Zombie Shooting: D-Day 2 (Android)

WHAT IS IT?

“D-Day 2” is a single player offline mobile Android zombie FPS game. In it, the player assumes the role as an unnamed hero, who must singlehandedly save the world from a zombie apocalypse. It is from the same developers of the severely underwhelming “Zombie Virus”.

UI

The user interface is clean and straightforward.

I decried CleGames’ approach to “Zombie Virus”.  To summarize part of my complaints, I found the UI to be incredibly stressful to navigate, with visits to several menus and submenus required in order to get the most out of the experience.

Well, they seem to have listened. (This actually came out well before my previous review, so that comment is in jest.) Everything about “D-Day 2”s user interface has been modified, and mostly for the better. There are three game modes: Scenario, “Bonus”, and the newly-added “Defense”. All three are prominently displayed and easily accessible from the main screen.

The scenario mode "map" is also easy to navigate.

Weapons can be purchased and upgraded from the clearly-labeled “Weapons” icon. Pretty much anything you could ever need is right there in front of you. Some games are so confusing to navigate they should come with tutorials for “new” players. But “D-Day 2” is not one of those games.

CONTROLS

Controls are typical for a “stationary” shooter. Since the character cannot physically move in any direction, the left thumbpad controls the crosshairs. A large “fire” button on the right side of the screen activates the weapon. Surrounding this are smaller buttons that switch between the two equipped guns, reload the current weapon, or activate grenades or medkits.

This might be the best control setup I’ve seen in this regard. Many other games have abilities centered in the middle of the screen, or in other harder-to-reach places. This can make activating them on-the-fly rather difficult. The close proximity of all the actions to the fire button makes it easy to pull them off in mid-battle, without having to take time to look.

GRAPHICS

The graphics are very similar to the graphics in “Zombie Virus”. In fact, some of the very same zombie skins are used. Thankfully, more are added to prevent the large waves from becoming too redundant. The backgrounds are adequate, but nothing noteworthy. The only “outstanding” feature in the visual department is the inclusion of “night vision” in some levels. It doesn’t change the gameplay at all, but it adds a nice touch.

Graphics are rehashed from "Zombie Virus", with some added textures/monsters.

The game runs smoothly on a Google Pixel 7 Pro on the “very high” graphics setting. For players with “lesser” devices, there are four other options, including a “very low” setting that should run on just about any supported Android phone or tablet.

AUDIO

Like many mobile games, the audio is serviceable, but nothing outstanding. Guns sound like guns, but are rather thin-sounding. They don’t pack much of a powerful wallop. Explosions sound like explosions. The moans of zombies constantly fill the air, resulting in a satisfying ambience that’s heightened by the equally atmospheric music.

But hindering the effectiveness is the inclusion of a narrator who announces “reloading!” every time you reload. Every single time. Even worse: it sounds like an audio clip culled from a ‘90s arcade action game. This is completely pointless, especially since the word “reloading” appears on screen as it’s happening, lest a player is confused about what’s going on. Adding to the weirdness: The “narrator” is completely absent from the game otherwise. No other on-screen actions are audibly explained. 

This is a game you can play muted and miss out on nothing.

GAMEPLAY

The “mission” system of “D-Day 2” is one thing that’s carried over from “Zombie Virus”. Each “area” is broken down into 10 “stages”. The individual stages consist entirely of battling 1-3 waves of zombies. The total number in each wave is presented at the top of the screen, with the number reducing for each zombie killed. This gives players a nice “at-a-glance” summary of remaining threats that can give a tactical edge.

Another frustrating element that makes its return is the ammo system. Every time you reload your weapon, you’re charged for the “clip”. The cost of bullets vary from gun to gun, but of course increase based on the weapon’s grade. 

I don’t know why, but this nonsensical system is utilized in many other games. If you’re going to charge for bullets, whatever, but at least give players the chance to purchase them upfront. Offer ammo in a store of some sort, so players can factor them into their budget. It’s an aspect that’s easy to forget, because it’s so dumb. Nothing is worse than spending large amounts of money on necessary upgrades, only to be hit with an “out of ammo” notice in the middle of a gunfight. It’s ignorant and flies in the face of all logic. Is the character swiping his credit card between reloads to pay for the clip in mid-battle?

