Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth playing"

ZombiU is a great game if you don't look too deeply. For a zombie-apocalypse survival-horror game, it's surprisingly innovative. Using the WiiU's touch pad as the ultimate survival tool, used to hack, scan, and chart out areas for what may be lurking around the corner. It's fun to be had by anybody wanting a scary zombie adventure, but it does have some flaws that can bring it down. Fortunately, the pros outweigh the cons.

Let's start with the story. You play the role of a random London citizen assisting a man by the name of "The Prepper", helping him find out the truth behind the plague, and finding a way out of the zombie-infested city. If and when you die in the game, you assume the role of a new citizen, and you can retrieve your items from your previous survivor, who may or may not be a zombie, depending on the cause of death. This is an interesting and challenging concept, but when you're half way through the game, it becomes contradictory. The Prepper may be barking orders at your new survivor, but these orders and facts are things only your previous survivor would know about. It just seems silly. Like I mentioned, don't look too deeply.

In a zombie apocalypse, you're going to need weapons, right? Considering this is London, you've got a cricket bat so you can go all "Shaun of the Dead" on zombies. This can be fun, but it's also clunky and the slowest way to kill the undead. You may end up driving 8 blows to the ghoul's head before you yield a kill. Firearms and ammo are few and far between, leaving caution to be the best option. Luring zombies towards you one at a time is sometimes what it comes down to. This may be boring to some, but it's the most realistic and safe approach when ammo is sparse. If the cricket bat was just a bit more powerful, this wouldn't be an issue.

ZombiU is most successful in creating an atmosphere, more than anything else. From Buckingham Palace to the catacombs of old churches, no area makes you feel secure or safe. Every location in ZombiU leaves you with a sense of hopelessness and dread. With spooky ambiance to accompany the dreadful locations, ZombiU is sure to scare you, or, at least me. Jump scares are few, just be sure not to drop your gamepad when it happens. Some areas were so scary they kept me from playing for a while. As gruesome as some of the locations are, some can be quite beautiful. Trudging through a zombie-infested swamp near London Tower while the moon shines bright in the night sky is truly a sight to behold.

ZombiU is not the WiiU's killer app, by any means. It does succeed in creating a terrifying atmosphere and a feeling of dread. It's of a rare breed, considering recent survival horror has focused on action. I recommend a rental, at least.