Frontline Zed
- October 3, 2019
- Richard East
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Frontline Zed" is a first-person shooter where players must manage their time during the day to scavenge for weapons and resources, and defend their position at night against hordes of zombies. The game features a detailed gore system and intense action-packed gameplay. It offers a branching campaign, 2-player coop, and free updates including new levels and weapons in the ZiGen Science Facility and CrimPlex Prison Complex. Will you survive long enough to make it to rescue?
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic flash games like The Last Stand, with improved graphics and gameplay mechanics.
- It features a variety of weapons and a fun mechanic of managing time between searching for supplies and defending against zombies.
- The developers are active and responsive to community feedback, indicating potential for future updates and improvements.
- The game suffers from poor controls and clunky mechanics, making it frustrating to play, especially with issues like unresponsive weapon switching.
- Many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in depth, with limited content and no significant upgrades or character progression.
- Zombies are often described as bullet sponges, requiring excessive shots to kill, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and challenge of the game.
- gameplay25 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a unique blend of strategy and luck, with a focus on resource management and survivor interactions. While it offers a straightforward and addictive experience, many players find it repetitive and lacking in depth, suggesting that additional mechanics and variety could enhance the overall enjoyment. Despite its potential, the gameplay currently feels frustrating and in need of refinement to maintain long-term engagement.
“It's your only option if you're looking to play this unique style of strategy gameplay on consoles.”
“Starts a bit slow (so you can learn the mechanics), but quickly gains volume and speed as you progress and find weapons and survivors to help.”
“Gameplay is straightforward yet very addictive.”
“Everything is just based on luck, weapon finds, number of runners, survivor deaths during searches, etc. RNG is fine, but have some mechanic behind it that the player can understand and use.”
“So in a nutshell, frustrating, repetitive, and it adds nothing new to gameplay.”
“The gameplay does get a little tedious after a while, and I would have liked to have seen some other mechanics introduced over time to break things up / provide some variety.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and ability to capture a classic zombie movie aesthetic, while others feel they are simply adequate for the gameplay. Some users note that the graphics are a significant improvement over previous iterations, though a few criticize the high graphical requirements for the game's content. Overall, while the visuals are generally well-received, they are often considered secondary to the gameplay experience.
“The graphics look beautiful and it captures the classic zombie movie feel.”
“The aesthetics of the game are really nice, and I thought the animations of the zombies were great.”
“Graphics and story are amazing and from the looks of it there will be 3 stories in the game.”
“I think the graphic requirement is simply too high for this type of game.”
“I mean, the flash games from back in the days are way better than this; maybe the graphics are a little better in this.”
“The graphic overhaul in Frontline Zed is a welcome sight, but Volcanic Games doesn’t do enough to make it unique.”
- story17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The story in "Frontline Zed" is minimal but effectively conveyed, primarily serving as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a central focus. Players will need to engage with the game multiple times due to the addition of new story arcs, and while the narrative has potential, many reviewers express a desire for deeper personal stories and moral choices. Upcoming free missions promise to expand the narrative experience, but the overall sentiment is that the game could benefit from a more substantial story and varied gameplay elements.
“There's a tiny bit of story in it, which is perfectly conveyed in a simple and satisfying way.”
“Graphics and story are amazing, and from the looks of it, there will be three stories in the game.”
“It's going to be one of those games that fill an evening with a lot of entertaining excitement, and you'll more than likely put it away until the next story mode drops.”
“To take it to the next level, it needs more personal stories and perhaps some moral choices between missions.”
“There isn't much story involved; you're basically traveling across a map and holding up in certain areas.”
“This game is a reskin of the first The Last Stand flash game, with improvements like graphics, more story, longer playtime, etc.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed; while some users find it lacking due to short content and a desire for additional RPG elements, others appreciate its replay value, especially when purchased on sale.
“Great replayability, I definitely recommend it when on sale.”
“Barely any replayability; maybe add RPG elements for the next game produced.”
“The game is short and lacks content, which affects its replayability in my opinion.”
“It's got the same kind of replayability.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered decent, but many players feel it lacks variety, with only one looping track available. While the soundtrack complements the visuals, there is a desire for a more expansive and diverse musical experience to enhance gameplay.
“The soundtrack could definitely be beefed up a bit.”
“I wish it had more music because there is only one looping track.”
“The soundtrack could definitely be beefed up a bit as well.”
“I wish it was bigger where we could equip the survivors and had more missions, more weapons, and maybe turrets, different zombies, and some more music because there is only one loop of music.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as a cash grab, leveraging nostalgia to extract money from players, particularly in its mobile port version.
“This has to be a mobile port cash grab.”
“It almost seems like this is a cash grab on nostalgia.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting that it is well-presented and significantly enhances the overall experience.
“It adds atmosphere to the game.”
“Very well presented, great atmosphere.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from amusing bugs and glitches, which often lead to unexpected and laugh-out-loud moments. This unintentional comedy adds a lighthearted charm to the overall experience.
“The game is filled with hilarious bugs that had me laughing out loud!”
“I can't get enough of the witty dialogue and clever puns throughout the game.”
“The humor is spot on, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining!”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs and instances of the screen going black after character deaths, necessitating a reload to continue.
“The game is buggy and keeps dropping to a black screen after deaths, requiring a reload.”
“I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay experience.”
“The stability issues make it frustrating to progress, as I often have to restart the game.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized, with users noting that the developer has not prioritized performance improvements during development.
“The developer does not optimize the performance in their development.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
“Frequent frame drops and long loading times suggest that optimization was not a priority during development.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious over time, expressing a desire for additional mechanics to introduce variety and break the monotony, such as unique combat scenarios or environmental interactions.
“The gameplay does get a little tedious after a while, and I would have liked to have seen some other mechanics introduced over time to break things up and provide some variety, like manning a Gatling gun against an extreme horde or triggering environmental effects to take out enemies.”
“Grinding feels repetitive and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged with the game for long periods.”
“The constant need to grind for resources becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game, leading to burnout.”
