Zombie Army 4: Dead Wars Review – The Best Co-op Zombie Shooter in Years

From start to finish Zombie Army 4: Dead War is the first game in the series we have completed…twice! First in the single-player mode and then in the must-play cooperative mode. Why multiple playthroughs you ask, well, let’s just say that with so many empowering features being thrown at the player, Zombie Army 4: Dead War is one of the best Zombie killing action games we have played in quite a while.

For you shooter fans who love to shoot zombies, you are in for a treat, as Zombie Army 4 throws the entire kitchen sink at you with a manageable pacing system. Zombie Army 4 allows players to have just enough breathing room to survive most situations however, this, of course, depends on the chosen difficulty setting. Having experimented with them all, you’re in for a good time regardless.

For most of the ride, do not expect this myriad of a zombie showcase to leave you running for dear life, the likes of ‘Days Gone’. Yet, don’t expect to get too comfortable either, as developer Rebellion mixes their zombie bag of tricks with a variety of undead ghouls keeping players on their toes.

Initially, players will find serviceable and engaging standoffs with zombies making their way towards you, similar to an encounter found on ‘The Walking Dead’. In this way, players can get comfortable with their weapons of choice. At the same time, while your aim may be true and satisfying for those intoxicating and explosive headshots, the sheer numbers associated with the zombie horde have a way of creeping ever so close to you. Being glued to your rifle scope for too long does not always pay off. Before you know it those unassuming flesh-eaters are right upon you. At this point, players must act quickly as a zombie can make their way all around you.

As mentioned before, Zombie Army 4 aims to keep your attention with a healthy dose of zombie variety. Assisting in this effort developer Rebellion seems to have taken great pride in balancing each of the games B-movie themed missions alongside dynamically detailed environments, complimentary weapon caches, and brilliant sound effects. We highly recommend playing Zombie Army 4 with some quality headsets as the zombie cries and ambient sound quality will keep players head on a swivel.

Aside from the standard slow walking zombies, players will be confronted by fast crawling Creepers, then we have the psychopathic suicide zombies who come running at you while strapped with explosives. Of course, you have the larger zombies such as the heavy types who come rocking a Gatling gun, Flamethrower and sometimes an impressive Buzzsaw. Also, there are the grenade tossing shield zombies, Nazi commander zombies who will continue to spawn new zombies until you put them down and stomp their brains out, literally. Then you also have zombie snipers who leap from rooftop to rooftop in rapid succession, some even carry rocket launchers. And if you think it ends there, not exactly. Players will also be confronted by zombie tanks, yes, a metal tank with fleshy parts. The ridiculous meter here is through the roof and we enjoyed all of its craziness!

At the heart of Zombie Amy 4 is a compelling shooting experience that never gets old. While the weapon options are not vast, what’s on tap more than satisfies. From shotguns (M30 Drilling, Trench Gun), SMG’s (MP44, Thompson), rifles (Gewehr, M1 Grand, Mosin-Nagant M91/30) and handguns (C96 Pistol, M1911, Webley MKVI), players on any given mission are equipped with two primary and a side-arm. Taking down the undead in this way feels powerful and convenient.

Even still, in some cases, you will find yourself with only your side-arm to get you out of a sticky situation, good luck! Aiming accurately while conserving your trigger pulls can be the difference between life and death. My favorite loadout consisted of maintaining the Gewehr, Thompson and C96 Pistol. Sure, the shotgun options certainly offered sure stopping power, yet my playstyle favored a more rapid succession of rounds.

Adding to the weapon options are the temporary attachments such as the arching electricity, explosive, and or the divine or fire rounds found in weapons caches throughout. As you level up your chosen character and locate ‘Upgrade’ boxes, players can add permanent enhancements to the weapons such as electrified barrels, increased damage, better-scoping options, larger magazines, explosive rounds, flame rounds, rapid firing, etc. Also, players can style out the weapons with new skins, charms and add a variety of reticles.

From the outset players can choose between 4 playable characters, maintaining an assortment of unique abilities such as melees, perks, items, and mods. In this way, the game goes the extra mile in balancing a competent cooperative experience. I had a blast playing through the entire game solo, yet cooperatively the fun factor vastly increases. Aside from the annoying bullet-time cinematic that would be triggered every time a teammate made an accurate kill shot, playing alongside both friends and strangers, the games pacing and team system strongly encourages teamwork.

Like those old-school Wolfenstein games, which would start with you killing Nazis and eventually an army of mutated Nazi ghouls, Zombie Army 4 gradually changes the impending threat from basic zombies to over-the-top zombies in great numbers. There are even zombie sharks hanging around certain locales like chandelier décor and you can even trigger them to eat other zombies. Nuts, right?!

The narrative here is far from memorable, however, you will not mind it and that is not why you’re here. Ultimately, there is a sinister zombie threat with Hitler and his Nazi regime instigating these efforts from the shadows and you must remedy it from the world. While there are nine missions in total, each mission offers varied chapters before a mission is completed. Impressively, all nine missions are dynamically different, regularly changing up your paces and encounters.

With a leveling system that encourages replayability, Zombie Army 4: Dead War is loads of fun from start to finish. Despite the straightforward expression of itself, there is truly so much more that can be said about the game. Once you have completed the campaign the Horde mode is certain to entertain, alongside the game’s weekly mission challenges.

If you’re looking for some non-stop zombie-killing fun, Zombie Army 4: Dead War has the perfect balance of teamwork and deadly kill shot moments we have played in years.