Zombit Review
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Zombit Review

Our Review by Rob Thomas on August 13th, 2014
Rating: starstarhalfstarblankstarblankstar :: BRAINDEAD BITS
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Pixels? Check. Zombies? Check. Oh, wait. We forgot to include an interesting game. Darn!

Developer: Clouds Rider
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0.0
App Reviewed on: iPad 2/iPhone 4S

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarhalfstarblankstarblankstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarblankstarblankstarblankstar
Playtime Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Replay Value Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarhalfstarblankstarblankstar

It’s 2014. I think we can safely say that neither zombies, nor “retro”-style pixel graphics alone are enough to draw the interest of the average consumer anymore. It's shifted from novel territory firmly into the Overused Styles and Tropes Archive a few years back. That’s not to say that good things can’t come about from using these elements, but it hasn’t meant an instant slam dunk in quite a while now. So it’s no real surprise that Zombit feels a bit dated as a concept before we even get into the meat of the game.

“Meat” is actually pushing it a bit, as both Zombit’s premise and gameplay are about as paper-thin as it gets. A lone pixelated survivor, a crossbow, and the power of prayer are all that stand against the hungry hordes. I should probably also mention that apparently this survivor’s legs don’t work - what else would explain why he stands in one place, allowing himself to get surrounded on all sides? And as if that weren’t already bad enough, he only has a lone crossbow bolt with which to dispatch his rotting assailants. Yeah, it’s not looking good.

Gameplay could not be more simple. Tap a zombie to shoot it. Tap its spinning, skewered head to recover your ammo. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Also, apparently this bolt is made out of superballs or perhaps some Flubber-like compound, as these zombie heads will go spinning all over the place before coming to rest. The good part? Any zombies the head hits along its path will be temporarily stunned, buying players a precious few moments to push back their inevitable demise. And that’s really about it.

Well I suppose there’s a touch more in that, periodically, players will be implored to rapidly tap the screen to “pray,” which stuns all on-screen zombies in a flash of (presumably?) holy light upon completion. But THAT is pretty much it. Once you’re armed with this knowledge, it’s really just a matter of seeing how many dozens of shamblers you can take down before you become their next meal.

Only the most dedicated score chasers, bit-freaks, or zombie game hoarders are going to be compelled to spend more than a few minutes with Zombit. It’s not that it’s an inherently bad game or anything; it’s just kind of dull after the novelty wears off. The sound effects are decent enough, so I suppose there’s that. And it IS free, so you’re not out anything by downloading it and taking a look. It really just feels a bit more like a student project rather than anything polished and professional.

Games don’t require complexity or flashy visuals to be compelling in the least, but they do need more of a hook than “Hey, guys! Zombies!” That worked in 2008. Not so much with Zombit.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

Zombit screenshot 1 Zombit screenshot 2 Zombit screenshot 3 Zombit screenshot 4 Zombit screenshot 5

iPad Screenshots

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Zombit screenshot 6
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