Left2Die is yet another twin-stick shooter, and yes it has zombies, the cultural meme that will not go away any time soon. But what it does do with its online co-op features definitely gives it a reason to saunter around for brains on the App Store.
The goal is to survive waves of zombies that come in all shapes and sizes. Thankfully, the player has a useful primary weapon like a shotgun, AK47 or the mighty saw blade shooter, along with an unlimited ammo secondary weapon, and an ultra-powerful special weapon that charges up over time. The single-player comes in two variants: a mission mode that usually involves killing x number of zombies, or surviving for y seconds. Then there's survival, where it's the player and their weapons, just trying to survive for as long as possible. The game also boasts online co-op with voice chat, so 2 people can try to ward off zombies for as long as they can.
The controls are average for a twin-stick shooter; firing in a certain direction after having not been firing is tricky. Character and weapon upgrades cost in-game money (which can then be purchased with real money), but playing the mission mode makes it easy to get a ton of money quickly. What I did was to save up for the most powerful secondary – the laser sword – and just upgrade my default shotgun's reload time. That laser sword cuts through enemies like a knife through hot, zombified butter. Smart investment, I say!
The co-op is what makes this game stand out; while going solo is fun enough, being able to hop on with a friend to take down some undead is even more exciting. After all, cursing out that stupid zombie that ruined that big combo is one thing when playing solo; when someone else is there to hear it, it's funny!
Left2Die is really more notable for implementing an underutilized feature on iOS than for its twin-stick survival gameplay. But for its 99 cents launch price, it's hard to argue with. Grab a friend and show the world that what's dead can die – again!