Yet another zombie defense review.

Why, in 2018 are there still games that are released with the letters ‘HD’ at the end of them? I mean surely the fact that the game has been released in 2018 should denote that the game is in HD. In the case of Yet Another Zombie Defense HD, it is actually a little inaccurate, as there is a 4K mode on the Xbox One X. Not that switching between the two options makes any difference whatsoever.

Yet Another Zombie Defense HD (which shall hereby be known as YAZDHD) is your standard twin-stick shooter affair with a very simple aim. Survive as long as the player can from the rushing zombie hordes. This can be done alone, but if players really plan on staying alive for more than 5 minutes, then they had better buddy up. YAZDHD includes up to 4-player co-op; either online or local (but for some reason, not both). Online, people can invite their friends or they can allow other random players to drop in and out as they please.

Platforms: Xbox One (Reviewed), PC
Price: $5.99
Multiplayer: Yes (Online and co-op)
Price I’d Play: $2.99

During my play there was at most 35 people online, which really doesn’t bode well for the game; although there were plenty of times when my game had a full roster of 4. This is great, but causes a few issues with the game. Anytime an online player drops in or out the game hangs for a few seconds, and unfortunately the effect stacks. This meant there was a few times where my game would freeze for 15 to 20 seconds just because players happened to leave and join within a few seconds. This does not happen at all when playing the game in local co-op, which is probably the best way to play.

There are 3 modes to choose from; Defense, Endless and Deathmatch. Defense involves shooting waves of zombies at night and then building various defenses during the day using money that drops from the dead (or undead) zombies. These defenses range from barricades to landmines and turrets; players can also use the cash to purchase new weapons and ammo. Each wave is more difficult than the last, but the game allows players to upgrade some of their stats every few waves to help; increasing their speed, health regeneration or reloading speed. Endless is a similar mode, but without the defense building part; instead of cash, zombies drop weapons and power-ups, with the aim being to last as long as possible.

Finally, Deathmatch is player vs player, but with the added hassle of having to kill all of the undead that get between the bullets and my friend’s body parts. All of these modes hold some small amount of appeal, but it just gets far too difficult after a certain point. The zombie hordes get too quick and unmanageable, even for 4 players, and things just end up being frustrating.

YAZDHD isn’t an expensive game, so I am not too fussed about the value prospect. It may not look pretty, but it handles well and if it wasn’t for the online bugs and the lack of player base, I would probably recommend this more. But if you regularly have friends over, then this wouldn’t be the worst way to spend some time.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Great when playing local Co-op
  • Three Different modes
  • Simple concept
Bad
  • Buggy
  • Not fun playing solo
  • Very few people online
5
Mediocre
Written by
News Editor/Reviewer, he also lends his distinct British tones to the N4G Radio Podcast. When not at his PC, he can be found either playing something with the word LEGO in it, or TROPICO!!!