Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now

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Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now is a single player and multiplayer arcade role playing shooter game with a horror theme. It was developed by Dreamworlds and was released on June 4, 2014. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now" is a top-down shooter game with a film-noir-style single-player campaign. Fight against hordes of monsters using a variety of weapons with physics-based splatter effects and destructible environments. Use light strategically to gain an advantage in battle, explore for resources, and upgrade your arsenal. The story mode features 16 levels with voiced NPCs and dialogs, while survival mode offers high score challenges for up to 4 players.

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 839 reviews

story110 positive mentions

stability11 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a variety of weapons and upgrades that keep the experience fresh.
The game features a humorous noir-style story with entertaining voice acting, adding charm to the overall experience.
Great graphics and dynamic lighting effects enhance the atmosphere, making it visually appealing for a top-down shooter.

The story is somewhat cliché and lacks depth, with some dialogue feeling cheesy and forced.
There are occasional bugs and performance issues, particularly with controls and lighting effects that can hinder gameplay.
The game can feel repetitive after a while, especially in the survival mode, and the final boss battles may be frustratingly easy or tedious.

story
339 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
61%
7%
The story of "Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now" is a typical zombie apocalypse narrative that, while not groundbreaking, is executed with a blend of humor and noir aesthetics that keeps players engaged. It features a simple yet effective plot with twists and side missions that enhance gameplay, though some find the protagonist's character and dialogue to be cheesy or cringe-worthy. Overall, the story serves its purpose in providing context for the action, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre despite its predictability and occasional lack of depth.
- “The game does not seek to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the story, but its charm lies in the execution of the plot and the way it fits perfectly with the frenetic gameplay and visual style.”
- “The story is full of twists and surprises, which keep the player interested and curious about what will happen next.”
- “The story is a kind of modern film-noir, and I bet that Max Payne games have acted as an inspiration for the mood and the protagonist who is blunt and cold but still hearty deep inside.”
- “The story doesn't really make much sense; you start out running from zombies, then it seems like the main character is both interested in drifting about like a tumbleweed but somehow focused on saving the world or perhaps has a death wish. I don't really know.”
- “The story is nothing to write home about; it's a typical zombie apocalypse plot, with a small noir aesthetic during the cutscenes.”
- “The story is cheesy, and that's not a problem, but it feels forced and lacks depth.”
gameplay
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The gameplay of "Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now" is characterized by its fast-paced, top-down shooting mechanics that offer a mix of fun and challenge, with intuitive controls and a variety of weapons. While the game features engaging combat and vibrant graphics, some players noted repetitiveness and technical issues, such as crashes and simplistic mechanics. Overall, it provides an entertaining experience for fans of the genre, especially when considering its humor and immersive post-apocalyptic setting.
- “The gameplay is fast and dynamic, with intuitive controls, allowing the player to move fluidly and fight hordes of zombies in a variety of ways.”
- “Developed by Dreamworlds, 'Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now' offers an immersive experience for those looking for fun and challenges in a post-apocalyptic setting, with quality graphics and satisfying combat mechanics.”
- “The gameplay offers a good amount of challenges and modes to increase replayability.”
- “The gameplay for this game reminds me of one of those flash games on the internet where you play in a top-down view fighting and surviving against zombies.”
- “The gameplay is very repetitive and boring, and buggy!”
- “Crashes instantly within the first 30 seconds of gameplay - this, added to a clear lack of development and design.”
graphics
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The graphics of "Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now" are generally praised for their vibrant, cartoonish aesthetic that effectively contrasts with the dark zombie theme, creating an immersive experience. While some reviews note that the visuals are not groundbreaking and can be simplistic, many appreciate the art style, lighting effects, and overall charm, particularly in the context of a budget indie game. The cutscenes, styled in a graphic-novel format, add to the game's unique visual appeal, although opinions on their execution vary.
- “The graphics in 'Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now' are one of the game's greatest strengths.”
