Apocalypse Max is at first blush another lifeless member in the crowd of zombie games on iOS. Once again, a one man army is set to save or survive a world overrun with undead. In the first stage, the guns (from pistol to grenade launcher) and the zombies (some trudge, some run, others toss knives) are all too familiar. What distinguishes Apocalypse Max is a degree of polish uncommon on the iOS App Store.
Apocalypse Max (iOS) review - One man, hundreds of zombies, unlimited bullets
The latest attempt at Metal Slug-style 2D action-platforming on iOS works surprisingly well.
The platforming controls work, practically a miracle on a touch screen. You move Max left and right by pressing arrows on the left side of the screen. You switch weapons, toss grenades, and jump with virtual buttons on the right. And you use a lethal dagger slice by swiping a finger in the direction of an enemy. The jumping, running, and killing are nearly as precise as they’d be on a traditional controller.
Everything else — aiming at zombies, reloading weapons, and using health packs — is taken care of by the game’s artificial intelligence, allowing the player to focus on navigating from one end of a stage to the other, slaughtering everything that gets in his way.
The game is more akin to that console game than its mobile competitors. The appendage-less Rayman still skitters across a world covered in moss and sunshine, collecting fireflies and swinging from vines, dodging spikes and stomping on baddies, ultimately reaching a stage's finish line.
In both games, the goal is to get from point A to point B, with unlockable stages doled out for collecting all the items that pock the colorful settings.
What differentiates the two is how you get from point A to point B. The mobile game has surgically removed the console controls without affecting any vital organs. Like the console platformer, the app is still loaded with charming hand drawn art and a make-you-whistle soundtrack. Alongside one another, the difference between mobile and console is microscopic. Rayman Jungle Run is just easier to play.
Conclusion
Wandake Game Studios reminds us why we love killing the undead.
The art design is a step above the competition, calling to mind the Shank series on consoles, while the sound is a throwback to the Vincent Price Saturday night horror flicks of 50s. No one aspect of the game feels like a weak link.
As Apocalypse Max progresses, the zombies begin to come in bizarre shapes and sizes like zombie fish, zombie vultures, and zombie headcrabs. For a fast-paced run-and-gun shooter, Apocalypse Max is slow to reveal its best ideas.
With the zombie shooter, Wandake Game Studios reminds us why we love killing the undead, by doing what everyone else has done. Just better.
score: 7 out of 10
Publisher: Sourcebit - Developer: Wandake Game Studios - Release Date: Sept. 14th, 2012 - Price: $2.99 - Platforms: iPhone, iPad
Reviewed on an iPad. A note on Polygon's mobile reviews can be found here.
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