CGRundertow APOCALYPSE MAX: BETTER DEAD THAN UNDEAD for iPhone Video Game Review

You know, I
could save us all some time and just tell you, “Hey, this is Shank with zombies.”
If you like good games, you’d be like, “Wow, that sounds delightful!” And then you’d
buy it, play it, love it and tell me how persuasive and perspicacious you found our six-word review
of Apocalypse Max to be.
See, it’s not how many words you use.
It’s how many zombies those words slice in half.
Just released to the App Store, Apocalypse Max: Better Dead Than Undead was developed
by the same studio that did the Robokill games, among others...so there were some experienced
hands in the Apocalypse Max pot, and it really shows. This is an incredible-looking iOS game,
both from a technical and artistic standpoint, and the gameplay is just absolutely spot-on.
So obviously, you play as Max...a guy who learned his moves from his Shank and his style
from Resident Evil’s HUNK. Zombies have taken over the world...blah, blah, blah. Obviously,
originality is not exactly this game’s strength. Apocalypse Max is great less because of what
it’s doing than how well it’s doing it...and where.
As is standard, you move Max with two pretend buttons on the touch screen. He can jump and
double jump with another, fire his equipped weapon with a fourth and throw grenades with
a fifth. It hardly sounds promising, given how many iOS games have stumbled with similar
controls...but somehow, Max makes it work.
And the platforming feels just right.
In fact, I only had one minor control problem. Swinging your knife is done with a swipe,
either left or right. Swiping right works fine, but it kinda feels a little awkward
to swipe to the left. It does feel satisfying to slice enemies with your finger, but I do
think swiping in one direction for whichever way Max is facing might’ve been a bit easier.
Actually, achievements would be nice, too. We need the carrot.
What needs no improvement, however, is the game’s appearance. Apocalypse Max looks
killer on the iPhone. The environments are gorgeous, the characters are these awesome
little moving drawings...both the art and execution are really top-notch.
Of course, there are a lot of things about this game that are top-notch...especially
considering the format. Despite their strengths, iOS devices haven’t really been the ideal
platform for platformers. But in Apocalypse Max, it’s not a problem. This is an awesome
game with great art, smooth gameplay and yes...pretend buttons.