World War Z Aftermath Review

[Michael {United Critics}]

🎮Gameplay	8.5	Slay huge zombie hordes in famous cities of the world!
📷Graphics	9.5	Great optimization and realistic environment.
🎧Narration/Audio	7	Pretty much gunshots and random dialogues.
😮Variety	6.5	Lacks variety in the gameplay, but has other elements that make up for it.
🎰Re-playability	7	Requires a lot of grinding.
💲Price	4.5	Wait for a sale.

📃 About the Game:

🔶 World War Z: Aftermath is an enhanced iteration of the earlier game, World War Z, which is presently unavailable on the Steam store. The updated version boasts fresh levels, perks, and several other quality of life enhancements for the game. Notably, it was introduced as a separate game and not as an update to its predecessor. So, I’ll not be comparing it with the original title in this review and write this review based on how it stands as a standalone title.

🎮Gameplay Mechanics:

🔷 Zombie-based shooting games have been around for a quite a while at this point. Nevertheless, such games continue to reignite my appetite for annihilating zombie brains. This game is not particularly groundbreaking when compared to its competitors, but it offers a satisfying experience nonetheless. Unlike its competitors such as Back 4 Blood, which feature frequent boss battles, WWZ emphasizes horde-style gameplay. With the press of a button, a swarm of thousands of zombies hungry for your flesh can be summoned. Although it lacks variety, the game does contain many zombie types to maintain a level of diversity.

🔶 The gameplay in WWZ: Aftermath is rather straightforward - select a class, personalize your weapons, and plunge into the zombie-infested terrain. Your objective is to follow the mission, which mostly involves reaching specific locations, safeguarding individuals, activating switches, or scouring areas for particular objects. Ammunition boxes and weapons are distributed throughout the terrain, ensuring that you are never left short of ammo. As I previously mentioned, WWZ is not a game with a lot of variations in the gameplay. For instance, if we take B4B as an example, each level features different types of zombies and gameplay variations. WWZ's gameplay remains constant throughout each level. Nonetheless, it still remains consistently engaging due to its refined combat system and diverse settings in which the levels take place.

⚔️ Combat, Class types and Weaponry:

🔷 WWZ, much like numerous other first-person shooter games, adopts a class-based system to cater to players who prefer a specific role. In the beginning of each level, you may select from 8 distinct class types. By simply playing the game, you can advance each class and unlock varying upgrades. These upgrades can be purchased via in-game credits, which can be earned by simply completing campaign levels. Having multiple classes is an effective approach to encourage diverse playstyles, but it also has its shortcomings. After unlocking upgrades for one class, many players may be hesitant to switch to a new class merely to unlock everything. You’ll have to grind a lot to be able to purchase the best weapons and unlock upgrades for each class. However, it's worth experimenting with different classes, as they significantly influence the gameplay experience!

🔶 Moving on to the gunplay, the game's weapon variations are a major plus point. A vast array of weapons and items are at your disposal to obliterate the zombies. While each weapon has unique characteristics such as firing rate, accuracy, and handling, it's immensely satisfying to wield each one. Regarding weapon customization, the game does not offer players the option to manually attach items to weapons. Players can level up weapons by merely using them in the game, and buy better versions using in-game currency, similar to the Class upgrades. However, this approach necessitates a lot of grinding, which may not appeal to all players. Nevertheless, the game provides an impressive selection of weapons to suit different playstyles, including a range of melee weapons for those who enjoy hacking zombies to bits with sharp metal.

📽️ Level Design & Storylines:

🔷 Only after playing Back 4 Blood, I realized the importance of variations in the setting. While the main objective remains constant in zombie shooters - annihilating the undead - the setting can play a crucial role in retaining player engagement. In World War Z, there are 7 campaigns set in iconic cities from around the world, such as Tokyo, New York, and Moscow, that showcase the outbreak of the zombie menace. Although the game does not delve into the details of how the invasion began, each location has a distinct plot. It's more like a scenario where survivors are trapped in a location, and players must save them or play as the survivors themselves. I mostly ignored the storylines, but the Kamchatka and the Rome levels were truly great to play.

🔶 An additional noteworthy feature of WWZ is the capability to toggle between third-person and first-person viewpoints. Changing the perspective will make you feel that you are playing a whole new game. I truly enjoyed playing it on first person perspective, as it’s just more convenient for a shooter game in my opinion.

💠 Multiplayer & Co-op:

🔷 WWZ is meant to be played in co-op with friends by default. The game was designed to be played cooperatively, and as a result, playing with other players is strongly recommended. Unfortunately, in some regions, the online servers may be inactive, which can be a major issue. While it is possible to play the game alone with AI, it may not be a satisfying experience. Apart from the cooperative mode, there are other modes available in the game, such as Swarm Domination, but I’ll not be covering those as the player base for the multiplayer modes is limited.

🔶 Horde mode is another co-op mode that is worth a try if you have finished the base campaigns. In this mode, players are tasked with surviving against large hordes of zombies for as long as they can. Given that the game is centered around hordes, it is very satisfying to annihilate these massive waves of undead!

📷Graphics:

🔷 WWZ is the clear winner if you compare it to any other zombie shooter in terms of visuals. The game's graphics are highly realistic, boasting detailed environments and impeccable lighting. The developers have masterfully recreated several cities that serve as the game's backdrop, such as Moscow and Rome. Each location has its own unique look and feel. On top of that, the optimization is also pretty good as I was getting high FPS without any stutters!

📝Main Pros and Cons:

Pros-

• Satisfying gunplay.
  
• Levels set in distinct places.
  
• Looks very realistic.
  
• Co-op and Horde mode available.
  
• Grinding available.
  
• Class system and weapon customizations.

Cons-

• Multiplayer player base is very small.
  
• DLCs are cash grabs.
  
• Solo experience is quite frustrating as the friendly AI is very bad.

✉️Miscellaneous Information:

Weapon DLCs – I have no idea why games even have DLCs for in-game weaponry. DLCs are meant to provide extra gameplay content such as new levels, however, weapon DLCs are just cash grabs. The game has a total of 3 weapon DLCs, so please avoid buying them at any cost.

😇Honest Rating:

🔶 World War Z is a commendable shooter with excellent gameplay mechanics and impressive graphics. It's an ideal choice for those who enjoy playing zombie shooters, although it does require a considerable amount of grinding. It's best played with friends, as the solo experience can be quite disappointing. Moreover, considering the amount of content provided, the base price seems a bit steep, so it's advisable to wait for a sale before purchasing.

Rating: 8/10

Reviewer: Sha
I hate the rats.