Caribbean Zombie Review

When you think of the Caribbean, clear blue skies, picturesque sandy beaches and coconut cocktails are probably what spring to mind. Not flesh-eating zombies. But did you know the undead actually have their origin in Caribbean voodoo, and were thought to be reanimated corpses, under the control of the witch who brought them back to life?

Well, evidently PictoSoft brushed up on zombie lore for their latest game! In Caribbean Zombie (Out Now, $0.99 Free) you play as a dashing, cutlass-wielding adventurer who takes on a coven of cackling witches and hordes of zombified pirates in a bid to rescue kidnapped fairies from their clutches. As if that wasn’t enough, PictoSoft also hurl ghosts, ghouls and the occasional gigantic sea monster in there just for good measure. It’s completely and utterly bonkers, but surprisingly gripping and quite a bit of fun nonetheless.

Caribbean Zombie is probably best described as a Fruit Ninja-esque slash ‘em up; the idea here is to blaze through levels, cutting down enemies and projectiles with well-timed swipes of your finger across the touchscreen. In each stage, the challenge is twofold: first, you’ve got to stay alive by fending off monster attacks; second, complete side-missions like racking up a certain number of combo-kills, or avoiding accidentally skewering any innocent humans as you wildly swing your blade.

Caribbean Zombie’s lengthy campaign takes in three worlds, each consisting of 10 levels, including a boss battle against the likes of an over-sized octopus or ferocious dragon. There’s also a trio of uber-challenging “hell” worlds to be unlocked and another whole world that’s currently labelled as ‘Coming Soon’. As you successfully slash your way through levels, you earn gold doubloons which can be spent in the in-game shop, upgrading your sword abilities and buying new items.

As was the case in PictoSoft‘s last game, Shinobi ZIN: Ninja Boy, unlocking all the items and upgrades on offer here requires a fair amount of grinding, unless you splurge on IAPs to speed up the process. Again like Shinobi ZIN, Caribbean Zombie has been poorly translated and story screens are plagued by broken english and spelling errors, which does take the edge off the otherwise impressive presentation and production values.

iFanzine Verdict: It’s not the freshest, most original iOS game I’ve ever played, but Caribbean Zombie still manages to impress thanks to some crazy action and its meaty campaign. Worth having a stab at while it’s free.