Corridor Z Review

Developer: Mass Creation
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0.3
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

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Corridor Z is a combination of some of the most well-worn mobile game tropes. It's a zombie-themed free-to-play endless runner that focuses on having players complete objectives to earn coins and unlocks. Although this sounds like one of the most run-of-the-mill experiences out there, Corridor Z does add some of its own twists of originality that keep it from being an immediately write-off, which is both impressive and commendable. Make no mistake though, these changes - while welcome - only slightly elevate the game out of average territory.

Like most other runners, Corridor Z consists of players swiping in various directions while their character automatically runs away from their adversaries; in this instance, a horde of zombies. It's a little different though, in the sense that the perspective is reversed and players aren't dodging obstacles. Instead, as the player character runs toward the screen players are supposed to swipe boxes, pull down ventilation ducts, and pick up guns in order to slow down the ultra-fast undead enemies.

Another twist that Corridor Z puts on the runner genre is through its sense of progression. Although many games of this type have missions like "run 100 meters," or "kill 3 zombies in one run," Corridor Z ties these missions to in-game characters and the rooms they occupy. So, if players complete all of the missions for Logan (one of the game's three player characters) in while in Classroom 1, he'll progress to Classroom 2. Then they'll have to play as the game's other two protagonists, Megan and Sgt. Williams, in order to get all of the characters from room to room. This entire concept adds a greater sense of progression to Corridor Z, despite being such a small tweak.

As players move from room to room, they'll also be earning rations that can be spent to upgrade weapons, purchase a starting weapon, or buy "the savior," which is a bat covered in barbed wire that allows players to recover from being tackled by zombies. These unlocks help players get further and further into Corridor Z's hallways, which become increasingly more serpentine and peppered with some boss fights to mix up the action.

To top it all off,Corridor Z differentiates itself by injecting a story into the game through an opening cutscene and collectibles that allow players to read about the world leading up to the zombie apocalypse through entries in a high schooler's diary. While the diary entries are a nice touch, the opening sequence doubles as a way to hide a lengthy loading screen, which becomes irritating after the first boot of Corridor Z.

Despite all of these changes - which are mostly nice and refreshing -Corridor Zis still very much a game of its type. It has players repeatedly running down hallways, grinding out rations, and completing missions while serving up ads and enticing players to shell out some cash. Although it is commendable to thinking outside of the box more so than its competitors, Corridor Zdoesn't quite change things up enough to feel truly special.