Monday, February 14, 2011

Zombie Panic in Wonderland (demo)

So a Spanish developer decided to make a zombie light gun shooter based on an imagined sequel to a Japanese legend, The Wizard of Oz and several Disney princesses in very revealing outfits and put the game on WiiWare. Here's the official description:

A wave of zombies is attacking Wonderland. To save his friends from the spell of the "amorous zombies," the player will have to solve the mystery of the "scented dwarves" - with machine gun in-hand - and put an end to the evil power hidden in the castle in the northern city. Game features include cut scenes, music with lyrics, seven playable characters, hidden levels, final bosses, different weapons, fire, demolitions, explosions and lots of zombies attacking you at all times.


Zombie Panic in Wonderland screenshot


Prior interest: none


With pointer controls, the Wii is an ideal platform for light gun games and by now many of them are rattling around in bargain bins for about the same price as this WiiWare game. I don't particularly need or want a game that seems to trade heavily on sexy anime characters.


Odds of purchase: none


Nothing in the demo really changed my mind about purchasing this game, but I was surprised by a few things. First, the production values are much higher than I'd anticipated. Music, sound, visuals (including completely destructible environments), controls, and even the cut scene to start the level are of the highest quality. Second, the game turns out to be very easy even on the hard difficulty if the demo level is to be trusted. With unlimited ammo, a few very high-powered support weapons, and environment hazards to fend off zombie sumo wrestlers and ninjas, there's no particular feeling of panic. Perhaps the balance shifts in later rounds.


In sum: a quality game that I have no interest in.

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