(If you would like to see more of my work, go to camseyeview.biz. If you feel like it, consider supporting my Patreon at patreon.com/camseyeview. I did get a review code for this, I requested it from the developer, but got no financial compensation for reviewing the game.)
It takes some time to know if you are in full-on love mode with a game you are playing. You begin playing the game and are in a happy mood, but then the game pulls a 180 on you and it ruins the entire experience. Sometimes, it just takes playing the very beginning of the game for you to realize that you will be in love with the experience you are about to have. This is how I felt when I played Zombie Vikings by Zoink! Games. If the developer sounds familiar, it’s because they also made Stick it to the Man!, a puzzle/stealth/platformer/adventure game that was released last year. It was rather exciting to see the developer tackle a beat ‘em up, a genre that most people don’t really tackle. Now then, you ready to dive into some rotted flesh and see how the hype paid off for this game?
The story is about a group of zombie Vikings who go after Loki for stealing Odin’s one good eye. I mean, Odin really loves that one eye. The story is silly, and the characters are likable. I don’t really have much to say, but I enjoyed the humor.
If you love games like Castle Crashers, Final Fight, Streets of Rage, well, you will probably enjoy the gameplay in this game. Zombie Vikings is a beat ‘em up where you can play as four different characters in single-player, or with three other friends. Each character as his or her own unique attacks and special movies, like Seabeard has a super strong throw and can shoot poison ink. As you progress through the game, you can gain new weapons with special abilities, like being able to do additional damage or break down special stone walls. Another customizable element is the runes that grant you buffs, like stronger throws or more health. There is even a competitive arena-mode with upcoming stages and more characters to play as, where you simply beat the tar out of one another. Overall, you’ve got a beat ‘em up with a solid amount of content.
The graphics are once again one of the highlights, like the developer’s last game, Stick it to the Man! It’s very stylized and two-dimensional on 3D backgrounds. The voice acting is perfect, and the actors are very humorous in their performances. I also have to give some major kudos to the rock and roll soundtrack that makes all the fights fun to, well, fight through. I even love the little jingle that plays when you pause the game. Zombie Vikings is definitely full of personality in the presentation department.
Unfortunately, I have a few problems. The first problem revolves around glitches. Even after a few patches and some of the worst bugs are gone, it’s a shame the game launched with so many. I think Sony is partly to blame for this, due to probably rushing the developer for the PlayStation Plus Voting thing. Outside of some glitches, I think the biggest problem with Zombie Vikings is that it needed more enemy and gameplay variety. Each level pretty much has the same kinds of enemies. There needed to be something more than just beating down enemies, and that one creative boss fight/soccer match. The humor and fun gameplay did carry me through the overall experience, but I do admit that there could have been more.
Outside of the rough launch, I love this game. It’s a super fun beat ‘em up for those that are getting tired of Castle Crashers. I loved it, but I can understand if you want to wait for a sale. The game is on Steam, the PlayStation 4, and will be coming to the Wii U in the future. You can also wait for the physical version to be released. If you love humorous games, and experiences you can just jump into and have fun with a couple of friends, well, go get Zombie Vikings!
This game gets an 8 out of 10
Comments