While some games choose to portray the gritty throws of WWII as realistically as possible, players can always rely on Rebellion’s Zombie Army franchise to add a little zaniness to the concept. Originally a spin-off from the developer’s highly enjoyable Sniper Elite series, Zombie Army has made a habit of pitting you and a team of up to four others against near-endless hordes of the undead - touting numerous ways to deal death and distribute beautiful bloody chaos.
That’s why it’s incredibly exciting to know that a new Zombie Army game is set to arrive in less than a month’s time, with Zombie Army 4: Dead War featuring all-new modes, levels and features to get to grips with. But what exactly is different this time around and what does Dead War do to separate itself from, say, Call of Duty’s Zombie horde mode? All these questions and more will be answered in our extensive breakdown of Zombie Army 4: Dead War. February 4th can’t come soon enough!
A meaty campaign set against the backdrop of 1940s Europe
One of the main criticisms levelled against 2015’s Zombie Army Trilogy was the general lack of coherence. After all, this is to be expected given that the first two parts of that trilogy first served as DLC to another game, but in Zombie Army 4: Dead War it’s clear that Rebellion has resolved the issue. For instance, the campaign continues to be set in an alternate history where Hitler has overtaken hell and commanded the dead to rise, but the story follows survivors that are forced to fight them across several huge chapters spanning across Italy and beyond.
You can do this as a team of four via Zombie Army 4: Dead War’s online multiplayer functionality, where each of you takes on a specific character that can further be customised the more you play. It’s already been confirmed that one of the areas you’ll be fighting in includes a zombie zoo, which leads us to believe that it’s not simply humanoid zombies that’ll cause you problems. What’s more, levels featured in the Zombie Army games don’t tend to be corridor-based and more closely resemble huge open spaces. This makes it easy for you and your squad to mount up a tactical position.
An upgraded kill cam for even grizzlier zombie destruction
What existing fans of the Zombie Army games are likely wondering is what’s new this time around with the x-ray kill cam. However, for those jumping in for the first time, kill cam essentially refers to how the game will often enter a slow-motion X-ray vision when you’ve pulled off a particularly well-placed shot, letting you bask in the resulting destruction’s grizzly glory. Aim for a zombie’s eye, shin or even the crotch area and you can bet you’ll be treated to a few kill cam sequences. Anyone that’s played Mortal Kombat X or 11 will have an idea of what to expect.
Rebellion is on record stating that Zombie Army 4: Dead War will feature an improved kill cam compared to before, with gunshots impacting body tissue and organs in much more detail. “Marvel as your bullets tear off a rotten limb or two”, the developer boasts, “watch in gory-ous slow motion”. Players will be pleased to hear that the x-ray kill cam will only occur for their own shots, rather than forcing you to wait around whenever someone on your team gains one. It’s grizzly, it’s gruesome, it’s detailed… it’s the horror of war with zombies!
Play your preferred way with deep character progression and customisation
Any online-centric game lives or dies by its ability to make players feel like they are advancing their character or loadout. Online in rare instances, with games like Apex Legends and Overwatch, do the characters you play as never change. Zombie Army 4: Dead War keeps things traditional with a well thought out character progression system, where customising your build can make or break the success of a team going up against the shambling zombie hordes.
Zombie Army 4: Dead War sees you start off with a fairly underpowered character (or “slayer” as they are known in game) until eventually you accrue enough XP to diversify your skillset. Will you create a build centred on damage absorption in order to take the heat off your teammates? Maybe you’d like to act as they heavy and carry a turret with you wherever you go. While playing Zombie Army 4: Dead War alone is doable, only those playing in teams of four will get a taste of the experience as intended. What type of slayer will you choose to be?
The best pre-order price for Zombie Army 4: Dead War
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