This past week a few of us Canadian Online Gamers (COG) staffers had a chance to head down to Nintendo’s Vancouver head office to check out several games slated to be released when the Wii U hits retails this holiday season. One of the games I really had a chance to sink my teeth into was Ubisoft’s ZombiU. Going in I expected a gimmicky ‘run of the mill’ zombie game for the launch of the Wii U. Instead, ZombiU is far from gimmicky and the 15-minute demo I had a chance to play provided some of the most intense moments I have experienced in quite some time.
The demo takes place in a desolate part of downtown London, England. The game plays in first person view and it appears I am one of the survivors following some kind of zombie apocalypse. After some segments where you become quickly acquainted with the games basic controls, which I should say are standard for pretty much all zombie slaying games, the game then moves inside a building with a creepy nursery of all things. One look on the blood stained walls and doors tells you that something horribly wrong has taken place. Equipped with a handgun and what looks like a cricket bat, you slowly make your way through one room after another never feeling at ease. Ammunition and other basic supplies are at a premium. So using your bullets instead of your bat could end up costing you your life as I quickly discovered. Did I mention the game is very unforgiving? Yes it sure is because if you die that is it. There is no re-start from a previous checkpoint or a regenerating health bar.
One of the things that really caught me by surprise was the intense atmosphere and suspense of the game. Walking around dark rooms with the equivalent of a cheap dollar store flashlight was unnerving. The lack of visibly is clearly a critical element to the gameplay and it is relentless to the point where any bit of light comes as such a welcome relief. Another element which adds to the tension is the Wii U touch screen game pad. In the game, you often have to look down at your controller in order to see where you are located on the map. It also identifies nearby zombies and of course here is where you review your inventory. All the while the game does not stop and so you never know what could be coming around the corner as you fiddle with your inventory. Having to look down at your inventory while maintaining one eye on the TV screen only adds to the tension. I really felt immersed in the experience and even though I was playing the game in a crowded board room I somehow felt very alone and very vulnerable.
Control wise, ZombieU felt really good. Basic combat mechanics will be familiar to everyone with the left trigger used for aiming and right trigger for shooting. The analog sticks allow you to move around. Walk up close to a zombie and the right trigger then becomes your melee button. ZombiU also takes full advantage of the touch screen controls. One tap of a button you can quickly scan a room. One swipe of your backpack and you can check out what kind of items you have in your inventory. When you are looting dead zombies, the inventory automatically pops up and here you can take all the items or just select a few as you only have so much room. The game allows you to select which items you want to keep or discard by a simple select and swipe touchscreen mechanic. Much like my PS Vita the touch screen controls were deadly accurate.
One of the neat little aspects of the game was the ability to use your touch screen controller as a sniper scope. You can aim and zoom using the Wii U gamepad as if you are looking down a rifle scope. It is a pretty neat effect but one I am not so sure will be embraced by the masses as many shooter fans have become accustomed to other quick modes of zooming in and out of your target. Like I mentioned it sure is neat but in the heat of the moment I wanted to kill those zombies quicker.
These zombies do not go down easy either. Shots have to be carefully placed as ammo is sparse and these suckers will not go down with just one shot. These are stubborn zombies who can take some punishment. Searching and exploration is a big part of the game as well as I was collecting all sorts of things in the game.
As I mentioned, after you die in the game, you re-start the game as another survivor and this time you need to go find your old zombie self in order to get back that inventory you worked so hard to build. This was an interesting little twist and one I have yet to see in a zombie game. It was pretty cool tracking down my old zombie self as I made my way past hordes of AI zombies.
Visually, I was impressed but nothing was all that jaw dropping or particularly innovating in the visuals department. This being said, any shortcomings in the visuals department were made up with creepy atmospheric and tense gameplay.
Overall, ZombiU is shaping into one of those tense survival horror games that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end. Taking advantage of the Wii U’s slick little gamepad ZombiU looks to offer up an experience unlike any you have played before. Get ready for the hairs on the back of your neck to stand.
