Spin-offs can be a tricky thing. For every standout like Frasier and Holby City (born from Cheers and Casualty respectively), there’s dross like CSI: Cyber or a Joey, the Tribbiani-themed Friends follow-up that nobody asked for.
Enter Zombie Army 4: Dead War, the latest horror-themed spin-off from developer Rebellion’s Sniper Elite series.
Starting off as a downloadable content pack for 2012’s Sniper Elite V2, the Zombie Army titles take the stealth and long range gunplay of the World War II third person shooter and spice it up with a more frantic pace and, of course, turning all the Nazis into zombies.
The set up for this alternate history is that a desperate Hitler, faced with impending defeat at the hands of the Allied forces, uses occult methods to raise a legion of the undead in a last ditch attempt to turn the tide.
(Image: Rebellion Developments)
Previous entries saw it all end poorly for Adolf after his shuffling hordes literally bit the hand that fed them, and a zombified Hitler was eventually sent to the depths of Hell.
Job done, right? Unfortunately not, as the remnants of humanity are still having to fight for survival in the eponymous Dead War.
This time around, we’re treated to a fully fledged standalone experience, with a fairly chunky campaign that can be played solo or with up to 3 other players.
(Image: Rebellion Developments)
Despite being an offshoot of a sniping-focused game, you won’t be going prone and leisurely picking off foes from halfway across the map in Zombie Army 4. There are some small open-ish areas, but this is a more linear and focused experience compared to the large environments from the main games.
The decomposing fascists will frequently be bearing down on you, and so a stick and move approach is your best bet. As such, the sniping simulation element from the main series is turned down a tad, so for the most part you won’t be accounting for wind, bullet drop etc unless you opt for the harder difficulty settings.
(Image: Rebellion Developments)
Still, a sniper rifle is your main weapon, and you can hold down your breath while aiming in order to increase accuracy and briefly slow down time. Landing a shot will frequently trigger a satisfying slow motion x-ray kill cam (a trademark of the Sniper Elite series), showing your bullet as it tears its way through a zombie’s body and destroying various organs.
For hairier situations, you can also bring a shotgun or assault rifle with you, as well as a handy pistol for backup. Unlike a lot of other zombie-related media, ZA4’s enemies don’t necessarily require headshots to kill, but there’s a bit more XP (and, let’s face it, style) rewarded for planting a bullet in their noggins.
There are a handful of different playable characters to choose from (including Sniper Elite protagonist Karl Fairburne), each with their own strengths and weaknesses such as increased melee damage or reduced stamin.
You can unlock further mods for characters, weapons and items (medkits, explosives and so on) by completing a plethora of gameplay challenges as well as finding weapon upgrade kits hidden in the levels. Of particular note are the dismembered zombie hands that are wandering around certain stages, which you can snipe for added XP.
(Image: Rebellion Developments)
But is Zombie Army 4 dead good or a rotting mess? Certainly the former. The shooting is absolutely solid, and taking on the game’s undead baddies is heaps of accessible fun. The pacing is spot on, with some periods of brief calm before it unleashes siege-style moments of zombie killing carnage. Enemy variety means you’ll have to think on your feet, as some zombies wear armour, carry shields, wield massive weapons or puke bile at you.
Unlocking various perks through gameplay challenges, milestones and collectibles is also fairly addictive, encouraging you to mix up your playstyle in order to earn powerful ammo types and abilities that make you feel rather badass despite being rather outnumbered by the walking dead.
(Image: Rebellion Developments)
For instance, you can choose a super charged electrical melee attack that will stun enemies, or swap it out for a mystical hammer attack that will heal a small amount of your health. Meanwhile, weapon abilities include things like a slow motion lock-on for your pistol that will unleash a torrent of headshots at the end (similar to Red Dead Redemption’s Dead Eye mechanic), or a single, highly penetrative and kind-of-explosive round for your sniper rifle.
The whole experience is wrapped up in a schlocky B-movie horror theme, and its atmospheric levels are densely packed with a lot of detail.
Verdict
Building on the Zombie Army format – and adding some of the tone and mechanics from their 2018 title Strange Brigade – Rebellion have served up a slice of refreshingly straightforward and engaging action here.
There’s potential for a great co-op shooter, and the inclusion of a Horde mode means players wanting to test their mettle after the campaign will have something to sink their teeth into. But it’s equally as enjoyable as a solo romp, with you mowing down swathes of Nazi husks in tense hold-the-line fights for survival. The challenge / milestone upgrade system adds a moreish carrot on a stick quality that certainly gave me an incentive to jump back in and improve my loadouts.
While not especially groundbreaking, if you’re in the market for some unabashedly thrilling zombie slaying, Zombie Army 4: Dead War has it in spades.
Release date: February 4
Price: £39.99
Platform: Xbox One, PS4, PC
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