It’s particularly maddening because the game offers no melee weapons, or other lines of defense in this scenario. You can carry grenades, but the several-second cooldown between uses prevent them from being a reliable line of defense. The world’s safety depends on a man who can’t even run or kick?

Boss attacks offer ample warnings.

At the end of every “area” is a boss level. In these stages, players square off against a huge, building-sized monster. When the creature is revving up their attack, targets are placed on the bosses’ weak points. Firing repeatedly on said weak points “cancels” the attack, knocking them backwards in the process. This gives players time to fire away at the temporarily defenseless entity, before it slowly repeats its attack cycle.

But the grotesque entity isn’t the only thing players have to worry about: Waves of zombies are also let loose. This means players must fight off the large creature’s attacks, while also defending themselves from ground threats. Since all bosses follow the same patterns, defeating them becomes easy once you get the hang of it. 

The main area where “D-Day 2” is a huge improvement over “Zombie Virus” is in the weapons system. Gone are the randomized “shards” and convoluted upgrade structure. Here, there is only one main character, and weapons can be purchased directly from the shop. Guns are unlocked based on progression, with stronger weapons becoming available the further you progress. Each gun can be upgraded up to five times; doing so requires only in-game currency.

You can use in-game currency to purchase and improve weapons.

The game starts on “Easy”; once all the levels are completed, it moves on to “Medium”, and so on. There are a total of five difficulty levels, with “Hell” being the toughest. However, the overall “hardness” doesn’t really change, no matter how far you progress. As long as you’re purchasing unlocked guns as they become available, progressing through “Hell” stages feels the same as completing one on “Easy”. It’s all relative.

“Grinding” isn’t even a requirement here. While on paper this might sound refreshing, it feels like a bit of a letdown. Boss stages payout enough currency to purchase the next unlocked weapon almost right away. I’ve complained many times how hard some games make it to progress after reaching a certain point. Many times I’ve had to spend more time watching ads than actually playing, in order to gain enough resources to advance. This has not been an issue in “D-Day 2”.

I should be ecstatic about this. I should be elated that completing missions doesn’t require a whole lot of time or effort. And to an extent, I am; I would much prefer this to a game that virtually requires paid upgrades to advance. But in this situation, it makes an already-linear game feel even moreso. Players are essentially spoonfed progress, with little room to make their own decisions. Everything must be done in order, even down to purchasing specific weapons at specific times. And as long as you adhere to the “checklist”, passing through most levels feels like a breeze.

"Hell" mode sees weapon costs skyrocket, with real money replacing "gold" option.

The only exception to this is in the “Hell” difficulty, where the cost of guns goes up exponentially. An “SS” grade gun will run you $1.75 million in in-game currency. But the alternative option to purchase with gold - something available in every previous level - is removed.  Instead, players short of in-game cash must pony up $79.99 real-life dollars to obtain it.

I’ll admit, I’ve lost enough interest in the game to see if it causes issues later on. I’m in area 1 of “Hell” difficulty, and it hasn’t been an issue thus far. But with four more areas to go - and no way to upgrade my gun in the future - it’s very possible later stages will be near-impossible to defeat without ponying up the cash. And, if that’s the case, it’s going to take a fair amount of “grinding” to earn enough in-game currency to make that happen.

GAME MODES

When I first started playing the game a couple of months ago, “D-Day 2” offered just a single player campaign. Since then, they’ve apparently added a “Defense” mode. 

This mode does offer up a new style of gameplay. Instead of being stationary on the ground, you’re placed in the back of a moving vehicle. Of course, zombies are attempting to overtake the automobile, forcing you to blast the fast-moving hordes. Aiming on the move is much harder and adds to the intensity. So, too, does the timing component: Unlike the base game, levels don’t depend on killing a certain amount of zombies. Instead, a timer represents the amount of time before the car reaches its destination. In order to complete the level, you must stay alive until the countdown reaches “0”.

