We all Scream For ice-cream!
Zombies are probably best known for their penchant for human flesh and delicious, gooey brains, but apparently they’ve also got a bit of sweet tooth. As little Timmy soon finds out when he lands a summer job at the busiest zombie ice cream parlor in town!.
With Zombies Ala Mode (out now, $0.99), Elevate Entertainment and Crawlspace games (creators of Knife Toss), serve up a strange, but fun, blend of adorable, Plants vs Zombies inspired undead characters and exciting accelerometer powered action, all topped off with an endearing cartoony style.
Primed for pick-up-and-playability, the game’s based around an easily grasped mechanic – cast as an uncharacteristically nimble zombie, your job is to catch scoops of ice cream as they fall down the screen and hand out tasty cones to hungry customers as quickly as possible. Likewise, Zombie Ala Mode’s controls are delightfully intuitive; basically all you’ve got to do is tilt your device in order to move your character from side to side (as I say, he’s rather quick on his feet as zombies go) and tap the screen to deliver an ice cream.
The average level consists of catching scoops in the correct order and desperately trying to keep all the customers sweet by serving them as fast as you can. It probably goes without saying that as you progress things get considerably more fast-paced, while you also have to worry about dodging projectiles that disgruntled customers lob at you and deal with cones that can hold more and more scoops.
Another cool feature is that cash you earn during levels can be splashed on on a range of funny power-ups, such as an umbrella hat that deflects thrown objects and items that’ll aid you in earning more tips (cologne, breath mints etc). Notably, this levelling up system gives the game a tangible sense of progression that so many other casual titles lack.
Career mode spans 50 frantic, fun-filled levels, while Elevate also include a number of mini-games (Survival and Bug Attack) for good measure. Overall, Zombie Ala Mode looks great and plays well, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised to find it also offers a far deeper and more long-lasting gameplay experience than its simplistic premise might at first suggest. Recommended.
iFanzine Verdict: Plants vs. Zombies meets Scoops sums up this madcap mix of cartoon zombies and fast-paced, tilt-powered fun pretty well. The cutesy visuals charm, while the addictive career mode and a generous dollop of extras will keep you coming back for more. All in all, this is one sweet concoction!.
[xrr rating=3.5/5]