Burn Zombie Burn Review - PS3

7.5

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 7
Audio: 7
Multiplayer: 6
Innovation: 7

Introduction

Developed by doublesix (formed from the team that made Geometry Wars: Galaxies) Burn Zombie Burn is a download only top down shooter. The game is a Playstation Network exclusive, and tasks players with destroying as many Zombies as they can while trying to avoid being overwhelmed and killed.

Gameplay

Burn Zombie Burn’s gameplay appears simple at first, but has a surprising amount of depth. Starting with the basics, the game has no story whatsoever; you’re simply thrown straight into the action. There are three different modes on offer, Arcade, Challenge and Multiplayer. Arcade mode dares players to try and make their way through six assorted stages, with one being unlocked to start off with. On the other hand, Challenge mode throws various missions into the mix, which means more attention will be directed towards goals rather than simply clearing a level. As you may have gathered from the game’s title, your objective is to kill Zombies. To assist you in this task, there are various weapons on offer, including traditional weapons (a pistol, shotgun, and machine gun), as well as some less conventional ones (such as a brain sucker and a Zombie mulcher).

Each of the game’s six levels has a set score that you must reach in order to clear it. As you would expect, this score increases with every level you complete. Earning points is a simple matter; every Zombie you take out will give you a set amount. Simply taking out Zombies won’t earn you many points, however. The only thing worse than Zombies is burning Zombies after all, and that’s where the game’s title comes into play. Aside from the range of destructive weapons, you are also given a burning torch which can be used to both ward off advancing Zombies and set them on fire. Burning Zombies act as a multiplier, every Zombie that catches fire adds a point to your counter. This multiplier is essential to your success in the game, as making use of it is your only way to score enough points to clear each level. On the flipside, burning Zombies also move much faster than their regular counterparts, and are no longer afraid of fire, making the torch useless against them.

While nobody enjoys having a swarm of burning Zombies after them, killing them isn’t really an option as every burning Zombie you kill reduces your multiplier by one point. As such, the game ends up being an interesting game of survival/cat-and-mouse, burning Zombies are both dangerous, and essential to scoring a lot of points at the same time. You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them. Obviously, the more burning Zombies you have going at once the better, but at the same time, there are only so many Zombies in a level at once. As such, you need to maintain a balance between your number of regular Zombies and your number of burning Zombies if you want to succeed, while being constantly pursued all the ...