Zombie Highway: Racing For Survival

App Name:	Zombie Highway
Platforms:	iPhone, iPod Touch
Publisher(s):	Renderpaz
Version Reviewed:	1.0
Genre(s):	Endless run
Release Date:	August 27, 2010
Price:	$0.99
Download

If its a day that ends in -y, then there must be another zombie game in the App Store. This time, Developer Renderpaz reaches into the well-worn bag of shambling goodness and pulls out a real gem in Zombie Highway, an endless runner game that hits all the right buttons. By drawing off a horror movie standard and ramping it up to 11, they’ve pulled off a neat spin on a familiar genre, not to mention a fresh take on the overused zombie motif.

In Zombie Highway, you pilot an SUV down a barren highway littered with wrecked cars and peopled with nasty, jumping zombies who will pile onto your car and begin shaking to swerve you into a nearby wreck, thus securing their dinner. They want your brains; you want to live. So you must knock them off, either by shooting them down or — more effectively — scraping them off against the debris. The further you go, the higher you score.

Zombie Highway is the kind of game that tilt controls were born to play. I can’t imagine this game being as fun with a d-pad, because the kinetic nature of swerving adds to the fun of playing. It helps that the vehicle feels very authentic in its movements, too. And when you crash, there’s even the amusingly grim sounds of the zombies breaking your windows and hauling you off to be their next meal. From start to finish, this is a play experience that works.

As you drive, you also get to shoot zombies. This is a nice addition to game play, as it complicated things — get to involved in shooting and you might get distracted from driving, which means you’ll end up dead. Total zombie movie scenario. Once you unlock all the weapons, you’ll be sticking with the best, though, so don’t expect a lot of variety.

There is certain repetitiveness to Zombie Highway, as there is with any endless run game,  especially one without multiple “tracks” to try (like, say, a ruined urban area that ramps up the difficulty from the get-go). But the repetitiveness is mitigated by the fast pace, solid design, the intensity of the moment. It’s got real playability, not to mention a powerful “one more time” reflex at the end … especially when your demise was caused by a trio of fat bastard zombies hauling on the lefthand side. Stupid zombies.

If you take a moment to study the graphical presentation, you’ll notice that it’s pretty stripped down. All the zombies are pretty much the same burnt-brown naked stick figures; the obstacles are limited in design and color; and the landscape, being a barren desert, is devoid of, well, anything more than the occasional cactus. But that’s all you really need in the moment of the game, and even stripped down, it’s all very well presented, with smooth shapes and nicely shaded textures.

I do want to complain about the lack of a real online tracking system. The game offers an online leaderboard in-app, plus the ability to share your score via Facebook or Twitter. But since I’m not the kind whose in the habit of tweeting my score, I’m sort of left out of the kind of anonymous, online competitiveness thing an Open Feint or similar system would offer. Maybe the dev is just waiting for Game Center. One way or another, a more robust leaderboard, perhaps with some achievements, would be welcome.

All in all, they’ve managed to put together a really great game here. It’s one of the better zombie app games I’ve played and it’s a definite must-buy for both zombie fans and endless runner fans, especially at its inviting 99-cent price point.

About the Author

Writer@Large Brian P. Hudson is an educator and freelance writer currently living in Dearborn, MI.

 

Best Free Apps of the Day!