The Bowling Dead Review
- Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.
- Genre: Entertainment
- Released: 29 Nov, 2012
- Size: 129.4 MB
- Price: FREE!
PROS
- Perfect blend of arcade sensibilities; easy to pick up, but challenging to master.
- Fun power-up combinations.
- Voiced interludes add a feeling of progression; silly though it may be, this does count for a lot.
CONS
- Progression considerably outpaces the gold you earn; hands you the ultimatum of replay and grind or cough up the cash.
- Quirky controls occasionally fail to register the flicks you input.
VERDICT
Sure it's zombies, but you'll forgive me for letting that point slide when the gameplay has such an incredible zen-like approach - swing away at the undead, or let them dance the night away; either way you get the last laugh.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
[This title is featured as the Mini-Review for the Friday News Wrap-Up for the 30th of November, 2012]
It's a thin premise, but The Bowling Dead by Slant Six Games and Activision places you in the unusual position of a zombie apocalypse survivor who discovers a bowling ball that seems to be the only thing that can stop them.
Obviously the first part isn't new, but the second part results in a strangely addictive title. It's a sort of mash up between Full Fat's Zombie Flick and a basic arcade Ski-ball simulator.
Players are assaulted from multiple directions by various zombies of differing shape, size and speed, and with the flick of a finger you can send a powered up bowling ball (in basic or souped-up power-up versions) in order to crush them. If one should reach you then you'll need to beat them off with a fist, knife, or anything else you have equipped. Fail too many times and it's game over - no gold earned.
Being a free title the currency is doled out sparsely, though not sparsely enough to make things unbearable. New items and abilities are unlocked regularly, giving you something to work towards to increase your zombie-killing potential.
For a game with no initial investment, The Bowling Dead makes for a fun, tongue-in-cheek distraction, partly thanks to its gameplay and partly thanks to its dedication to its thin premise via voice-acted interludes.
A polished pick for those who don't like to part with money easily.
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