Plow Down Zombies To Save The World With Your Very Own Zombonie
Zombonie ($0.99) by EMI Records Limited may be another bloody zombie slaying game, but it brings in the heavy machinery: a Zamboni. And what's cooler than killing zombies? Killing them with your very own Zombonie, of course!
To begin, I suggest checking the "How to Play" section as it is very detailed — including graphics, not only text — in explaining your quest to rid the world of the undead and repopulate the earth. That's right: repopulate, as in the fun way.
My first impression was of the very animated game graphics. They are very cartoony, but purposefully so (think South Park) — this makes the bloody zombie messes less gruesome and more comedic. When added to the squishing sounds as you mow down the undead, and the epic soundtrack, this all creates the perfect zombie killing atmosphere.
The controls are a bit awkward as you should hold your device parallel to the floor to control it using the accelerometer. Just tilt your device slightly, no need to look like you're having a seizure, in the direction you wish to move the Zombonie.
You can play through the levels, as they become more and more challenging, or you can choose to run the "Zombie Derby." In the derby, there are no civilians — only brain hungry zombies — and your goal is only to survive as long as possible while racking up points by plowing over the zombies.
There are four different kinds of zombies — all having unique abilities and being worth a different number of points. Along with the actual zombies, there are also "dead man holes" and corpse bins in which zombies will pour out of if you don't destroy them right away.
Be sure to run over the zombies with the front of the vehicle, as you are vulnerable at the sides. To keep tabs on the life of your Zombonie, look to the life bar in the middle of the screen.
The top left of the screen shows how many zombies you must destroy before moving on to the next level. The top right of the screen shows the number of civilians left in each level. If this number reaches zero, it's game over, as you will not have anyone to repopulate with. The number of civilians decreases each time a zombie turns one into a zombie, eats one, or if you run over one.
The bottom of the screen displays your score. You can earn combo multipliers each time you kill five zombies, uninterrupted. Also, if you continue on your zombie killing spree, a random power-up will appear (e.g., speed boost, life replenisher, bomb) for every five zombies defeated.
I really wish this had Game Center support and offered up a new way to control the Zombie killing machine (instead of just tilt controls). Luckily, the developer is already considering this as an option.
Other than that, this game was very creative and fun to play. If you enjoy action games — or are a zombie addict, like myself — you'll think the money was well spent.
Zombonie is available for the iPhone in the App Store for only $0.99.