- “The aesthetic is vibrant, with a cartoonish color palette that contrasts with the dark zombie theme.”
- “The art style is reminiscent of comics, with sharp outlines and a sense of animation that helps to soften the game's violence, keeping it fun and light, even in intense combat scenes.”
- “The graphics are dated and lacking, and the music and sound effects are mediocre-to-poor.”
- “Sure, the graphics and sounds are generally crappy and the gameplay is not exactly deep but I love the feel of the game and the way the story is told with film noir style comic strips, much like Max Payne.”
- “Like a game version of The Walking Dead, terrible graphics but still fun.”
music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
41%
8%
The music in "Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now" is generally well-received, with an intense soundtrack that enhances combat and provides lighter moments to balance the game's apocalyptic theme. While some players find the music enjoyable and fitting, others note issues with sound mixing, where music can overshadow dialogue and sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is described as varied and engaging, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some criticisms regarding its repetitiveness and audio quality.
- “The soundtrack of Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now perfectly complements the style of the game.”
- “The music is intense during combat, creating a sense of urgency and adrenaline, but there are also lighter and more comical moments, which help to break the tension of the apocalypse.”
- “Nice variance of ambient rock with some electronic music and also some strings and piano.”
- “The music is tolerable, but definitely not annoying nor does it pump me up to kill zombies.”
- “Audio is awful, your weapons sound like they have a silencer, you can't hear the voice of your character over the music and sound effects.”
- “The graphics are dated and lacking, and the music and sound effects are mediocre-to-poor.”
humor
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now" is characterized by its dark, sarcastic wit and engaging dialogue, which effectively balances the game's frenetic action with moments of levity. Players appreciate the cheesy lines and over-the-top voice acting, contributing to a fun and memorable experience that enhances the chaotic zombie action. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with its apocalyptic theme, making it an entertaining choice for fans of the genre.
- “The game stands out for its vibrant visual style and fluid combat mechanics, as well as a dark humor that mixes frenetic action with moments of relaxation.”
- “The narrative is filled with sarcastic dialogues and captivating characters, which add a touch of humor to the chaos.”
- “It's like an indie version of the first Max Payne, and it's alternately appalling and hilarious, or sometimes both at once.”
atmosphere
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
38%
10%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of dark humor and apocalyptic horror, enhanced by a film noir aesthetic and effective sound design. Players appreciate the immersive environments, characterized by a dark color palette and dynamic lighting, which contribute to a thrilling experience filled with tension and charm. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay and narrative despite some criticisms regarding story gaps.
- “This creates a unique atmosphere that mixes elements of dark humor with apocalyptic horror, without falling into the excessive exaggeration that could detract from the proposal.”
- “This game is filled to the brim with atmosphere and charm.”
- “Beautiful graphics and amazing sound do a good job of setting the atmosphere.”
- “Well done stressful atmosphere, some hidden monsters will jump at you in close spaces.”
- “Sadly I have to say no, for the reasons that while the game does have a strong atmosphere, the story however has many gaps in it.”
- “The atmosphere definitely elevates an otherwise adequate, but lackluster narrative; and together they generate a solid presentation.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The game offers moderate replayability through character customization, various challenges, and modes such as survival and multiplayer, which encourage players to return after completing the campaign. While the campaign lasts around 4-6 hours, the inclusion of higher difficulty levels and leaderboards adds further incentive for replay. However, some players feel that the overall replay value may be limited, especially if the multiplayer community is sparse.
- “In addition, the game has character improvement and customization mechanics, which allow players to adapt their skills and weapons to suit their play style, increasing the replayability and depth of the title.”
- “A decent length campaign and a survival mode ensure replay value, and the controls are tight and precise.”
- “With good gameplay, a fun story, and a high degree of replayability, anyone with a passing interest in the genre will get their money's worth and an experience to remember.”
- “There is not much of it; I finished the campaign in 4 hours and 17 minutes, which means that the campaign is roughly 4-5 hours. If you are looking for replayability, look elsewhere. There is the survival mode and some multiplayer modes, but I doubt any people still play them.”
