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Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
I always appreciate when game makers take an alternate approach to the typical hero. Not necessarily with an anti-hero, but more of an unlikely candidate to your more common heroships. Star Wars: Republic Commando, for example, was an unexpectedly fun game that let you play as those rather nasty Clone Troopers. In Destroy All Humans, a killer alien invader named Crypto.
Teenage Zombies goes a little more underground with its hero approach. You play as cranky, angst-filled high school teens who are not only undead but also have to fight invading space brains.
Just imagine your social life if you had to dig yourself out fro six feet under every time you want to go out.
While much of the game is your standard platformer - leaping between ledges to grab stuff and smash opponents - the trinity of undead teens work as a team, using each avatar’s special abilities to get through various levels.
You play as one zombie at a time, instantly swapping between the three either by tapping the correct coffin on the bottom touchscreen or pressing the Left or Right shoulder buttons. Each has an attack, a special ability and a power move that is activated by acquiring character-specific substances.
Zack “Half-Pipe” Boyd rides a skateboard and is able to scoot into small spaces and make gnarly leaps from ramps. Lone lady, Lori “Lefy” Lopez super extends her arm to lift herself onto high ledges. Oversized Finnigan “Fins” Magee moves mighty slow yet uses tentacles to make some pretty powerful attacks and allow him to scale the walls (pun partially intended) and grapple lines.
As the title tells, the game’s main opponents are invading alien Brain Thingys, essentially killer grey matter living under glass on floating platters. Kill one and you can feast its fallen brain to replenish lost “Unhealth.” Occasional mutant rats, crocs and bedazzled humans also get in the way.
Icons spread throughout the game also unlock several minigames that resemble older arcade games including a Dig Dug variation and a Skate or Die style half-pipe challenge. All, of course, involve destroying alien brains.
In as much as the heroes sit the fence between life and death, so is the game is precariously perched between surprisingly fun and disappointingly tedious.
The comic book story approach is ideal for the game’s wacky premise, accentuating the three characters cuteness and uniquely dead ways. Each power up attack is equally silly and some, like Lefty’s rivet gun arm attachment and a couple of Fins’ toxic pukes, are especially useful. Others, like two of Half-Pipe’s, are pretty much useless.
Much of the platforming is rather straightforward and uninspired with the exception of in-game tutorial boxes (a la comic book editorial comments) which double as usable platforms.
Unfortunately, all three move at a zombie’s lurch, pretty much killing the game’s overall pace. Also, each of the cute attacks are fun until you realize they have frequently exploited weaknesses and lack your standard videogame fluidity.
Warm Bodies
Teenage Zombies starts strong with a fun premise, cute zombie characters and a couple hours of enjoyable gaming. Unfortunately, it finishes with one leg still buried due to poor pacing, choppy moves and average level designs.
Even though it redeems itself a bit by making unlocked minigames (15) playable outside the main game, these high school-aged zombies still score an average C+. Still, I’m hoping they score better on the next exam.
Site [Teenage Zombies] Photo Gallery [Gamertell] Read [Gamertell]
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