Zombie Pub Crawl

Just when you think every possible variation on the zombie holocaust has been played out, some genius/dimwit staggers out of a pub at two in the morning with a brilliant idea for a game swimming around in his tasty, beer-addled brain.

To be honest, there’s pretty much no better explanation - or even review, for that matter - than the game’s own title. If you flinch, disgustedly and prudishly, when I say Zombie Pub Crawl, it’s pretty clear this game isn’t for you.

If, as I suspect, you raise a dry smile and picture yourself playing this game while sat at the bar - laughing manically to yourself and worrying the norms - then you already know you’re going to buy it. And you won’t be disappointed, as Zombie Pub Crawl delivers on the promise of its title. Yet it does so in a remarkably imaginative manner.

You and your mates are out for a night on the town, and nothing’s going to stop you. Especially the legions of living dead who are also out looking to paint the town red (yeah, I know I used that joke in the strapline, but it’s of such high quality I thought it had a little more life left in it - no?)

To look at screenshots and even play through the first couple of training missions, it’s not obvious how the game works.

An orange marker is used to position you and your crew. Wherever you slide the target is where they’ll saunter, though bear in mind these guys are on the happy side of a pint glass: they aren’t going to rush or even walk in a particularly straight line, so they’re going to need some cover from the encroaching flesh eaters.

Remember I said the developer was either a genius or a dimwit? Well, here’s the proof. The game takes an even more unusual slant when - either by chance or an acute sense of ironic wit - Zombie Pub Crawl takes the term ‘getting tanked’ very literally.

To defend the lads as they stagger their way along the street to the next boozer, you have to man a tank, blasting and running over zombies before they get a taste for alcohol-preserved flesh. You need to be careful not to plough down the dudes as you drive around, however, and the tanks guns will soon overheat if you get too trigger happy.

The tank is driven using an analogue stick in the bottom-left, which reacts accurately and easily, while shooting is handled independently of direction by touching the screen to fire at the zombies. Simple and very effective.

As the night draws on, the lads move farther down the street looking for a good pint and a curry. The levels can get pretty long and tricky to navigate as more and more piss heads join the pub crawl. So before long, it’s an intensive night (of the living dead) on the town, making for an action packed adventure of miniscule proportions.

In all honesty, this probably isn’t a game that’s going to harbour a great deal of longevity due to the essential limits of its gameplay. Though for a budget range game that’s got so much black humour in its glass there’s no room for a head, there’s pretty much no competition for it currently on the App Store.

Going back to the beginning of the review, it really does boil down to your opinion of the title. Does a Zombie Pub Crawl sound good to you? If it does, put on your shiny shoes, because you’re on for a spectacular lash up. If you prefer a nice quiet night in with a cup of tea... whatever.