"Defense" mode puts you on the back of a moving vehicle.

This also introduces yet another type of currency: coins. These are used to purchase weapons and other upgrades exclusive to “Defense” mode. What’s the point of all this? While I agree the main campaign is rather short compared to other games, this isn’t the way I would have expanded upon it. There were already two types of currency - gold and cash - so the addition of a third seems pretty excessive.

I didn’t play this one enough to analyze it in-depth. Quite frankly, the only reason I opened the game again at all was to write this review; I have no further interest in it. Based on the three stages I played (stages, not areas), it seemed like a decent change-of-pace from the main game. It was pretty chaotic, with new monsters introduced to make the challenge of surviving that much more difficult. If it was “included” with the game when I initially downloaded it, I would have played it more. But it wasn’t, and I’m over it.

The other mode is simply called “Bonus”. This is also a change from the norm. In this one, you’re placed in a helicopter circling high above the ground. A lone cop car sits stationary on the ground below. You’re placed in control of a machine gun with infinite ammo, and must prevent the zombies from destroying the car for a full 35 seconds. It sounds like it should be easy…but it’s not.

If you'd rather shoot zombies from a helicopter, "Bonus" mode is for you.

The helicopter moves and sways randomly each time, making success feel like a gamble. Sometimes, it stays closer to the action, making it easier to pick off the zombies. Other times, it flies way overhead, making it harder to aim. At any rate, my success rate is pretty low.

Just attempting it rewards some cash, which is helpful; “beating” it results in a higher payout that can be doubled by watching ads. Players are limited to three attempts per day. It’d be nice to see some variance in this mode - can we get a different setting at least? - but it’s another interesting break from the main campaign.

PAY TO PLAY?

The ad load in “D-Day 2” is, like virtually everything else in the game, “average”. 

Players are “treated” to a skippable ad after completion of every “stage”. There are also many opportunities to increase monetary rewards by voluntarily viewing unskippable 30-second ads. 

A $100 pack offering a "1,000% bonus". Over what?

When it does decide to peddle upgrades, however, it holds nothing back. On a recent visit to the game, I was offered a “Slayer Pack”, containing two “S Grade” guns. It was $99.99. (Although I was assured it was a “1000% bonus!”; over what, I don’t know.) That’s a pretty exorbitant sum for a game that feels much shorter and easier than other zombie games I’ve played.

Adding to the greedy mentality: Weapons don’t carry over between the two modes. Therefore, getting a similar grade gun for “Defense” mode would incur additional out-of-pocket expenses. To be fair, there are several other gun packages available, and most of them are less expensive than the above example. But the fact remains the same: Multiple packages must be purchased in order to gain weapons for each mode, which at least doubles the overall cost no matter which ones you buy.

The game offers some pretty helpful rewards for daily visits.

The fact that progressing is already so easy without spending a dime makes these “offers” feel almost “scammy”. I mean, why is there a need to offer in-game, digital products for such a high price, anyway? Who would pay $80 for a weapon that can only be used in one game? I guess there are enough people who do it to justify the developer’s approach. But for most casual gamers - or those without expendable income - it’s just stupid.

IN CONCLUSION

Random image of title screen, because why not?

When all is said and done, “D-Day 2” changes many of the issues I had with their previous “Zombie Virus.” However, those changes aren’t always for the better. 

Whereas their previous effort was too hard, relying on a horrible upgrade system in order to progress, “D-Day 2” suffers from the opposite problem: It’s too easy. Progression is almost spoonfed to the player, with weapons unlocked in the order they are needed. This makes the game feel too linear and straightforward: As long as you do things in the order the game presents them, passing through levels is a breeze.

While a couple of other game modes might help to elongate replayability a bit, there’s nothing unique or outstanding enough to elevate “D-Day 2” above other mediocre mobile zombie games. It’s worth a look for casual gamers looking to kill some time (and zombies), but once the initial excitement wears thin, there’s little else to sustain it.

OVERALL: 5/10.