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I found this zombie game one week ago on the app store; it was called Contract Killer: Zombies. It is the second installment in the Contract Killer franchise. Although the original Contract Killer was based on the world of crime, espionage, and sniper rifles, this new installment takes those same concepts but throws it into the world of a zombie apocalypse. This is called theming, which involves taking a set of rules and giving a different set of context.
The concept of this game is simple; I play as the main character Shooter, a loner who picks up the sweet girl next door. Her name is Evelyn. Together, the main character and her scavenge for supplies and rescue survivors who are looking for a way out. Although Shooter is in a wheelchair, during each level while someone runs around collecting supplies or running to a helicopter, I am positioned to shoot incoming zombies and must remain there for the duration of the level. The goal is to survive while protecting Shooter’s fellow survivors. His disability impinges on the action that I can’t really move during missions. In other words, I have to pivot about on a single point, like a stationary turret. Missions involve assisting survivors during their escape or in their efforts to find necessary supplies. Survivor Evelyn often accompanies me on these missions but she will run into difficulties if I neglect her. These missions are displayed on an aerial map of the deserted city, which gives an impression of the scale of chaos inflicted it since the apocalypse. The helicopter missions are not that difficult, but shooting distance may prove a point when the zombies aren’t effectively killed. But I somehow manage to beat the helicopter levels, depending on the difficulty. The levels have a range of difficulties marked by colors. Red represents expert, orange represents veteran, and green represents novice. The veteran levels feel kind of normal at times and can sometimes be outright difficult.
Since this game makes incredible use of the touch screen, I use one finger to adjust the view, scoping out any undead zombies. There are three buttons on the screen: one left button that zooms in, one right button allows me to fire the weapon, and the button above this button allows me to switch between weapons. Additional buttons may appear if I have bombs and other power-ups. Since the screen is clutter free, I can focus the task at hand. There are boundaries in each level that limits the player’s actions and movements to a specific space. They create functional zones for gameplay. Shooter can carry two weapons: one small firearm and one large weapon. I have a choice of various revolvers, automatic weapons, or shotguns, but each will cost me. Completing levels will earn my dollars, varying from hundreds of dollars. I can also pay out of my pocket to get the gattling gun that I wanted. There are also gold tokens in the game, which allow me to buy weapons that require these tokens. I can complete offers to get free gold. But I also hate the fact that I have to pay or complete offers to get more powerful weapons to beat harder levels. Sometimes, I have a feeling that the game makes it difficult to the point where I can’t shoot so I could buy gold or cash!! Money takes a long time to earn. This game is a scam!! In fact, I receive small amounts of cash as I progress through the game. I feel like there should be a way to sell weapons to get money to buy more powerful weapons.
For most of the game, I have been using the Dual MP-643, which are light weight compact sub-machine guns with extended stocks for increased accuracy and comfort while killing zombies. This weapon proved well for most of the levels, even those that involve shooting from a helicopter. It is effective for missions that require killing hoardes of zombies. I don’t need to concern myself with finding ammo, as tis unlimited. But I have to account for the time it takes to reload a weapon. The weapons store appears on the city map. Types of rifle, shotgun, and pistol are restricted by level and each costs an amount of normal currency or the game’s premium currency, which you acquire through in-app purchases.
Another problem arises once I played an assortment of levels. Levels begin to become repetitive, and the sound of a zombie’s skull cracking can keep me playing for so long. I still play at the same areas in many of the missions. These same areas involve roofs, football fields, and the same other various areas. Sometimes, I grow weary of shooting zombies and not doing other activities. When it comes to production values, the game shines. The environments look wonderful and the city maps are amazing. There isn’t much story development in this game, but the monologues of Shooter give me an idea of the grizzly world. But I don’t really praise the graphics since the game uses many polygonal 3D graphics. With these graphics, the game just looks flat out ugly. The graphics are not even on par with Dead Trigger, which is another zombie shooter I am playing on the iPhone. While the guns and hands of the protagonist animate great, the same cannot be said of the zombies and survivors. The boring zombie models actually impede my ability to play effectively as they blend into the backgrounds. However, it’s easy to overlook these complaints because the game is just plain satisfying to play.
Rating (out of 5): |
