Affliction: Zombie Rising Review

Affliction: Zombie Rising only works because of its gimmick. That may sound like a backhanded compliment but many scary pieces of entertainment from horror movies to haunted houses are based on gimmicks. Affliction: Zombie Rising is just using new technology to uphold old, frightening traditions.

The core concept isn’t anything revolutionary. Zombies lumber towards the player in waves and the player has to shoot them down and survive for as long as they can. Headshots are essential and lasting through more rounds unlocks new, stronger types of guns. What really makes the game interesting, though, is its pairing of first-person shooting with motion controls. Zombies surround the player and to take them all out in time, players will have to physically move their device around them to line up the shot. Fortunately, the controls are incredibly smooth and precise, making for a surprisingly engrossing experience. Of course, there is also the option to play with an onscreen joystick but in addition to making the game less fun and immersive, it actually makes it a little too easy, ironically enough.

Adding to the immersion is the thick, haunting atmosphere created by the game’s visuals and sound effects. The player’s line of sight is the only thing illuminating the otherwise pitch black room and rounds fluctuate between tense silence and nightmarish zombie moaning. Look past the tricks and one may see that the action only takes place in one mildly boring location, that there is only one zombie model, and that overall the game is pretty repetitive. Still, the presentation successfully instills an impressive amount of dread in the player. Combine that with the solid control scheme and players may find themselves more drawn to the game than they might have expected.

The one downside to Affliction: Zombie Rising’s motion control is that playing the game on the go is a little troublesome due to the constant movement. However, it’s a small price to pay for a survival horror game that uses its platform to scare in a gimmicky yet fun way

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