Ultimate Zombie Defense (UZD) is a solo and co-op top-down tower defense / shooter hybrid set during a zombie apocalypse. Players impersonate a member of whatever military force is still present after the infected overran the world, and are tasked to hold out as long as possible against the endless hordes of monsters coming their way.

🟩 The Good Side

• Humanity's Last Stand
  The gameplay of UZD focuses on the deployment of defenses against the increasingly massive hordes converging on the player's position. In this aspect the game works quite well, as the fortification of a given position with increasingly durable defenses, turrets, traps and utility stations proves satisfying. On higher difficulty enemies deal significantly more damage to one's barricades and tools, so smart money management and efficiency become priorities. The balance is overall fair enough, though it could use more cash gain in the first few waves.
  
  
• I trained for this!
  Each of the four available classes can be leveled separately by completing sessions and earning XP in turn. Playing in co-op and focusing each player on a specific task works well as a concept. The diversity of skills allows focusing on a specific category of weapons or buildings: for instance the Engineer has more resistant defenses - while the Specialist has increased effectiveness with Sniper Rifles, or the Medic can deploy a unique healing station. Overall most perks result useful to invest into.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2352579666

🟥 The Bad Side

• Deep as a puddle
  UZD's biggest flaw is ultimately its lack of depth in the overall game mechanics. Other than holing up in the corner or location of choice in each map, there isn't much else to do except killing enemies and building defenses. No random events or drops to encourage exploration, no defense upgrades, no active skills for each class either. The gameplay formula may work on its own, but results plain and without evolution in the long term, both in the single matches and global progression wise. Moreover, there also aren't any new defenses, weapons, maps or anything else to unlock down the road.
  
  
• The great grind
  Each class levels on its own after completing a match with it. Greater difficulty yields more experience, which is however not shared as each player's kill counts for themselves alone. Considering it takes something like 20 levels to acquire enough Skill Points to max out a character, and after the first few level-ups it will take 3-4 runs to wave 10+ on Hard to level - many more as levels increase - ultimately this process becomes a grind. The progression pacing is totally out of line compared to the scope and content of the game itself, as there isn't anything else to go along with it, or any reward.
  
  
• Design oversights
  Nobody would expect flawless AAA quality from a budget Indie like this one - up to a point however. There are some design flaws not depending on budget constraints, such as inability of giving teammates money directly, having to re-make the lobby each time a match is concluded (and re-invite everyone manually), or players inexplicably being able to pass through large solid objects across all maps. The camera angle penalizes any defense that shoots downwards, as view range is worse in that direction. An indicator of what enemies or bosses are coming the next wave is also missing.

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The game doesn't have a real ending or final target, as waves are endless and each match standalone. It took me a little more than 3 hours to unlock all achievements and play at least one or more maps on each difficulty. The total amount of content is what players make of it. For the price of 3,99€, which is fair, I do recommend the game for full price.

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https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2352579722

🎮 Gameplay Analysis
Gameplay is divided into Exploration, Defense Setup, Combat and Character Management.

Exploration
Is performed on foot, across fairly small maps. There is absolutely no point in exploring a map except finding a good location for setting up the defense, the first time one sees that map. For the rest, there is nothing of value or interest to speak of.

Defense Setup
Is performed via a menu that enables selecting what to build, and then place it on the ground following a grid-base positioning system. From cheap but fragile wooden barricades to military-grade walls, turrets and ground traps such as mines, there is a reasonably variety of tools to fend off the zombie hordes. Enemies can damage and destroy defenses, which can however be repaired between one wave and the next, during the preparation time (three minutes). It is rather disappointing being unable to upgrade defenses, which is a common element of such games.

Combat
Plays out in a top-down shooter style, where players can use either character weapons or fixed emplacements (like the minigun turret) to lay waste to the enemy. Some defenses do allow shooting through them, while others don't, testing them is the only way to know for sure. Certain weapons may fire at an angle too low, thus unable to shoot through even low defenses. In general, staying out in the open means certain death past the first few waves, as enemies are usually faster than players and come from all directions. Deployable ammo boxes can refill munitions, however also deplete.

