Zombie Hunter Fire is yet another single-player offline Android game where you destroy waves of zombies, in between upgrading weapons and acquiring other items.
UI
The UI is…interesting. It’s very ugly, actually. I can’t put my finger on why, but it’s not very inviting to look at. Maybe the size of the lettering? The font? The fact everything else in the game is disgusting so it’s just guilt by association?
 |
| The main menu |
Navigating the menus is generally pretty easy. Weapons are displayed on the side of the main menu; tapping on any equipped item will take you to the weapons page to upgrade them or to purchase new ones. “Stage” can be selected to take you to where you left off in the single-player campaign. Alternatively, you can hit the red “Quick Start” button underneath the weapons on the right side of the screen to jump right into the heat of battle.
There are also options to get free gold (by watching ads), a menu for upgrading skills, and a “message center” that occasionally grants free coins and items. All of these are clearly labeled and easy to access. The only misleading one is the “gift” icon, which merely offers three additional games to download from the same studio.
Outside of its general tackiness, navigation is pretty clear and straightforward. That’s not always the case with mobile games, so I guess we will consider this a slight “win”.
GRAPHICS
The graphics just look and feel outdated. Actually, the whole game has the feel of being tossed together over a weekend for some 24-hour game competition. The zombies seem to float in the air rather than walk, and the ragdoll physics are just godawful. Destroyed monsters will contort themselves into impossible positions as they fall into their final death pose. Some even stay standing, making it seem as if they’re still “live” enemies.
The “blood” is cheap and generic, with odd glowing red orbs emanating from each bullet strike. Outside of that, there’s no other evidence of physical damage to attacking creatures.
 |
| Look at those convincing blood droplets. |
Zombies aren’t the only things looking for some fresh meat; other monster types make frequent appearances, as well. There are fat chainsaw wielding maniacs; axe-wielding zombies - in both male and female variants; and shield-carrying undead whose exposed heads are their only weakness. And…well shit, that’s about it. Seeing the same creatures over and over again quickly wears as thin as everything else.
The visuals combine to create a feeling of grunginess that rubs off on the player. It’s akin to the way I felt watching horrible old Italian zombie movies like Hell of the Living Dead and Burial Ground. While that might have sounded enticing to me prior to this experience, I can assure you that playing a Z-grade zombie game isn’t nearly as fun as watching one.
AUDIO
Proving the developer’s clear lack of commitment to every facet of the game’s design is the game’s godawful audio. The main menu music is ultra-corny rock music that doesn’t set any sort of appropriate mood. In fact, it feels out of place. I can almost guarantee it was lifted from some library of public domain tracks.
The in-game sounds don’t fare much better. During battle, there is no music at all. This could actually be an immersive decision, as it forces focus on the action. Except that the sound effects also feel incomplete. The gunshots in the game are basic and tinny, probably sound effects from a “free sounds” website. Outside of that, there’s the sound of metal when you hit an airborne ax launched from a zombie; a generic “uh” when your character dies…and that’s about it.
No, literally, that’s it. The monsters themselves make no sounds whatsoever. It doesn’t matter what they are doing: attacking, moving, getting hit…they are completely silent. Including the chainsaw-wielding psychopaths, who swing their weapons around so quietly, you could hear a pin drop. Pro tip: If you know your game isn’t going to have the proper budget or time to add sound effects, you probably shouldn’t feature creatures carrying the loudest possible weapons.
CONTROLS
The controls have a familiar setup to other games, with the left side controlling your character’s movements and the right side handling the weapons. The game uses a “stationary” mechanic where your character is apparently paralyzed; the movement pad moves the crosshairs in the direction specified. Movements beyond that are handled by the game.
 |
| The controls are straightforward and marked on the bottom of the screen. |
A large “fire” button handles gunfire. Firing the weapon is completely unsatisfactory, and feels too slow. I can’t tell if it’s a control issue, or if the gun just needs to be upgraded in order to perform better. Either way, I don’t even care.
Grenades and other items are centered in the middle of the screen. This is an awkward location that requires moving the hands to reach, lest you have a long thumb. The distance is especially obvious during the “heat” of “battle”.
Overall, the controls are sufficient, I suppose. But not enough to overcome any of the game’s other notable issues.
GAMEPLAY
The base game is like any other zombie hunting game: You play in levels that consist entirely of killing all the monsters that appear on screen. That’s all there is to it. Once you complete a level, you are then tossed into the next one, which looks quite similar to the one before it.
This is not an issue in and of itself. There are plenty of monotonous games that manage to be fun, at least for a little while. The issue with Zombie Hunter Fire, besides the nonsensical name, is that it has the feel of being thrown together in the dark.
 |
| My new gun, which apparntly deals 14.4 damage per bullet... |
Take the weapons system, for example. Newly purchased weapons are often way weaker than older upgraded weapons. Yet the cost to upgrade the “new”, “stronger” weapons is notably more expensive. This becomes more obvious in later levels, when it can take an entire clip to dispatch one zombie with weaker guns.
 |
| ...and my old gun, which deals 20 damage and is cheaper to upgrade. |
Gold can be used to upgrade “skills”, like headshot damage and overall weapon power. The latter is incredibly expensive, and don’t really seem to have much of an effect. My main gun sucked before I upgraded, and still sucked after the upgrade. “Shields” are ridiculously cheap (1 gold bar) and block up to three strikes per round. These are a great deal and are really helpful; they represent the best value in the “upgrade” department.
