Even with a market flooded with zombie movies, films, tv and video games, the genre doesn’t ever get old for those who love all things zombie. World War Z is the newest addition to zombie games--based loosely on the movie and novel; Players witness small bands of survivors trying to escape the never-ending zombie infection. Is World War Z the game fans of the medium want or does it fail like numerous zombie games before it? Our review done is about to answer that question in our full review! Keep on reading to see our thoughts and what we thought about this long-awaited zombie shooter!

World War Z is a co-op third person shooter allowing players to join together in groups of 4 or by themselves and fight off hundreds of zombies. Players will choose between 4 different locations--USA to Japan--and take control of various survivors who must battle through the undead army. Akin to games like Left 4 Dead, each “episode” is split into several parts where the survivors will need to make their way through the various areas taking down zombies and accomplishing tasks to help other survivors. Zombies in World War Z though aren’t the slow-moving type though as players will quickly notice the beasts fly at you with veracity. Take down armies of zombies as they come at you by the hundreds to survive the new war that has spread across the globe.

World War Z takes place during an infection that has left the populous of the world in shambles. Those who have been infected have died and returned as flesh craving beasts who know nothing but the thrill of eating those who still live. Humanity has refused to stop the struggle for survival though and in numerous locations across the world such as Jerusalem, USA, Japan and Moscow bands of non-infected rise against the undead apocalypse. Can those not yet turned survive the undead army and win this World War Z? Journey alongside them to find out!

Back when Valve still made games, one of their more famous short-lived series--besides Half-Life--was Left 4 Dead. Filled with zombie killing goodness, Left 4 Dead was beloved by fans of FPS co-op shooters. However, once Steam was crafted by Valve, the developer switched gears and Left 4 Dead was left...for dead. Many developers have tried to recreate Left 4 Dead, but most tend to falter or come out as mindless clones. Developer Saber Interactive has decided to throw their hat into the ring with World War Z a novel turned movie and now is a game. Does World War Z even hold a candle to Left 4 Dead with its 4-player co-op set up? Time to find out as we shamble into our review of World War Z for the PS4!

World War Z will be instantly familiar to fans of Left 4 Dead and while you’ll hear us compare them so often. Players assume the role of random survivors--which differ based on location chosen--who must survive the zombie outbreak whatever way they can. Like Left 4 Dead, you and up to 3 other players--or AI--will choose a map to engage on based off real world locations such as Jerusalem, New York, Japan and Moscow. Each of these locations are split into several sections where you usually fight through tons of zombies using a variety of weapons you’ll pick up as you go ranging from shotguns, machine guns, SMGs and even crossbows. You’ll need these weapons as the undead horror you’re about to face is unlike any zombie game and even more intense then what is seen by Left 4 Dead.

The zombies in World War Z are akin to the movie adaptation in the sense that they run full speed, climb over objects and even climb on top of each other to take you down. There is something always scary--and awesome--about seeing a zombie pyramid being formed in front of you or seeing hundreds of zombies on screen falling off buildings with no regards to their own life...or what was once life. World War Z keeps players constantly needing to grab ammo and play smart as zombies will often overrun you if you decide to waste bullets on every zombie you see. It will take teamwork to survive and even if you play alone--meaning you’re relying on the AI--you’ll find teamwork comes pretty easily.

An element we did notice ripped straight from Left 4 Dead is the several zombie variants that can break apart any defense. These zombies come in the form of screamers who attract zombies as long as their alive, bulls who charge you wearing full SWAT armor, creepers who hide in wait to ambush you and hazmat suit wearing zombies who unleash poison gas upon death. While that coupled with the fact that you’ll find a lot of the gameplay themes relying on the well formatted Left 4 Dead set up, you’d almost feel like World War Z is a brainless clone of Left 4 Dead. Yet, it’s a clone that has just enough differing elements to be both fun and also not just a copy paste job at the end of the day.

If we had any complaints about World War Z it would be in two fronts. Graphically, World War Z looks a bit dated. While we forgive this due to the lowered price of the game--World War Z only costs $40 dollars--it’s noticeable sometimes when hundreds of the same zombie models bum rush you or you look at a piece of environment that looks a bit weak. We also noticed that World War Z has some weird glitches that, while not game breaking, can be a bit annoying. There were some missions where we needed to guard a fence and zombies legit just ran through the fence as if it wasn’t there. Other times, zombies would suddenly spawn in the dozens in a small room that looked barren with no windows or doors but suddenly was packed with undead baddies. These issues are minor though as World War Z still looks pretty solid and runs usually quite well.

We do want to end our review on one last good note though. World War Z has one element that makes it quite repayable and that’s due to its class system. Players can choose between several classes that each give starting weapons to the player as well as abilities. These abilities can truly give each player their own individualized feeling versus Left 4 Dead’s reliance on just using different characters all armed with the same talents and guns. We can see ourselves investing dozens of hours to unlock new skills and thus unlock new weapons as well as gun variants for even more tools of destruction!

World War Z does a lot right. While many might compare it constantly to Left 4 Dead due to its episodic format and 4 player co-op focus, we honestly think that’s a comparison you’d want to hear as a developer. World War Z is constantly fun and ever changing due to its excellent use of mass zombie hordes and numerous unlocks for the several classes you can choose from. While graphically World War Z isn’t the best-looking zombie game and suffers from small glitches here and there, World War Z succeeds by delivering one of the best co-op experiences--zombie wise--we’ve seen since Left 4 Dead. At $40, you’re getting a large amount of repayable content that rarely feels repetitive and that means you’re getting quite an experience for a game that could have been full price. Don’t sleep on World War Z folks. Even with Days Gone soon approaching, World War Z is a game aimed at giving friends that Left 4 Dead experience with some nice newer elements to keep it from being a mindless clone.

World War Z might have its small failings here and there, but as it is, this is the closest title to a new Left 4 Dead we have craved for ages. The sheer number of locations to fight through, weapons to use, abilities to gain and zombies to kill keeps World War Z fun and thrilling even dozens of hours later. We hope that World War Z will get new maps to play on in the future as we think Saber Interactive can truly find some success in keeping this awesome title alive. Whether you’re playing alone or with a band of friends/strangers, World War Z is a game we easily recommend for those who need a new Left 4 Dead but know that we probably won’t be getting one. Are you playing World War Z right now or thinking of buying it soon? Let us know as we love hearing from our readers out there! For even more game reviews and articles, be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!