Zombie Quest - Mastermind the hexes! Review

When an army of vile supernatural creatures threatens the world, there’s only one way to fight back: use another army of vile supernatural creatures to overtake them. Zombie Quest may have more to do with board games than any real questing, but that doesn’t keep it from draining time.

Zombie Quest plays in a manner not all that dissimilar from other board games like Othello. Each “piece” (i.e. monster) can convert others by landing in a space next to them. Moving a creature two spaces can certainly cover distance quickly, but there’s just as much of a need to make smaller movements as they actually create clones instead of outright moving. It’s an essential technique to bolstering one’s army. Knowing when to utilize a given faction’s special ability (making one piece invincible for a few turns, removing an opponent’s piece, etc) is also very, very important.

It’s not all about the simple but always interesting gameplay essentials, though. The way Zombie Quest mixes things up with the various special abilities and visual distinct armies keeps things very interesting. The little curveballs it throws at players by way of timed panels on the board that will fry any piece sitting on them – thus clearing space and leaving possible exploitable openings – and solid obstacles that can change the flow of strategy.

As entertaining as Zombie Quest can be to the proper enthusiast, it’s still rather basic. New armies unlock once they’re bested in the campaign, along with their abilities, but that’s about it. It can still be fun to move through the “story” mode and its various scenarios, but once it’s over the real reason anyone will keep playing is the pass-and-play multiplayer mode.

Zombie Quest’s longevity relies mostly on just how much someone will want to play with friends on the same device, but it’s also perfect for that very reason. It’s not too terribly complex or involved, but it’s great for short bursts of play alone or in groups.