The game is “beginner heavy”, which is a lame term I made up for games that are easy in the beginning, but then quickly ramp up difficulty. I’m stuck on level 53 because both of my guns suck, and my “skills” need upgrading. The problem is, upgrading requires playing the game to earn resources. And I have no further desire to play this game.
Randomly, the game employs an “energy” mechanism, but it doesn’t work the way it does with most games. This is both a welcome change, and also an unnecessary annoyance. Instead of each level costing “energy” to play, it’s only the boss stages and “endless” game modes that require the use of batteries. Alternatively, you can use your available energy to open up supply boxes. Opening one costs 3 batteries, while 5 can be opened for 10. This is a much better “deal”, but the issue is, the contents are always underwhelming.
 |
| Wow, look at this great five-crate haul. |
Coin amounts in each crate seem to max out at 1,000, but are often much less than that. That means it’s all too common to get fewer than 1000 coins in five crates. Total. The chests can also contain useful items like shields and XP boosts, but don’t feel worth it at all. (Especially since shields only cost 1 gold in the store).
GAME MODES
To break up the monotony from the single player campaign, Zombie Hunter Fire offers up a couple of other monotonous game modes. The main one is “Survival”. This is a standard in many zombie games. Instead of playing short levels, you square off against endless waves of zombies, seeing how far you can progress before dying. I hate game modes (and games) like this. I don’t like knowing I’m going to die. That’s not something that’s interesting to me. Sure, I die all the time in regular games with an ending, but I like knowing that there’s the possibility of actually ending. Going on and on indefinitely does nothing for me.
Plus, the longer you survive, the longer the game goes. I like games where I can just pick up and put it down whenever. The idea of setting aside time just in case I make it far is another thing that doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest.
 |
| Test your tolerance for the game in "survival" mode. |
The one plus is some games reward players handsomely for progressing far in this mode. Here, you get your score in coins (I believe it’s 20 coins for every zombie killed), and then have the option to triple that by watching ads. I made it to wave 21, and managed to bag over 16,000 coins for my effort. It can be used to raise funds in a pinch, and is helpful in earlier levels.
The problem is, once weapon upgrades start costing upwards of 48,000, even that amount won’t do much to help. And each “round” costs five “batteries” (representing the aforementioned energy). Since you only get 10, you can play twice before being required to wait 2.5 hours to earn enough to play again.
“Boss” levels are also handled similarly. Each boss takes five “batteries” to fight. Defeating these monsters results in higher cash payouts, but I nevertheless avoid them. Maybe that’s the reason I always find myself short on funds for everything.
ADS/GREED
 |
| You're always greeted with one of these first thing. |
“Zombie Hunter Fire” is guilty of one of the most annoying practices in mobile games: Pop-up ads. And I’m not talking about third-party ads: I’m talking about the ones that offer upgrades requiring real cash. Right off the bat, every single time the application is loaded. Clicking out of them is easy enough, requiring a tap of the standard “X” in the top right corner, but it’s the principle. It’s the mobile equivalent of panhandling on a street corner.
Outside of that, the ad load is actually pretty standard. Completing levels results in the forced viewing of a skippable ad. Users can watch videos for additional gold bars. Past levels can be replayed to earn extra in-game currency (though at a reduced rate), which can further prevent the need to spend money for upgrades. Hell, there isn’t even a way to replenish energy “batteries” quicker, whether by watching ads or paying real money.
The game might feel “scummy”, but at least it doesn’t feel scammy; at least, no moreso than similar games.
FUN
Here’s one of the few areas that truly matter; the one area where many downfalls can be redeemed. I’m sure we’ve all experienced those games that we have a strong affinity for, despite there being one glaring, or several minor flaws. That guilty pleasure we all turn back to, even though we know we shouldn’t.
 |
| Get used to seeing these words. |
This is not that game. Nowhere close. It’s a steaming pile of shit. It feels like a college student’s first attempt at coding their own game. Actually, if this were the case, it would be impressive. But as an “official” full release, it’s nothing short of embarrassing.
There’s nothing entertaining about it. The levels and enemies are ultra-repetitive. The weapons are often weak and underpowered. Maybe I played the game “wrong” and wasted gold on the wrong things. But that’s the thing: Even if I was easily blasting through every level, the game would suck. I made it to level 52, and the most exciting thing about the experience is the knowledge that, soon, I can delete it from my phone.
IN CONCLUSION
Zombie games seem to be pretty popular these days, and there are certainly many good ones. Zombie Hunter Fire is one of those copies that seem to be thrown together just to “cash in” on the popularity of such games. There is no imagination or inspiration behind it, besides earning money. But it even misses opportunities on that front. There’s no way to pay for extra “energy”, which is required for “boss” and “survival” modes. It’s so half-assed that it can’t even accurately succeed as a cash grab.
I really try avoiding this score. I really do. The cynic in me doesn’t mind giving them, but I want the ratings to at least have some sort of personal consistency. And if I’m giving zeroes left and right, that makes me seem like some person who can’t be impressed. Like some royalty scoffing at the peasants. That’s definitely not me. (Well, not usually, anyway).
 |
| Images can't convey how terrible this game truly is. |
The issue is that I’m struggling to find something that I like; some aspect of the game I don’t entirely despise. And I’m coming up with nothing. Just the very thought of playing the game makes me cringe; that probably tells me everything I need to know.
There are so many things wrong with the end result that you’d swear the point was to get people to avoid playing it. It’s hard to imagine making something this bad without intending to make something this bad.
I got more satisfaction out of deleting it from my device than actually playing the game could ever provide.
OVERALL: 0/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment