Graveyard Smash

About

Graveyard Smash is a single player action game. It was developed by Four Mans Games L.L.C. and was released on September 2, 2016. It received negative reviews from players.

Graveyard Smash is a tongue in cheek, small, retro-style, skill-based action game in which you play the protagonist Manuel Rodriguez, the main groundskeeper of a local cemetery. Each night Manuel will run around on a randomly generated map using his shovel to smash the ever growing number of Undead back into the grave and prohibit the Undead from attending the mash.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

30%

Audience ScoreBased on 10 reviews

atmosphere1 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features a unique whack-a-mole mechanic with zombies, which could be an interesting premise.
The story mode includes cutscenes that add a narrative element to the gameplay.
The game offers a variety of power-ups and enemy types that introduce some challenge as the levels progress.

The controls are poorly executed, making gameplay feel awkward and frustrating.
The graphics and overall visual quality are low, lacking modern appeal and widescreen support.
The game is very short, with only 12 levels that can be completed in about 30 minutes, leading to a lack of content.

gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay is criticized for being simplistic and poorly executed, primarily revolving around basic mechanics like hitting zombies and digging holes. Players express frustration with the lack of depth and strategic planning, especially as difficulty increases without introducing new mechanics, leading to a static experience until the final level where significant changes occur. Overall, the gameplay fails to engage, making it feel tedious and unfun.
- “It seems like actually planning out the levels with the gravestone placement would make for a better experience, especially since the levels increase in difficulty as the game progresses and adds more enemy types and mechanics.”
- “The nights get longer by about 10 seconds each night with the gameplay remaining static until the final level.”
- “The chief problem, apart from the very simplistic and shallow gameplay, is the very poor quality execution.”
- “The basic mechanics are hitting zombies or digging holes for zombies to fall into.”
- “I don't mind challenge, but having only 2 mechanics in a game and then randomly making some enemies guaranteed to get past is really annoying (and the game isn't exactly fun to begin with).”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The story mode features 12 nights and a few cutscenes, but many players feel it lacks depth and emotional investment in the character Manuel. While the ending is noted for its bittersweet quality and potential homage to Romero, the overall narrative is considered brief and not particularly impactful.
- “The ending was nice and bittersweet, possibly calling back to Romero.”
- “It’s brief: my time with the game includes beating the story mode and a bit of endless while cooking dinner back and forth.”
- “The story really adds nothing to the experience: there is no reason to feel invested in Manuel, but the ending was nice and bittersweet, possibly calling back to Romero.”
- “Story mode consists of 12 nights and a handful of cutscenes sprinkled throughout.”
- “It's brief: my time with the game includes beating the story mode and a bit of endless mode while cooking dinner back and forth.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are criticized for relying on outdated retro pixel art, which many find unappealing and lacking in visual depth. Overall, the aesthetic does not meet modern standards, leaving players disappointed with the visual content.
- “They chose to use obsolete retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “Overall, the graphics are not easy on the eyes, and the game does not have much to offer in terms of content.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is generally considered bland and generic, providing an atmospheric backdrop that is largely inoffensive. However, it features an odd 70's porn-inspired track when picking up tequila, and a peculiar sound effect in the main menu that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The music is generic atmospheric stuff, bland but inoffensive.”
- “There's this weird and off-putting 70's porn music that plays when you pick up tequila, and in the main menu, mousing over any of the options plays a strange sound that I think is someone saying 'dig,' but it sounds more like 'dink' and is just weird.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by generic and bland music that, while not particularly memorable, is considered inoffensive and suitable for the game's setting.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be easy but tedious, as failing a stage results in a game over screen that forces them back to the main menu to reselect the stage, disrupting the flow of gameplay.
- “It's pretty easy but becomes very tedious since every time you fail a stage, it shows a game over screen and kicks you back to the main menu where you have to select the stage again.”