The Raging Dead (iPhone)

A new game! Yes! I was intrigued by this when it came out, but was sure it would drop down to 59p in short order. Which it did. So I bought it. And, today, I played it. Which is what you’re meant to do with games you buy, I know, but it doesn’t always work out like that.

Let’s get the big thing out of the way first. Yes, this is another zombie game. But wait! It’s different! For one thing, the zombies are represented by red dots. No broken, drooping jaws, no bones poking out of ruined hands, just dots. That’s because you’re up over the city looking down from far above. I like to imagine that I’m in a zeppelin, possibly with DEATH TO ZOMBIES!!! written on the side in red paint. Yes.

A quiet day in the city... but what are those red dots?

The are blue dots, too. Those are citizens. The aim of the game is to kill all the zombies while saving as many citizens as possible. You can drop bombs (which have a large blast radius, but which damage the city) or fire a machine gun (which in its current non-upgraded state is next to useless for a fat-fingered fool like me, as it fires at the spot on the map directly under your finger tip, which, obviously, you can’t see).

You kill the zombies, try not to cause too much collateral damage and win the level when all the zombies are dead. (Or lose when all humans are dead.) At the end of the level you’re graded on how well you performed and are given some cash to spend in the shop.

Oops. I didn't do too well there.

Does it work? Yes, it does. Sometimes you can complete a level in a couple of seconds by dumping bombs on top of the small number of zombies at the beginning of a level, but far more often you’re in a constant state of panic, throwing bombs around as the number of humans ticks down and the zombie plague spreads block by block to cover the city. It’s one of those games that’s at its best when things are going horribly wrong, but when there’s still a glimmer of hope.

Everything's so expensive. Stupid profiteering arms delears.

I’ve found that it’s a rare case where abstract graphics really do fire the imagination. A shambling, purposeless zombie will suddenly see a human and lunge at them, but a well-placed bomb blows it to pieces inches away from the cowering citizen – and it feels good. Meanwhile, of course, a zombie you hadn’t noticed on the other side of the map has managed to turn about twelve people, all of whom are now ravenously hungry for brains, and you suddenly realise the chap you just saved is the only survivor left.

I finished this level with four survivors. Four!

It’s a panicked, atmospheric little zombie plague simulator. I’ve very much enjoyed with it so far. I’m sure it won’t take too long to get through all the levels, but going back and getting decent ratings is going to be a challenge, for sure. Grab it now while it’s 59p, forgive it for the weediness of the machine gun, and you’ll have a blast.