Zombie Gunship
| Zombie Gunship | |
|---|---|
 Zombie Gunship app icon. | |
| Developer(s) | Limbic Software |
| Publisher(s) | Limbic Software |
| Platform(s) | iOS, Android |
| Release | July 21, 2011 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade Action FPS |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Zombie Gunship™ is a first-person shooter mobile game with a 3D thermal imaging display, where the player is a gunner who fires at zombies from a heavily armed AC-130 ground attack aircraft circling various user-selected maps. The mobile game was developed by Limbic Software and released July 21, 2011 for Apple’s iOS, September 19, 2013 for Android on the Google Play Store, and October 8, 2013 on Amazon.
Gameplay
The objective in Zombie Gunship is to use the AC-130's weapons systems to manually target and kill increasing waves of zombies, who are attacking humans running above-ground to the safety of a bunker. The zombies too are moving toward the bunker to overrun it. To kill zombies and protect the humans, Zombie Gunship makes available three upgradable weapons: a 25mm Gatling gun, a 40mm Bofors auto-cannon, and a 105mm Howitzer cannon. Depending on the weapon, upgrading increases firing rate, speed to target, cooling rate, and damage radius.
The player can complete objectives, earn military ranks, and collect coins for killing zombies and saving humans. Coins can be used for Weapon Upgrades, Extra Upgrades, or bypassing objectives. An individual game ends when the bunker door is sealed to prevent a zombie breaching the bunker, or when the player has killed a maximum number of humans. A hundred coins are earned per human saved and 20 coins per zombie killed plus 2 coins per zombie bounty upgrade. There is no coin penalty for human casualties.
During game play the player can toggle night vision between white and black hot modes. In BHOT mode zombies are white, humans black. In WHOT colors are reversed.
Every 75 humans rescued automatically activates H.S.A.S (Human Sequestration Advisory System), a bonus game mode where there are no humans and the player can accumulate significantly more coins because there are no humans the player must avoid when shooting at zombies.
The iOS version of "Zombie Gunship" includes Apple’s AirPlay support which allows the game to be played on a television connected to an Apple TV.
Enemies
There are two types of enemies, the walking zombie and the large, roaring zombie, both that will attempt to enter the safe bunker. Both zombies will attack and kill humans, and the big zombies appear after a certain number of zombies have been slain. The walking zombies take less damage and can be killed in one shot, whereas the big zombies require multiple shots to kill (the most effective being shots from a combination of weapons, or long firing of the Gatling gun). Killing the big zombies and normal zombies reward 20 coins per kill plus 2 coins per zombie bounty upgrade.
Maps
Four maps currently exist, each with one safe bunker. Bunker Charlie 1 is a simple terrain containing hills, Bakersfield is an industrial power station with a train running through it every few minutes, and Pleasant Acres is a housing tract. A new map is added into the game, named The Lockdown. It is a large prison-like compound with one open gate and a blown off-sloping wall rubble in its side. There are huge walls surrounding the compound, namely 2 walls, in which there is an outer wall and an inner wall.
Reception
Zombie Gunship received generally positive reviews. In July 2011, IGN Editor’s Choice rated the game a 9/10, claiming it as “a very tough game to put down.”[1] In August 2011, Macworld App Gem rated the game a 4.5/5 describing that “All of these elements—the strategy, the graphics and sound, and yes, the undeniable thrill of sending the undead back to the grave they crawled out of—make for a compelling iOS game.”[2] Zombie Gunship also came in first place for the 2011 Best App Ever Awards for Best Simulation and Best Action Game, and again placed first in the 2012 Best App Ever Awards for Best Action Game and placed second in Best Simulation Game.[3][4][5][6] At the time of launch for Android in September 2013, Android Central declared "Zombie Gunship" to be "a ton of fun",[7] MythBusters Jaime & Adam's site Tested.com praised that the game "takes a different route to realism, and it works well",[8] and Droid Life insisted that "If you have spent anytime playing Call of Duty, and love getting into the seat of an AC-130, then you will feel right at home with this game."[9]
References
- ^ "Zombie Gunship Review: Kill Zombies. Earn Coins. Kill More Zombies". IGN Entertainment. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Zombie Gunship for iPhone and iPad". Macworld. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Winners for 2011 in Best Simulation Game". BestAppEver.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Winners for 2011 in Best Action Game". BestAppEver.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
- ^ "Winners for 2012 in Best Action Game". BestAppEver.com. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- ^ "Winners for 2012 in Best Simulation Game". BestAppEver.com. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- ^ "Zombie Gunship lays down covering fire on Google Play". androidcentral.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ "Google Play App Roundup". tested.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
- ^ "Zombie Gunship Blasts Onto Android, A Gunner's Dream Game". droid-life.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.