Character Management
Is performed during a match, in the form of selecting weapon upgrades, buying weapons and managing supplies through the Shop, or in the dedicated Skill Menu after a match is completed. In the latter one, players can use earned skill points (one per level-up) to unlock new skills or upgrade existing ones to a better level. There are only passive talents and not any active perks to speak of. The last perk in each tree is usually a sort of "ultimate", very powerful in effects such as the Heavy's "Berserker" allowing him to deal +500% damage when on low health.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2352580294

Specs: RTX 2080Ti, Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB RAM, 970 PRO NVME SSD

• Critical Problems
  None.
  
  
• Performance
  - Average VRAM Usage: 1.4 GB [Low]
  - Average GPU Utilization: 14% [Low]
  - Average RAM Usage: 1.8 GB [Low]
  - Settings Used: Maximum, 1440p 60Hz
  - Overall Optimization Rating: Good
  
  
• Bugs & Other Issues
  - Enemy path-finding can break in some cases.

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Hopefully it's worth the $0.00 that I spent on it.

Got the game for free and it's a straight forward zombie killing game. 3 maps without the DLC and each game lasts from several minutes to hours depending on your skill level.

Most achievements are easy. However there's one achievement that requires you to join a multiplayer game and quickly die while the team survives. I'll suggest you start with this one as the online player base is small. DLC is not required for 100% achievements.

I will eat 1 tablespoon of MAYONNAISE for every like this review gets.

About the game: Honestly very good games and pleasant surprise. I've had it in my library for a while and what a regret not to have played it well before. Very good discovery.

Ultimate Zombie Defence (UZD) is a game that provides an enjoyable tower defence experience for casual players, but lacks some key elements needed to keep others coming back for more, and many of its components do not hold up well to close scrutiny.

🖱UZD supports only keyboard & mouse.🖱

UZD features the basics of a tower defence title including the building of barricades and turrets, while borrowing several elements from popular zombie-themed titles including Killing Floor and Left 4 Dead 2 – namely enemy types, the skill tree and class system, and the overall themes and aesthetic. Players earn money during and at the end of each round – money they can use to purchase and upgrade equipment, build better defences and place useful consumables such as ammo boxes. Said defences include a range of barriers, traps and turrets, which can only be constructed or removed during the downtime between waves.

What the game lacks most, however, is a reason to leave your defended corner. While this makes sense on the smallest of the three maps, the other two are quite large, with more than enough space for optional objectives or other dynamic elements. There could be, for example, money and/or item drops, areas you get a bonus for holding, or similar to spice up the gameplay and add some variety to each match, while also providing players a reason to not use the “best” spot on the map every time. There are four difficulty options available, though they seem to do little other than alter the damage dealt by enemies, and as such do little to change how you play.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2354487473
The tangible aspects of the gameplay – moving and shooting – feel pretty good. Weapons are satisfying to use and relatively easy to aim, though the perspective can make enemies harder to hit at certain angles. With a weapon selection that includes rifles, machine guns, shotguns and more exotic options like a flamethrower, there's something to suit everyone. Unfortunately, enemies' feedback to getting hit is minimal; there's little indication they're actually dead until they hit the floor. The lack of ragdoll physics is a large part of this.

Their reach is also pretty long – much longer than their actual arms – which is irritating considering you'll often be fighting in tight spaces such as your own defensive structure.

Said enemies include basic zombies wielding only their fists and lust for man-meat, as well as several special units including an acid-spitter, a magical, screaming lady, an explosive man and a couple of big ol' bullet-sponge bosses, one of whom makes really dumb noises. The similarity to the games I mentioned earlier is quite apparent – especially with the screamer. Enemy intelligence isn't the best; they seemingly take the straightest line possible to the player rather than pathfinding their way around defences.

Similar to Killing Floor, UZD features several classes, each with its own skill tree, and would seem to have some long term appeal, though these feature only relatively small differences and buffs. While it's nice for a new player to not be eclipsed by a veteran, it just doesn't feel like you're really becoming any stronger as you level up. Different classes have their uses – Medics, for example, are the only class who can place healing devices – but none have access to unique weapons or abilities. This, combined with the relatively large amount of time it takes to raise a class to the max level, means there's little enjoyment to be found in progression.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2354485873
Of the three available maps, two offer different experiences: the first is large and expansive while the second is narrow and focused. The third is much like the first, only less pleasant to look at and play on. Level decoration seems to be good at first glance, but many objects such as barricades, planters and storefronts lack collision, so players can simply walk through solid objects.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

UZD features decent textures, effects and lighting. The graphics aren't beautiful, but there's nothing wrong with them, either.

