Audio Defence: Zombie Arena

From the team behind Papa Sangre, the hugely successful audio-based adventures that led players through the land of the dead by sound alone, comes a new audio experience that's less Mayan and more moaning (zombies) - called Audio Defence: Zombie Arena.

Players can use either gyro, tilt, or swipe controls to look around, which is a helpful addition since using gyro in public has a tendency to make players look like maniacs. Especially when combined with the slight perspiration and anxious expression that invisible zombies can often bring on. The game screen is comprised of a melee button, a shooting button, a weapons switching button, and a reload button. Players must turn themselves 360 degrees to find the zombies and put them out of their misery. When they get within melee distance, the 'blind warrior's' heartbeat will begin to beat rapidly and players can bonk them on the head, conserving ammo.

The voice acting is over-the-top and all the better for it - the majority of which comes from the sadistic "Dr. Bastard", who for all intents and purposes lives ups to his name - as our blind protagonist is dropped into 4 unique arenas and the zombies are unleashed. Each arena has its own audible quirks that add authenticity to the setting and sets them apart from one another. Also, I have to hand it to the developers on just how good being eaten alive by zombies sounds, and I now realize that isn't a normal thing to say.

The armory is stocked with unlockable weapons that range from the essential (shotgun and a wok) to the awesome (sonic cannon and medieval sword) and everything in between, each unlocked with cash earned in-game. There's also a slot machine that, once hit by bullets, will initiate an entertaining random power-up, dispersing the horde in one fell swoop.

Audio Defence: Zombie Arena doesn't quite conjure up the same sense of intrigue or mystery as Papa Sangre due to its constricted nature of rooting players to the same spot. It's often very tough too, due to the lull between groans in which a zombie can gain some serious ground. A traveling zombie adventure down hallways and empty streets might have been more original than an audio defense game that has been done before, honestly.