Voyage of the Dead Game Review
By
Nicholas Chin
Developer: Gaming Corps
Publisher: Electro Source
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Genre: Science Fiction
Price: $19.99
In today’s day and age, one of the last places I would want to be is stuck on a cruise. Many people would immediately assume this is because of Covid-19, and also stories in the news about people being stranded due to rapid spreading across the entire ship. Unfortunately, in Voyage of the Dead, I had no choice.
Being stuck on a cruise ship with deadly zombies only worsened my situation as I was forced to fight them and at the same time protect other people on board. Loading into the application, I had high hopes for the game since it was multiplayer, with up to 4 players at a time. An immediate obstacle I ran into was syncing the tracking camera or infrared (IR) station and the mars lightcon with the TV. From this challenge I learned to keep the IR station stationary in order for the game to work and for the mars lightcon guns to run smoothly.
The first game mode I tried out with my dad was story mode. This thrilling and collaborative mode took place on a cruise with deadly zombies and frightened people. Using a pistol with unlimited ammo, we took down zombies from the kitchen to the deck of the ship. Another cool feature was the ability to choose your character with each one coming with their own special abilities. For example, the marine’s special weapon is a grenade launcher. Other given characters are the fisherman, detective, and arsonist. A useful piece of advice is to shoot the zombies in the head because that is where they are most vulnerable. Also, green, bright objects can be shot to obtain new weapons such as shotguns or assault rifles, med kits, or to obtain more ammo.
The graphics of the story mode contain lots of gore. Although exciting all around, the most thrilling moments were fighting the boss armies. This requires lots of collaboration and focus because the bosses spawn more enemies and have more health. As you fight your way through each stage, you move onto bigger and badder creatures, including leeches and a giant zombie. Although the designs and abilities of each enemy was very creative, sometimes it took a while to defeat them. When fighting the giant zombie, taking it down took approximately twenty minutes, and it became repetitive. Other than that part of the quest, the combat in this mode is addicting and exhilarating.
A unique aspect to Voyage of the Dead was the mini game options. Although quite challenging, each individual game was engaging, and if you reached a certain score, you could unlock a new character, such as the mad scientist. Each mini game mode is one player with the exception of golf (up to four players) and versus mode (up to two players). Golf mode is exactly what it sounds like, playing golf but using your gun as the club, which makes it harder to aim. Versus mode is a competition between two people, and you fight about thirty to forty zombies. At the conclusion, you compare your stats to see whose accuracy is better and who had more kills. Horde mode is an intense battle between you and a horde of zombies which never stops growing.
There is also a shooting game called crash site, almost like pinball where you shoot these UFO type ships out of the sky. The better accuracy will carry you to the next stage. My favorite mini game was the mad scientist one, and it was like a pinball machine. Given twelve balls, the goal of the game was to reach at least a score of 300,000 to unlock the mad scientist character. In order to keep the balls going, you need to have quality aim to score more points and to create movement between the balls.
To conclude, Voyage of the Dead is a dramatic yet entertaining game with lots of action and collaboration. It also requires strong aim in order to survive in story mode, or to gain prizes in mini games. The variety of game modes gives the game a better overall taste because if you become bored of story mode, you can try the mini games and compete with other players. I would highly recommend this game and playing with another person(s) will only make the experience greater.
Story: 4.5/5 – The story was very clever and appealing. The variety of enemies and weapons gave it variety, and the option to work with another player makes it even more likable.
Visuals: 5/5 – The visuals were extremely detailed and spot on. From the setting of the ship to each individual character or zombie, the graphics were attractive and clear.
Playability: 4.5/5 – This game is filled with tons of action. The game is always moving and packed with combat with the exception of the ending of a stage, where the screen allows you to pause and check your stats. At any time, you can go back to the main menu.
User Interface: 5/5 – The game instructions and messages are very clear. The controls are fairly easy to manage, and the game gives helpful symbols and tools to make your tasks clear.
Replay Value: 4/5 – The one aspect of the game I hated was not being able to save story mode. It is quite a long game mode. It took me a few hours to get through just a slight portion of the game, and not being able to save it for the next time I play is unfortunate. However, the mini game modes give the game more life and provide additional enjoyment.
Overall Score: 4.5/5 – Overall, I thought Voyage of the Dead was very well done. The background story, variety of game modes, and multiplayer options engage the user’s mind and are extremely attractive, especially when playing with others.
