Once N.Y Zombies has loaded you are presented with a nice looking splash screen and a wickedly illustrated zombie emerging from the darkness. This is accompanied by the haunting piano audio, which evokes emotions reminding me of classic console games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil – perfect.

Set in New York, as the name dictates, you play as one of the last survivors after a zombie outbreak. The narrative, told through diary entries and presented between the levels, gives the game a voice and substance. It can be easily skipped but I enjoyed it reading it and I think it will appeal to fans of the zombie genre.

The action takes place from the first-person in a fixed position, although you are able to rotate through 360 degrees and look up and down by swiping, as well as zooming in with certain weapons. This restriction of movement adds to the fear of being overrun and constantly surrounded by the zombies as you try to pick them off one by one by simply tapping the screen to fire and sending them on their way.

After each level you get the option to upgrade and arm yourself with different weapons from cash earned by dispatching zombies, the interface is easy to use and smartly laid out. As I said before, the narrative really adds to the game and sets up the scene before you play each level which is in a different environment as you progress and journey around the city.

The visual style of the game is spot on and the graphics work well with the game play. Some gamers might find the character and 3d environments slightly blocky but it reminds me of Golden Eye on the N64 (one of the best game of the late 90’s) with it’s polygons and human faces mapped on to the 3d models. With the melancholic soundtrack which re-enforces the dread and sense of despair, alongside the realistic sfx, and the fun gameplay, it’s the overall package of N.Y Zombies which engrosses you and allows you to have a great gaming experience.

I completed normal mode in a few days but there is the harder, “Apocalypse” difficulty to try, as well as Endless mode, which I’ve just started and it’s pretty tough as money is hard to come by.

N.Y Zombies is a damn fine game and I challenge anyone not to enjoy it after playing just a couple of levels. Buy it now, you will not be disappointed.

N.Y Zombies, v1.2
Seller: Foursaken Media. (12+)
Price: 0.59p

Doesn’t support OpenFeint or Game Center, but who cares, it has it’s own achievements displayed in glorious 3d – much more original.