Full Review

If there's one thing that is a constant in zombie games is that they don't have guns, and they don't shoot back. I mean the whole point of the explosion of zombie related video-gaming is that it's a way to satisfy a desire for wonton violence against something that looks human, but isn't. The fact that they hobble around and are ripe for the deadly end of a variety of firearms just adds to the appeal... so what happens when that changes?

Desert Zombie Last Stand is kind of like the mercenaries mode from the Resident Evil franchise (or Horde mode from Gears of War). You spend your play time in a small sectioned off environment having to battle a wave of zombies. If you survive, the wave ends, you're given money, are able to purchase new weapons and perks... and the difficulty ramps up. If you don't survive, you're given a little less money and the chance to try again. Every round there are more zombies and more types, but instead of the variety of let's say a Left 4 Dead survival mode, the further you go, the zombies carry more advanced weaponry. It's one thing to try and back away from approaching hordes, it's quite another to weave around and find cover to avoid getting shot.

So how does the experience control? On the whole... not badly. Movement is taken care of by an analogue stick, and your finger moves the camera around. There are buttons for crouching, reloading, and changing weapons, while firing is taken care by double tapping the screen, and aiming until release. After a couple rounds the controls feel quite good, but it's the imprecise aiming that brings things down a little. The game has some auto aiming assistance to help things, but it feels like you're turning on your gun like a fire hose, and then aiming towards the zombies, wasting an enormous amount of ammo in the process. This is a minor gripe however and those that find themselves enjoying the game will most likely be performing head-shots in no time.

There are four arenas to battle in, each with multiple waves and bosses. The money earned can unlock new weapons, upgrade your stats and buy new skins for your characters. There's a lot to keep you busy, but one obvious omission is cooperative multiplayer. Perhaps that will come in a future patch, cause it would do a lot to make this solid game even greater. Fans of third person shooters will definitely enjoy what's on offer here.

App Store Info