Paw Print Games is channeling Streets of Rage for their high-impact VR brawler!

So, we will have a mini-review very soon for Bloody Zombies, but I had to do a quick blog post on this game, because I'm so impressed with what Paw Print Games and nDreams have delivered. If you've ever been a fan of the Streets of Rage series by Sega, or the Final Fight series by Capcom, then you're in luck. Bloody Zombies at a mere $15 provides some extremely polished beat-em-up action for all 3 of the major VR platforms.

When I first hopped into the game, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. First of all, I wasn't too sure that I wanted to play this type of game in VR. I'm a big fan of both Streets of Rage and Final Fight from back in the early 90's, but I wasn't sure if this was the type of game that would translate well to VR. Some headset owners I know actively avoid any 3rd person perspective games, because they don't think it takes much advantage of Virtual Reality. They want to be completely immersed in the game. They want to feel like they themselves are holding the gun or the sword. However, I've seen it proven repeatedly, that 3rd person gaming can be incredibly powerful as well. Lucky's Tale on the Oculus Rift and Bound for PlayStation VR are two prime examples. Gamers that refuse to touch anything that isn't first person-total immersion, might be throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

In Bloody Zombies, you're given a front row view of the action, as you watch your character attempt to navigate the incredibly dangerous streets of London. A zombie apocalypse has recently wiped out most of the population, and your only hope is to collect 5 keycards scattered around the ruins of this once great city. You must battle various zombie thugs and hooligans, as well as the occasional mid-boss, and eventually the more powerful end level monstrosities. The visual aesthetic is very well done with a cardboard cutout style for your character and the enemies. The best way to think of it, is that you're peering into a diorama with little cartoon characters moving around in front of you. You can move towards the background of the scene, or into the foreground, to get a closer and more personal view of the action. You have the ability to walk, run, and use a wide assortment of kicks, punches, and super powered attacks.

One thing that really jumps out at me, regarding this overall experience, is just how polished and fully featured everything is. Bloody Zombies isn't just a VR game. You can play the full game in VR, but it works perfectly fine for normal monitor play as well. In fact, you can play co-op and mix and match with a buddy on the monitor. I think the fact that this game is also being sold to a non-VR crowd, means that they needed to have all the polish and spit-shine that is normally associated with more mainstream gaming fare. Whatever the case, as a VR gamer primarily, Bloody Zombies is a sight for sore eyes. It's a refreshing change of pace to have a high-quality background score, well done sound effects, proper voice work, etc, etc. So many VR only games just have the absolute bare essentials, without much of the polish.

So, is Bloody Zombies the right game for you? Well, the only caveat that I can really bring up, is that like all beat-em-ups, the action can get a bit tiring and monotonous.

Some of the levels of this game seem to extend for very long periods of time. It really boils down to whether or not you were ever a fan of Streets of Rage type games. If you've never been a fan, then there probably isn't anything about Bloody Zombies that will change your mind. However, if you've been playing quite a few 3rd person VR games, and have been really enjoying the experience, well Bloody Zombies sure has a lot to offer in that regard.