Is it our fear of death that feeds our fascination with zombies and the undead? Or is it the amusing splatty sound they make when you hit them with a baseball bat? Clue: It’s definitely the latter one.
In a way, zombie killing is the ultimate in stress-relieving techniques. It is not after all, technically, killing at all as they’re already dead. They invariably want to eat your brain so they pretty much get what they deserve. What’s more you get to use all the power tools in your garden shed that would otherwise just lie there unused so it’s physically beneficial.
In the absence of any real zombies, though, our post-work chillout can still be achieved via SHIELD Android TV and a copy of Burn Zombie Burn, which is now available to download on Google Play for $3.50.
This particular splatterfest comes in the form of a twin stick shooter which, for the uninitiated, is a game in which one stick is used for directional movement and the other for directional firing.
The basic aim here is to survive an increasingly hostile assault of wave after wave of murderous zombies while racking up as huge a points total as possible. Alternatively, thanks to a few other play modes you can indulge in a little freeplay, survive against a time limit or defend the life of your girlfriend Daisy.
None of this is particularly easy to achieve thanks to the sheer numbers of zombies attacking you and their various abilities. At any one time you can find yourself at the business end of an exploding zombie, infected zombies, armored enemies and particularly unpleasant individuals who can fart actual fire. Classy!
The only thing likely to save you is your vast arsenal of weapons. On the firearms side you have a pistol, a shotgun, an Uzi and a Gatling gun. Less conventional is the dance gun which causes the zombie to stop attacking and start dancing. There’s also the Brain gun that you can use to suck up a zombie’s head and fire it into a crowd of other zombies to distract them.
If you want to get a bit more hands on there’s always the trusty baseball bat, a chainsaw, and a cricket bat. Explosives and mines provide some big time fun and you can even lawnmower the critters to death. Then of course there’s the burning. Ah yes, the burning. Set fire to a bunch of zombies and you will increase your points multiplier and receive bonuses more quickly. On the down side, fiery zombies are faster and more deadly than the regular uncooked ones.
Another intriguing feature is the Big Red Button which, when activated, triggers an event unique to each level. So in the woods, for example, it starts raining slowing down on the bad guys. In suburbia the button summons a UFO that abducts zombies.
It’s yet another feature that points to the game’s innovative and lighthearted nature.The cartoony visual style is as quirky and pleasing as the gameplay and looks great on this version which is enhanced specifically for SHIELD Android TV.
