Developer: Limbic Software
Publisher: Limbic Software
Genre: Shooter
Players: 1
Console: iPhone, iPad
iTunes Rating: 9+
Hours played: 10
Do you remember the awesome AC-130 gunship section from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare? Did you ever think it was entertaining enough to warrant more? Well fret not, gamers! The fine folks at Limbic Software have made a full game out of this great gameplay sequence and instead of blowing up nondescript Eastern Europeans, players will have the honor of blowing up hordes of zombies. Read on to find out whether the game is actually as good as it sounds…
In Zombie Gunship you assume the role of an aerial gunner aboard an AC-130 gunship. You are tasked with protecting the bunker that is the only shelter separating your people and the roving hordes of zombies. As human survivors make their way across the landscape towards the safety of the bunker, you have to take out as many zombies as possible before they breach the bunker or before you have exceeded the limit for friendly fire.
The look of the game is very similar to the AC-130 sequence from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a night vision effect is created by draping the environments in grey and black tones with the zombies appearing in black, no heat signature after all, and human survivors in white. Even though the graphical presentation is simple, it is extremely functional and works well for what the game is trying to do.
Your flying fortress of destruction has three different weapons at its disposal (two of which are not available at the start of the game and have to be unlocked) , these are the 25mm Gatling Gun, 40mm Bofors Gun and the always entertaining 105mm Howitzer. The Gatling Gun provides the highest level of zoom and is ideal for taking out bigger zombies and sniping zombies that are in the process of attacking a civilian. The Bofors Gun and Howitzer have a bigger damage radius with the 40mm having a faster reload time and rate of fire than the 105mm but a smaller area of effect. Swapping between guns is easily done by tapping the different weapon listings in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Having civilians safely reach the bunker and blowing apart zombies nets you money which can be spent to upgrade different aspects of your guns such as reload speed and blast radius. Difficulty is quickly ramped up as the zombie hordes get bigger and arrive more frequently, but just by itself this would not be too big of an issue as the Howitzer can deal with the biggest of swarms. Where things get tricky is in the human survivors getting tangled up in clusters of zombies. Blow up the humans along with zombies and you get a warning, do this three times in total and your session will end. The challenge of Zombie Gunship culminates in picking off zombies before the reach the bunker while at the same time checking your fire so that humans do not get caught in the crossfire.
Blowing up large swathes of zombies is extremely satisfying and the whole game experience is very addictive. From upgrading your guns to climbing the leader boards, this is one of those games you keep coming back to. The only gripe I have with the gameplay is that the frame rate sometimes stutters for a brief moment, mainly after reloading your guns or switching between weapons, throwing off your aim and just being a general annoyance.
If you enjoyed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s AC-130 gunship sequence then this game is for you. Blowing up zombies with big guns while floating through the air in one of the most imposing aircraft around is incredibly satisfying, at just $0.99 this game a must-have for all iPhone and iPad owners.
