Displaying items by tag: Deadlight

I love zombies.  Can’t really say why, but I love them.  So when I heard that there was a new XBOx LIve Arcade zombie game coming out, I jumped at the chance to play it.  WIth a name like Deadlight and a storyline that takes place in 1986 in Seattle after the decimation of society following the outbreak of a virus that reanimates the dead I was foaming at my mouth, but then I realised it was a side scrolling platform game.  Ah crap.  I had been hoping for a zombie version of I Am Alive.

Oh well, it’s still a zombie game so it’s still worth a look.

Oh yes, it certainly is.

Deadlight is like a cross between I Am Alive and Limbo, but with zombies added.  But as a side scrolling action puzzle solver, it’s also drop dead gorgeous and addictive (and frustrating) as hell.  The art direction is something to behold and elevates the game from just another side scroller to something that has a rare depth to it, and almost makes you forget you’re running along a two dimensional path.

As far as zombie games go, it’s firmly rooted in a kind of reality rarely seen in zombie games – that is that it’s better to avoid them than try and fight them.  Sure you can kill them, but with limited stamina and weaponry, you might be able to kill one or tow, but if a couple of them grab you, you’re a goner.

The storyline is driven by your desire to get back to your family/find out where they’ve been taken.  The game is a mixture of running and jumping, exploration, puzzle solving and run for you life madness.  The pace is varied and from time to time, the actions required are maddeningly tight that from time to time you’ll be wondering how you proceed because jumping that gap just SEEMS impossible.

Zombies however are not the only enemy, you’ll be stripped of all your weapons and forced through a life or death underground obstacle course to prove your worth at one stage, and chased by a helicopter gun-ship from time to time.  You’ll never quite know what to expect next, and this keeps you on your toes, your adrenaline pumping.

Simple, beautify and addictive, Deadlight is quite possibly the best Arcade game this year.