2013: Infected Wars Review

In 2013: Infected Wars, Al-Qaeda have released a deadly virus with the sole purpose of leaving Western civilization in ruins, before they swoop in and reshape the world to their every whim. It's all very dramatic. Luckily though, a group of gruff mercenaries are on hand to save the day. Powered by Unreal Engine, the game looks terrifically dingy and detailed. From deserted subways, to decrepit bridges and ruined towns, the developers have hit the nail on the head in creating an apocalyptic setting within which the game is set.

With only a directional stick, a zoom icon and a trigger, the game screen is minimalistic, which helps prevent those accidental button-presses that are common in other shooters due to cluttered screen space. No one likes an accidentally fumbled grenade drop in a crowded gunfight. Saying that, the process for switching weapons needs to be improved. Having to pause gameplay to equip a different weapon effects momentum, even if it does give players a breather from the onslaught. A swiping gesture over the weapon icon would be much more convenient and practical.

The ability to dismember enemies is absent from this game, and it's a real shame (I'm aware how strange that makes me sound as a person). Half of the fun of games such as Dead Trigger is shooting a zombie's legs out from under it to slow it down. Headshots are possible and result in satisfying explosions of gore, but otherwise the act of pumping bullets into hundreds of familiar zombies isn't that much fun. In fact it gets very old very quickly. The striking distance of the zombies is also pretty ridiculous. Despite being more than an arms-length away from them, a gang of zombies still managed to clip me with their wayward flailing, sapping my health and sending me right back to the beginning of the level. A few checkpoints here and there wouldn't have hurt.

What the main attraction has always been from the start, however, is the co-op multiplayer support. In Infected Wars, taking the fight online with a friend is much more fun than going it alone. What might be a bit of a labored slug-fest in the Campaign becomes a game of teamwork and survival in Multiplayer mode. Acting as bait, taking advantage of each other's arsenal, and reviving each other in the middle of a battle all adds greater depth and replayability to the game, and it's a saving grace to be honest.

With 8 rather long and drawn out Campaign levels, Infected Wars is a little too light on content for the steep price tag, though the multiplayer does provide some longevity. With some tightening up, this could become a solid third-person shooter and one of the best zombie games on the App Store. Currently though, it's not quite there.