheep survival makes it even more unique. The polished cardboard cut-out graphics are stunning, and the varying western music is top notch. Zombies vs. Sheep is a fun experience, and there’s no doubt you’ll have a good time. You should buy a new way to blast away zombies.

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