Alive 4 Ever Review

Zombie movies and even zombie video games are all the craze and with the recent release of another HIT zombie movie and one of my favorite movies of the year “Zombieland” just proves that the genre is alive and well and is always a fan favorite no matter what the medium or platform.

So game app Alive 4 Ever has a whole lot it needs to live up to if it is going to win you over to purchase it right? Of course, so here is my review on how my favorite genre of entertainment played out in the form of an iPhone game.

The Game

Alive 4-ever is a top-down shooter, with some RPG style elements thrown in. You can choose from several different characters, each with slightly different skills. You earn money and experience points, and customize your gear and weaponry as you progress through the game. Bottom line is zombies are everywhere and if you want to stay alive pull the trigger.

Controls

The control scheme is fluid with the use of dual joy-stick controls, one for moving around and the other for blasting away at the undead. Use your sight to line up head shots, which of course kills the zombies faster and saves you a bit of ammo. I found that the controls are responsive and easy to use. Again only complaint is that the thumbs sometimes block your view of enemies so best fix i could come up with is try my best to use only the edges of my thumb and keep as much of my hands off the screen, which is more common sense than a tip but doing this also backfired once in a while for responsiveness or just dropping the darn iPhone.

Gameplay

The gameplay is solid and definitely keeps your attention with all the pretty gore and blood. The boss battles are very fun and challenging, and the top down scroller although not my favorite is executed very well in this game and in no way dampened my experience. Bored of solo play? Well you can play with up to four players via Bluetooth or Wi-fi multi-player modes.

Graphics

The graphics are superb and very clean, and surprisingly detailed for a top down scroller. There are a variety of zombie types from your weak generic ghoul to your fast moving zombies to your slow hugely fat and obese zombies and your very agile zombie dogs. All which keep you on your toes – not to mention a vast selection of bosses to kill.

Sound

The sound effects for Alive 4 Ever are eerie and perfectly fitting for the game setting. Not an award winning score but still appropriate for the game. Weapons and explosion sounds are done in fine taste and all around nothing that makes sound is lacking at all.

Verdict

With thirty levels, each with an objective that must be completed to clear it, and an optional challenge that earns you extra points if your able to complete it. Alive 4-ever will provide you plenty of zombie filled gameplay and and gory fun. So for me Alive 4 Ever did the genre justice and gets my seal of approval and I definitely recommend it for all you iPhone and iPod Touch gamers out there, and it is available now in the app store for only $2.99

Gameplay: 3.8/5
Controls: 4/5
Graphics: 3.5/5
Sound: 3/5
Overall: 3.8/5

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-Steve