There’s going to be a second when you first start playing Basketball vs Zombies (download from the App Store) where you’re confused. Stood at the side of the screen with a baseball bat, you’re going to wonder if the name …
There’s going to be a second when you first start playing Basketball vs Zombies (download from the App Store) where you’re confused. Stood at the side of the screen with a baseball bat, you’re going to wonder if the name is, in fact, a typo.
Then the first zombies will come shambling towards you and you’ll take a swing. Heads will detach from rotten bodies and fly through the air, and when one bounces through the basketball hoop at the edge of the screen you’ll get some points. ‘Oh,’ you’ll say, ‘I get it.’
This is an arcade game, pure and simple, and it’s all about getting as many points as you can. Whomp the undead, score some basket, whomp more of the undead. You can upgrade a few of your skills, the main one being your chance to dodge the revenants stumbling and running towards you.
There are a few twists to the formula. Some zombies are quicker than others, some take more than one hit to take down. Human survivors run towards you too, and if you smash one of them in the face with a weapon it’s game over.
And then there’s the disco mode. When this kicks off, all the zombies are wearing glasses and you can’t die. Mash the screen just right and you’ll see your score start to rocket. And you’re going to like it when your score starts to rocket. You’re going to like it a lot.
There are loads of different costumes and weapons to unlock, and while they don’t change the way the game plays, there’s something endearing about watching a cat with a golf club detach zombie brains from zombie spines.
There’s a compulsive rumble underneath everything that Basketball vs Zombies does, and it’s almost impossible not to play with a grin on your face. It’s stupid in the very best way, and it embraces that stupidity to keep you smiling.
No it’s not deep or meaningful, and after a few weeks you’ll probably forget it even existed. But while you’re playing it, caught up in the tension and glee, you’re going to have an absolutely brilliant time.
Click here to read more reviews of the latest games on iPhone, iPad and Android
