Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now

I came to Splatter expecting budget-bin filler and got a tighter campaign than I had any right to. The setup is pure B-movie pulp: you play Max, a fedora-and-leather-coat misanthrope who ends up saving humanity despite actively disliking it. The noir framing actually works, delivered through voiced dialogue and black-and-red animated cutscenes that punch well above the game's production budget. The story mode runs 16 levels across a wrecked apocalyptic city, and if you push through on Normal you are looking at roughly three to four hours of runtime. That is not a lot, but the pacing earns it. On the shooting side, this is a top-down twin-stick with upgradeable weapons spread across your run. No single gun dominates everything, which means you are actually making loadout decisions rather than just holding the overpowered rifle forever. Destructible environments keep the arenas dynamic, and the light mechanic adds a layer that most games in the genre skip entirely: zombies are phobic of light, so using flares and your flashlight to create breathing room is both a tactical tool and a visual reward. When you take heavy damage the color palette bleeds to grey until you heal, a neat low-health signal that avoids the typical red-vignette cliche. There are also vehicle sections, including a combine harvester sequence that sounds amazing on paper but fights you with awkward controls. That segment is the low point mechanically. Difficulty runs from harmless to maniac, and the spread is reasonable enough that a second playthrough at a higher tier gives you something to chew on, plus there are collectibles, weapon part hunts, and score runs to extend mileage if you want it. Multiplayer is local-only, full stop. Up to four players can co-op through survival mode or go PvP, and the game accepts controllers, mice, and keyboards in any combination, which is a genuinely nice touch for couch sessions. Online co-op is off the table entirely, so if your crew is not physically in the room, that side of the package does not exist for you. Survival mode works solo too, with leaderboard hooks to justify the grind. Netcode is a non-issue because there is no netcode. The Steam community has sat at Very Positive for years, which for a game this old at this price tells you the floor is solid. The visuals are dated, the audio is thin, and the moment you finish the campaign the live player count drops to near zero, so do not buy this hoping for an active multiplayer scene. What you are actually buying is a well-constructed, short, gory campaign with an above-average light mechanic, a story that knows exactly what it is, and a local co-op horde mode that is a fine couch option. Bring someone with a spare controller.

Fred · Scout Team

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