Atom Zombie Smasher

Atom Zombie Smasher appeared in my library from parts unknown; the possible reasons I bought it are Legion and, therefore, will not be discussed here. I will also say that a game that fails to launch, then requires me to go to their site for an exe download (patch) before it'll start, does not inspire confidence in the impending experience. Having said that, I think I love this game.

The game plays like a boardgame, skipping all the drudgery of setup and waiting for dice rolls. I had no trouble getting into it: you're in control of a mass evacuation during a zombie outbreak using a helicopter and assorted mercenaries. Each level starts with you placing your resources and choosing a landing site for your chopper with a set number of civilians to rescue for success.

The blend of simplicity and complexity is sublime.

Rescue civilians, gain experience, and upgrade your resources for better rescues, that's really it. There are multiple ways to accomplish your goal, and it gets harder as you go on, I'd even say the difficulty curve is pretty steep. Graphics are very light, but that's because the concept doesn't require much to make it work; you don't need slavering bloodthirsty hordes to drive the point home, that would distract from what you're trying to accomplish.

I also enjoy the 1960's art menu style, told in the fashion of a surfer movie, complete with matching, unique, soundtrack; don't ask me why that works, it just does. The vignettes that appear between screens are a bit odd, but well done, I thought they added to the overall experience and set a great tone for the game.

I'm rating this a 9/10 right now. I didn't spend a lot of time with the game before writing this so the "fun" may wear out before long, and I don't believe the strategy style is a win for all people, but it sure looks like there is a lot of replayability with this little gem.