For those who have been iOS gaming for a while
now, Zombieville USA is somewhat of a classic
icon of the platform - while it wasn't terribly
complicated, trying to survive as long as
possible while having limited resources made
for a fun distraction, if not actually compelling
gameplay for some.
Times have changed though and what was refreshing
compared to the limited amount of titles available
back then isn't quite so fresh any more, so
how does Mika Mobile's sequel, Zombieville
USA 2, hope to stand out?
If you've played the developer's other relatively
recent title of Battleheart you'll already
be familiar with the effort that goes in to
the presentation of these games - sharp cartoonish
designs with fun bouncy animations that just
fall short of being gory while still being
satisfying.
Combining this with simple controls that respond
perfectly thanks to a handy three-button system
that allows you to quickly swap between weapons
and you have a side-scrolling beat'em-up that
delivers a satisfying brawling experience.
For many, this alone is more than enough;
the addition of levels that are unlocked after
killing a certain amount of zombies or needing
to purchase and upgrade weapons to stay ahead
of the increasingly dangerous slew of undead
creatures is mere icing on the cake.
However if you thought there was a story or
any other motivation aside from spending money
in a store then you're out of luck and the
game will quickly spin in to tedium as basic
game features take long enough to unlock,
let alone the more exciting ones that will
take oodles of grinding to even see.
If that's not you then you can enjoy the challenge
of outfitting your character in weaponry ranging
from basic melee to heavy military hardware
while also blinging them out with specializations
that turn you in to a zombie killing-machine.
For those not satisfied with the humble redneck
character, others can also be unlocked, giving
you some sort of unique identity when you
decide to take things to the co-op arena.
Oh yes, there's online play too, complete
with voice-chat if you dare to have it enabled.
You and another person (either a friend or
random stranger via online play or via local
bluetooth) can take to the streets to take
on harder challenges for potentially greater
rewards.
Removing the semi-endless feel of the original
Zombieville and replacing it with a system
of grinding that merely rewards distance traveled
with points just doesn't carry the same excitement.
If Zombieville USA 2's new approach of appealing
to the bloodthirsty crowd works in your favour
then you'll have hours of fun ahead of you
thanks to this title.
