Review: Z is for Zombie

Overview

Z is for Zombie is the first game from solo developer Jonathan Mulcahy that begins a series of letter is for object games. This is obviously another zombie game for the iPhone. You have to throw ninja stars at approaching waves of zombies. A simplistic story line is introduced where someone gets a disease in South America that turns them into a zombie, and it spreads. Now your character is going to the malls for supplies, but zombies are there too. You have to progress through three environments killing all of the zombies in your path.

Features

Story mode, survival mode, and freeplay mode are included. Story mode gives a background explaining why there are zombies, and then you need to progress through three environments. You play at the mall through downtown streets, in the sewer, and finally in the forest. Freeplay mode allows you to play any of the environments. Survival mode presents a new area, at the city park, and you need to survive as long as possible. Accelerometer control is used for movements, and you tap anywhere on screen to throw ninja stars. There are ammo and health packs to pick-up.

The Good

Z is for Zombie is mainly about the gameplay. This isn’t ground breaking in terms of zombie games, but it is solid. It’s always enjoyable to dispatch waves of zombies, and there are multiple types. Maybe the best aspect is that you have to kill every zombie on screen, if one gets past you or touches you that costs one health and you only have a given number depending on difficulty level. Also you have to keep a close eye on ammo because if it runs out, you’re done, and it’s easy to run out. The screen dimensions also present a challenge since it has the zombies coming quick, and constantly coming. The four levels of difficulty really make it customizable for everyone. The occasional survivor bursts out, but if you kill them that’s one life, so you have to be careful. The hand drawn art style is what sets this game apart, and I really enjoyed it. It’s so different, and done so well. All of the environments, and zombies have nice details, and it’s great to see them on graph paper. The hand drawn artwork adds a special touch, and shows the commitment and quality of the developer first hand. Another bright spot is just the entire theme of the game. It's more of a zombie game spoof, just like zombie movie spoofs. It doesn't take itself that seriously, and neither should you. It's enjoyable to just poke fun at the seriousness of some zombie games in the App Store. A recent addition is the explosion of blood when you kill a zombie which is nice in the hand drawn atmosphere. The sound effects are pretty basic with just varying zombie groans, and the whoosh of throwing ninja stars. I do have to give credit to throwing ninja stars rather than varying types of guns we’ve used before. The controls worked very well for this game. The accelerometer for movement worked perfectly, and tapping anywhere on screen to fire is great too.

The Bad

One major problem is that there is no save system. For a portable game it’s pretty much a necessity, and especially for a game with a story mode. If you exit for whatever reason your status is lost. The game does take awhile to complete a level, and it would be great for your progress to be saved. The developer said he’s working on it, and for now you can play all three environments in free play mode. Another concern is that it lacks many features we’ve come to know and love in iPhone games. The major one missing, especially for a score based game, is no online high scores or achievements. What’s the point of the score in the upper right?

The Verdict

Z is for Zombie is a solid zombie game with great hand drawn art style. The game is fun, and there is a story and survival mode to provide some good game time. A save system and online high scores are lacking though, making this game not worth it for $0.99. With the addition of those two features this game would be worth it, so we will keep you updated.

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