Developed by Terror Dog Studio, Ultimate Zombie Defense is an isometric shooter that mixes traditional horde survival mechanics with base-building elements. It’s a familiar setup – build, defend, survive – but it throws in enough of its own flavor to keep things interesting, especially if you’re jumping in with a few friends. However, despite its decent foundations, it doesn’t always hit the mark, and several small but frustrating issues stop it from truly rising above its low-budget routes.
The game wastes little time getting you into the action. You drop into one of three available maps – a narrow walkway, a small suburban neighborhood, and a shopping mall – and immediately start prepping your defenses before the first wave of undead descend upon you. Using your earnings between rounds, you can set up barricades, turrets, and traps to hold the line. It’s a simple, tried and tested loop, but it works surprisingly well here, and there’s a good rhythm to the “build, fight, rebuild” cycle once you find your footing. Furthermore, there’s a light class system at play, offering different perks and abilities dependent on your choice of character. It’s not a game-changer, but it gives the experience a touch of variety.
Guns, Grit, and….Growing Pains
Combat is adequately paced, chaotic, and oftentimes clunky. Aiming with a controller feels a little sluggish, often making precise shots far harder to pull of than they should be. The cursor/reticle movement can feel painfully slow, and the response time feels a little off (which becomes more noticeable as the hordes grow). Furthermore, there’s an odd issue with the on-screen button prompts. The game told me to press “X” to continue when it actually meant “A”, which caused a brief but nonetheless confusing moment when trying to transition between waves. It’s a small irritation, but an irritation regardless.
Enemy design is serviceable, if somewhat predictable. You’ve slow shamblers, your pacey sprinters, and the occasional tougher (larger) brute thrown in for good measure. The wave progression ramps up nicely, though, and once you reach the later rounds you’ll genuinely feel the pressure to keep your barricades intact and your ammo well stocked. However, the lack of map variety means that repetition sets in fairly quickly. With only three environments to play across, there’s not a great deal of visual or tactical diversity, and after a few sessions, you’ll start to feel like you’ve seen everything there is to see.
When the Fun Really Starts
Where Ultimate Zombie Defense shines in co-op. Bringing in a few friends completely changes the pacing and tone of the whole experience. Coordinating builds, shouting out flanking enemies, and dividing tasks between players adds a layer of teamwork that makes the game far more enjoyable. Playing solo, on the other hand, can feel a little empty. Yes, the tension is still there, but without the camaraderie and chaos of a full squad, the grind between waves becomes a lot more prevalent.
Graphically, the game is decent for what it is. It’s not winning any awards for realism, but it carries that low-budget charm that suits the genre so well. The lighting effects during night waves add a good touch of atmosphere, and the sound design – while minimal – helps keep things tense. The frame rate holds up well, even when the screen is chockful of enemies, which is something I was pleasantly surprised by.
Ultimate Zombie Defense – In a Nutshell
While Ultimate Zombie Defense doesn’t reinvent the wheel of the undead, it does do enough to make for few evenings of zombie-slaying fun – particularly if you’re playing with others. It’s combination of base-building, cooperative gameplay, and fast-paced waves gives it a wholly satisfying gameplay loop that’s easy to pick up and consequently hard to completely walk away from.
That said, the limited map selection, sluggish aiming, and small technical hiccups hold it back from reaching its full potential. It’s the sort of game that feels great in short bursts, but struggles to maintain momentum over longer sessions. With a little more polish and a few extra maps, Ultimate Zombie Defense could easily have risen to something special.
REVIEW
OUR SCORE - 6.5
6.5
SCORE
Fun, frantic, and flawed - Ultimate Zombie Defense, delivers an enjoyable co-op experience, but it's held back by sluggish aiming, limited maps, and minor control quirks that hold it back
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