The game features a Killing Floor-esque metal soundtrack, which is of decent quality, but is rather generic. Likewise, sound effects are decent, but nothing special, barring a voice line of one of the bosses, which is cringe.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2354472068
Using the specs listed above, the game ran at a consistent 60fps on the highest settings, without making much impact on my hardware.

Money sharing:
There is no sophisticated way to share money with your allies – something the game incentivizes by providing bonuses to objects built by certain character classes. As it is, players share money by building and selling defences. This system works fine, but it's a little crude.

Joining games:
Every time a match ends, players are booted back to the main menu, and have to create a new lobby and invite their friends again. Annoying.

The perspective:
When near the bottom of the map, walls and tall buildings can cover the camera, making it impossible to see what's going on. There is no way to rotate the camera, so this limits usable space on the map.

Nothing critical, just minor things such as ambient objects lacking collision boxes.

UZD is a game that's fun for a little while; the sort you pick up and a play for an hour every now and again, but not one that will stick in your memory. My co-op partner and I feel we've seen all the game has to offer after these three hours.

It's a decent game, it just needs more.

If you like long, detailed reviews, check out our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

Mediocre Zombie Defense. Enough to entertain you for 1-2 hours but lacks depth and is very repetitive.

Absolutely not.. The game starts out fun until you realize how ridiculously unbalanced Soupex (one of the bosses that spawns). Every 5-10 rounds one of these dudes spawns. Not only is he already OP; but its the only monster that has knockback. When you kill his form? Oh wait.. Nope he respawns into 3 mini versions of himself that teleport in a Triangle formation.. Meaning? Yeah they respawn inside your base. But wait.. It gets worse. Those 3 spawns once killed, spawn another 3 spawns each. ALL with KNOCKBACK so you physically cant do anything if you get caught in them.

Now sure; 1 of these is fine and you can typically recover from it though they'll destroy most of your base.. However past wave 40 (even on EASY) they decide "lets spawn multiple of them.. wave 50 having 4 and a berserker) making it literally impossible. ALL with KNOCKBACK so you physically cant do anything; it's an instant death.

Devs need some serious adjustments because the way it stand, there's no reason to continue playing past wave 40.

If there was ever a game with a very misleading intro it's this one: you get some great graphics as showcase as well as combat from the first person perspective. Only to see that this is the intro (or trailer) for the upcoming sequel. This original Ultimate Zombie Defense can only be played from a top-down perspective. Early this year it was completely free and to unlock all achievements you do not need the only available DLC called Carnival.

Now, the game wants you to eliminate zombies. 3 levels are available in the base game. Enemy hordes are coming in waves and between them you have some time to purchase defensive items such as fences or turrets or upgrade the weapons your character has. In fact, the protagonist comes from a class you can pick at the beginning.

The 4 different classes mean 4 different skill trees. Depending on how far you have gone during your playthrough you can get a lot of XP and once you are back in the menu you can use your well-earned skill points to make your character stronger. For me this was the only downside in the game - why go back and start a new game to enjoy the benefit instead of applying them on the go? Some have advantages in coop so it is useful anyway when it is the 4 of us playing.

Other than that it is an acceptable zombie slayer game. Every now and then there is a boss round and even the clown appears regardless of the availability of the Carnival map. Does the game look a little bland? Yes. It is perhaps an asset flip? I do not know. It is possible. Can I find this on mobile phones? It is also possible. This may be a port. What I know is that it plays smoothly without any issues and you can have some fun if you team up with your buddies for a couple of weekends.

A simple, but fun zombie shooter. Construct your defenses, upgrade your weapons, and hope for the best.

Easy to 100% in just over an hour. You will need to play 1 multiplayer match for an achievement, but lots of lobbies available.

And at the time of this review, it was 100% off... FREE!

not that bad actually. got it free from Fanatical when they gave it away for a few days.

every wave, zombies and such spawn and you kill them. between waves, you can spend you money to buy new weapons, upgrade your weapons, buy new fortifications, and repair your fortifications.

4 classes, but only 2 are really useful; the engineer and specialist. you also get XP that you can use to upgrade your skill tree.

not to worry, the multiplayer is alive and well. you can either host your own game and wait for ppl to join, or join in on the other player created games. not an issue playing from NA and joining/having other players from EU, Asia, etc.. ping will be high but its a co-op top down shooter so latency isn't a big deal.

overall, its a fun game that is/was worth my time.