Originally released in April of 2019, Saber Interactive’s game adaptation to the 2013 film, World War Z, has finally found its way to the Nintendo Switch. This title has been reviewed a couple times already here at Gaming Cypher; you can read Haylee Broyles’ PC launch review HERE and Sean Threatt’s GOTY Edition Xbox One review HERE, both giving this game pretty favorable reviews. While mine may feel a bit more negative than previous outings, it’s mostly because we now live in a time where there’s a game like Back 4 Blood out in the world.
Going into World War Z, I immediately got vibes of one of my favorite zombie game franchises, that is of course, Left 4 Dead. While it’s not a carbon copy, this one is in third person instead of first person, and it’s clear the developers took a lot of what worked in that franchise and used it to their advantage to cure that itch of the severe lack of Left 4 Dead type games. Unfortunately, now seems like an odd time to rerelease this 3-year-old title, when the original team behind the Left 4 Dead franchise just came out with their long-awaited spiritual successor that is, Back 4 Blood – a game I very much enjoy.
But comparisons aside, World War Z is still an enjoyable game all of its own… for the most part. I can’t stress enough how much better playing online is over using AI as your teammates. Teamwork is key here and your fellow AI crew can be dumb as nails quite often, making the experience very frustrating. While the campaign is a bit brief, it does a pretty good job at keeping you interested throughout. There are items to find all over and the level designs tend to stay interesting. Like the movie, it’s very global, and playing on maps taking place all over the world was a smart call. You travel to Russia, Tokyo, and New York City to name a few.
I really enjoyed the moments where you needed to prepare your defenses for the oncoming hordes of zombies. I’m really impressed with how many zombies the Nintendo Switch managed to handle at one time. It’s a really cool site to see these hoards just mounting all over each other and the sense of dread that they’re coming after you is seriously there. My biggest gripes are probably the class system and the upgrade system. The classes you choose from don’t really make much of a difference besides maybe what weapon you start out with. As far as the upgrades go, they take a lot to do for such little pay off. This game wants you to grind and grind to make your weapons a little bit better. That’s just not appealing to me, sorry. Replaying the same level over and over again is very repetitive and lacks the sense of difference in every play through that a game like Back 4 Blood does very well.
I normally give a Nintendo Switch port a favorable review, mainly because it has that on-the-go playability factor that other consoles don’t make as convenient yet. While that still stands here, just make sure wherever you are on-the-go that there is an internet connection and you’re not stuck playing with those frustrating AI team mates. The best way to play I’d say, no matter which version, is with friends. But alas, why play this when there’s a newer game doing everything so much better? I don’t know what the strategy to bringing this to Nintendo is, but I’m happy it exists; I guess and hope this choice pays off for them. Judging the game alone on its merits, it’s a solid seven out of ten for me.
Check Out the Launch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-fAQvAKiWo
World War Z is also available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One as the newly updated release World War Z: Aftermath. For more on the series, visit www.WWZgame.com, and follow along on Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
Related: World War Z Now Available for Nintendo Switch
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Nintendo Switch Review
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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