Do you like a challenging game – particularly of the 2D platformer genre? If this sounds like you then I may have just the game for you. ZOMBEEZ: A Killer Queen Remix is built directly on top of the Killer Queen engine, but creates a whole new experience, full of new challenges and enemies. You’ll play as Abs – the killer bee hero – and throughout the game you’ll run, fly and slay your way through the undead hordes. The point of all this? To reach your showdown with the terrifying Blood Queen! In order to get to her, you’ll fight your way through randomly generated worlds so if you enjoy the game, there’s a tonne of opportunity to replay. These worlds can be generated daily, monthly, or every time you die.
As for the developer, this game is brought to you by BumbleBear Games, who have put over 150 Killer Queen machines into arcades, bars and rec rooms, with millions of games being played. Obviously, the arcade scene was recently heavily impacted by Covid-19, with bars and pubs closed around the world. Not to be deterred, the developer wanted to create a unique single-player game that incorporates what fans love about the arcade classic. For the most part I feel like they have achieved that.
I found that I died frequently, so I experienced a serious amount of variety. This game is hard – something the developer even seems proud of, stating on the game’s Steam page that players can expect to die often. So, if you’re more of a casual gamer, you may not get as much enjoyment from this as you would like. I enjoy a challenge but I preferred to just dip in and out of this game. It’s ideal if you just fancy playing something in bursts rather than for longer sessions.
Those who do like a challenge will likely get a decent amount of enjoyment from ZOMBEEZ though. It also contains daily challenges and leader boards, because people who like hard games are probably competitive too, right?
At times the controls felt a little heavy and sluggish, certainly not as crisp as they could be. I also found it annoying that I wasn’t in control of the character’s attack: it just automatically happened when I was close enough to an enemy when I would rather have control over when to attack. Graphically, the game is simplistic in its appearance, to give it that arcade feel and I personally liked the way it looked, along with the quirky soundtrack accompanying it.
While the controls can be a bit clunky, it’s still a fun little arcade-style game, and a bargain at that!
Guest edited by Catherine.