THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

Max, lives a peaceful live in California - playing games, watching movies, that sort of thing. However, that all changed one hate-filled summer's day when corrupt mercenary thugs burst into his apartment and stole his cat, Nick Furry. Why they did this terrible deed is anybody's guess but one result was assured, Max was set on a unrelenting path for revenge; to rescue his beloved feline and destroy anyone who got in his way - including the legions of Zombies because, you know, this is a Dead Island game. In a 16-bit side-scrolling adventure, you guide Max down the not so empty Californian streets, battering anything that moves with deadly combos, crazy power-weapons and unexplainable magic attacks.

MY VERDICT:

As you can probably guess from the description, Dead Island: Retro Revenge is not a game which takes itself seriously at all. The story is laughably non-existent and as for why evil mercenaries are invading California or why Zombies of varying types are roaming the streets; you will neither know nor care. Any lore is irrelevant because the game itself is so basic, mimicking arcade brawlers like Streets of Rage by depicting the entire game as seen through a curved CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor - there's even small areas of modelled image retention, the simulation is that deep. Levels play out as a simple left to right scroll with main character, Max, always moving forward at a constant speed - the player only having to worry about which of the three tracks - top, middle and bottom - Max is in. Enemies come from the left or right and must be, either, avoided or beaten to a pulp using a range of attacks - every crushed enemy adding to a point score. Levels and enemy timings are well designed to keep you switching tracks, planning your next move depending on the enemies that appear and tactically choosing when to use your limited super-weapons and magical attacks to ensure the greatest effect. That's where the fun comes from; repetition and replayability - doing the same short level over and over again to get the best score, to use each weapon more effectively and to learn the enemy formations so you can do it better next time. To me, the entertaining addiction that creates is wonderful, easily justifying the small asking price for this arcadey, humorous game.