PN Review: Undead Storm Nightmare (3DS eshop)

“Undead Storm Nightmare” is a sequel to the DSiWare game “Undead Storm”. I never had a chance to play the first game in the series but I can tell you from what I’ve read the 2 are very similar. The concept is simple, shoot any zombies that get in your way and reach the goal. There’s not much of a story line to follow which is refreshing, to me. Usually when I play these types of games it’s when I have a few minutes with my 3DS or I’m waiting on something so I want to get right to the point which is exactly what Undead Storm Nightmare does.

Each level is a set of 3 or 4 missions (Reach the goal without dying and the last mission is usually a boss). To complete the levels you need to beat each mission. The first level in the game is a simple tutorial level where you learn the basic controls. Your character moves around with the joystick and the L & R buttons are used to rotate your character. So instead of always facing the direction the joystick is tilted you will need to use L & R to move in a circle to face the desired direction. Are we on the same page? I hope so, if you press both of them together you can do a quick turn around if you’re in a bind and need to shoot in a different direction. There is also a helpful cursor around your player so its easy to keep track of which way you’re facing. The Y button is how you use your weapon, you can carry up to 4 at a time and choose one with the D-pad or the touch screen.

When they say Undead STORM Nightmare, they really mean the storm part. After you breeze through the first level you will literally find yourself in a storm of zombies. Popping up all around you everywhere, some more powerful than others. Don’t think you can just kill all of them and be done with it either because they never stop coming. It’s a thrilling experience but a bit much sometimes. I found myself running around them most of the game to save ammo. They’ll hit you if you get to close but with the many medicine bottles lying around each level its easy to stay stocked on health. You can have up to 3 bottles of medicine on reserve and with a push of the A button your life meter is replenished.

The way you unlock things and get upgrades throughout the game is probably the most frustrating part. Each level costs money, $50,000 all the way to $200,000. It’s a bit steep but each time you complete a mission you receive a far amount of cash. But then you want to buy a new gun, another $100,000. Let’s say you want to make it more powerful, more money. Anyways you get my point EVERYTHING COST MONEY! Which is actually useless in a zombie apocalypse but hey, whatever floats your boat. So obviously you’ll be playing each level numerous times just to have enough funds to get through the game in general. Also I need to mention, in order to upgrade weapons you also need materials which you can find hidden in boxes throughout various levels. Its tedious but all in all it’s not AS bad as it seems.

The graphics in the game are not great, they’re a bit blown out at times and there’s not much detail but I’ve seen way worse. The top down style gameplay is fun, it reminds me of an arcade game, especially when there’s a screen full of zombies. The enemies and level designs seem a bit repetitive. Each level has a different layout but they all look remotely the same. The sound effects and background music are pretty awesome, with a rock/metal sound that keeps you immersed in the zombie killing frenzy and the controls are quite simple as well. For the price its a good quality game with plenty of content and things to do as well as a local multiplayer option. So you can play with your friends as long as they have the game on their 3DS to.

The Nightmare part of the title comes from a new enemy in the game called Nightwalker. She strolls the levels and if she spots you it triggers nightmare time which will send a hoard of undead crazies to rip you apart, it’s pretty intense. The monsters are almost impossible to defeat but not impossible to outrun (hint hint), it all depends on your strategy. So if you’re up for a gruesomely fun, fast paced zombie game without all the “save the world!” drama checkout “Undead Storm Nightmare” on the 3DS eShop for just $4.99! Also there is a free demo as well so check that out first if your unsure.