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Games : For Fans Only
Ranking:
Release Date: August 25th, 2015 Movie Release Year: 2015

Zombi

Overview -

'ZombiU' was a Wii U launch title in 2012, developed by Ubisoft. While not advertised as such, it could be characterized as a loose remake or spiritual successor of Ubisoft’s very first video game, also called 'Zombi' and released in 1986. The two games share a mechanic wherein the protagonist transforms into a zombified enemy upon their death, to be encountered by the player in the next life. Ubisoft commissioned Australian company Straight Right for a port of 'ZombiU' to consoles and PC, where it is now known as simply 'Zombi'.

OVERALL:
For Fans Only
Rating Breakdown
VIDEO
AUDIO
Tech Specs & Release Details
Release Date:
August 25th, 2015

Video Review

Ranking:

The visuals haven’t changed much from the original iteration. Lighting is frail, black levels are blotchy, and textures are firmly last-gen. The arms of the player look more like glossy wood than skin. Animation bugs are common, such as the strange breakdancing that the zombies tend to perform when knocked prone. The second screen functionality of the Wii U version has been removed, and everything here is on the TV screen . It was a gimmick with the Wii U's gamepad, but kind of a fun gimmick that forced characters to take their eyes off of the screen to manage the inventory. Instead, rummaging through the rucksack means that the game is not paused, and the player is vulnerable to attack. The most noticeable improvement that has been made is in the loading time, which is not perfect but much more reasonable.

Audio Review

Ranking:

'Zombi' might not look the best, but the sound is significantly better. Music is suspenseful and sometimes vexing in intensity, as though it were challenging me to not get scared. The zombies sound more monstrous than their usual depiction in gaming or film.

Final Thoughts

We are firmly entrenched in era of gaming where seemingly every single video game ever is being repackaged, rebooted, remade, or just plain ripped off. 'Zombi' on the Xbox One isn’t a rip-off, but nor did it really call out for a port. It could have been quite content to remain a halfway decent Wii U exclusive forever, but instead we have a flawed zombie game with a few novel mechanics lurking under the surface. It'll be interesting to see if Ubisoft elects to follow up with another 'Zombi' at some point this gen.