Zombie Fish Tank (out now, $0.99) brings a whole new twist on the increasingly popular undead bandwagon of iOS games. It follows a story that you have undoubtedly never heard before — a small fish was torn away from his girlfriend by a mad scientist who made him a zombie, so now he’s out for revenge. Romantic, isn’t it?
The whole game is based on the idea of big fish eating smaller fish. You are mid-sized, so you have to go around eating the smallest fish whilst avoiding the monstrosities that pass by. Some levels mix things up a bit, where the aim is to reach the end of the level. After playing the first few levels, this extra variety is much needed.
There are two control schemes available — tilt and an on-screen joystick. Both options need to be improved to provide greater accuracy, something that is necessary especially in later levels where there are many larger fish to dodge. I ended up using the on-screen joystick as this provided more control than tilting my iPad.
Each level ends once you have eaten enough fish. A small meter in the top-left corner will show you how far you have to go. The end of each level is awesome — your fish goes into ‘rage’ mode and everything turns red as you can eat anything you want with what seems to be super speed. It gives a satisfying end to each level because you’ve spent the whole time trying to avoid fish, and now you can eat anything you want.
Power-ups can be bought in-game using the oil barrels collected during levels. Some barrels give you an instant power-up during the level, such as a magnet that attracts all smaller fish towards you. There are also barrels which can negatively affect you, such as tying you to a heavy anchor that slows your movement or making you even smaller so every fish can eat you. It makes the experience more fun than anything else, so they are a welcome feature. Boss fights come when you complete all three missions for each zone. They vary between pattern-based battles and obstacle courses, adding even more variety to the game.
The game shines when it comes to graphics. Sure, it might not look like the gorgeous Infinity Blade or have intricate details as in Ravensword, but it doesn’t need all that. It’s a zombie fish game. The name alone gives off a cartoony feel and the graphics make it that much more fun. The animations in the background of hidden octopuses and clams add more life to the game. The developers have thought long and hard about Zombie Fish Tank, and they would be glad to know that it definitely shows.
iFanzine Verdict: Zombie Fish Tank is an unusual game that brings a whole new twist to the zombie trend of iOS games. Although the controls aren’t the best and may need refining, the gameplay, variety, and especially the graphics, all make up for it. I would definitely recommend taking a look at it.