Do you enjoy hacking up zombies in a post-apocalyptic environment? Of course, you do! If you also enjoy top-down hack and slash survival games, then Deadcraft, by developers Marvelous and FIRST STUDIO and publisher XSEED Games, is already looking like the game for you. From wacky characters to wanted meters and missions, and even to making sure you drink purified water and not SLUDGE, Deadcraft is a quirky zombie survival action game that does not take itself too seriously and is all the better for it.
The story has a bit of an anime-esque feel about it. Starring as a half-zombie/human hybrid, you are a well-known (or eventually well-known) zombie hunter that has a quest of defeating a giant of a man and his posse of similarly giant comrades seeking to dominate all who oppose them, Mad Max style. It is not nothing wholly new but it is a classic setup and gets the job done well. Speaking of Mad Max, the setting feels like that mixed with zombies. The outfits on display, the way the wanted system works, and how people interact, makes it feel like Max Rockatansky jumped into a game with Fallout, Red Dead, and maybe something like Berserk for a setting that is wholly familiar yet still does its own thing to separate itself from the pack. Special note goes to the voice acting, of which there is a lot recorded – it is not just one word plus a wall of text as often as one would expect in a game of this type.
The gameplay has you mix it up in combat in various ways. You have your classic melee weapons but you also have an assortment of ranged weapons for which you will need to craft ammo (more on that in a few). The most fun part is using your half-zombie powers in order to shield yourself or slam some punks around with, it reminded me a bit of Prototype from years past. Both your normal actions and zombie actions have limits however, as you will need to balance your energy meter with them. Your energy meter is most often replenished by sleeping, bit you also need to take into account thirst and hunger, and if you are too low on both, you will not be able to sleep. Without proper nutrition, hydration, and rest, each action such as a swing of the axe or a dodge roll will cost you a bit of your health bar – a surprisingly adept life lesson in a game about enemies who live despite death!
Deadcraft also features a survival system based on points. The more you work around the environment or complete objectives, the more points you will earn to spend on skills such as ammo crafting, weapon skills, being able to create water filtration systems, and upgrade your combat abilities for your half-zombie abilities. You get a nice handy hut and living area to do it in, so frequent travel to and from is expect. Life is a balance of work and more work at home after all!
Overall, Deadcraft is a fun little game that is handy to have on the go with the Nintendo Switch. It hits all the boxes you would expect of a game in its mixed genres, but also keeps you smiling throughout with a bit of its own thing and its quirky characters and dialogue. It can be a bit of work at times, but it rewards dedication and will certainly give you your moneys worth, much more than a rotten rat carcass will anyway.
Gameplay – 8.5/10
Audio/Graphics – 8/10
Story – 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10
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Related: Reviews by Matt O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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