- “The only replay value of the game lies in the fact that you can play the story at a higher difficulty, which I don't think you're going to spend more than 5 or 6 hours on in total.”
- “Challenges and replayability are limited, and while there are some modes available, they don't significantly enhance the overall experience.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent crashes and glitches that significantly disrupt gameplay. While some users noted that the game runs well on certain platforms and is generally polished, the prevalence of bugs and crashes—especially during critical moments—has left many feeling frustrated and disappointed. Overall, the game's stability issues detract from the experience, making it difficult for players to fully enjoy the content.
- “The game runs great.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which is impressive.”
- “The stability of the game allows for a smooth and enjoyable experience.”
- “As someone who is open to indie game experiences, Splatter was cheap and looked fine. I gave it a go and ended up finishing it. There were some fun moments as the gameplay isn't bad at all, but holy shit, the game has a lot of problems. It's a crash fest; I had to save right before every level's exit because the game would crash to desktop the first time I finished that level. Reloading the save would prevent it. Crashing is very common with this game; I had over 10 of them during my 4-hour playthrough. Thank god this game is short; otherwise, I would have suffered more. There's a lot of similar but better games out there with this twin-stick-like shooter gameplay, just don't waste your time with this bad game, it's not worth it.”
- “Glitches abound, leaving some areas of the map pitch-black even if you're pointing your 'flashlight' at them, or ending in weird horizontal artifacts.”
- “Still buggy, the game crashes every time I kill the bug boss, can't complete it.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
49%
13%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with many players reporting smooth performance and no significant bugs. However, some users experienced occasional framerate drops, particularly on high-end systems, suggesting that while the game is mostly well-optimized, there are still areas for improvement. The atmosphere and graphics are praised, but a few players noted that optimization issues could detract from the experience.
- “Not one performance or bug issue.”
- “This game has a full-fledged single-player campaign and is very well-optimized.”
- “This game gets excellent performance and the atmosphere is wonderful.”
- “Not the best game ever, of course, and it also suffers from problems like poor optimization (the game resources are not even packed in any way, so you can modify them with just Photoshop and Soundforge, while on a system that can run Witcher 3 on max settings I still got some framerate drops), but... it's fun.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is noted for its creative character designs and strong voice acting, particularly for the main character and NPCs, though some reviewers feel that the overall development is limited and lacks depth. While there are moments of character growth, the consensus suggests that dynamic development is insufficient.
- “The choice of colors and character designs, including the undead, is one of the most creative we've seen in games of this genre.”
- “The characters are very well voiced, and it's worth listening to them. They did a good job with the voicing and the slight character development of the NPCs during the limited time you're with them, as well as the character development of the main character.”
- “No character development.”
- “Lack of dynamic character development.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and annoying, often describing it as painful rather than enjoyable. While it may keep some players engaged, many feel that the boss fights lack challenge and contribute to an overall negative experience.
- “A bit tedious, and a bit annoying.”
- “Boss fights are more tedious than challenging and/or fun.”
- “My experience was painful and tedious, and so is my opinion of this game: bad and tedious.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect has been criticized for its intrusive "eqlauncher," which forces players to view pop-up advertisements for unrelated games upon launching, leading to a frustrating user experience.
- “The monetization strategy is frustrating; every time I launch the game, I'm bombarded with pop-up ads for games I'm not interested in.”
- “The constant ads and promotions make the experience feel more like a cash grab than a fun game.”
- “It's disappointing to see such aggressive monetization tactics that detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the review mentions a bug related to the lawn mower vehicle, it does not provide any insights into the emotional impact of the game. Therefore, it lacks information on how the game resonates emotionally with players.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Splatter – Zombiecalypse Now review
Don’t go in expecting to be blown away, and Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now is a very satisfying few hours.
Godisageek.com
70%

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6h Median play time

5h Average play time

4-7h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 9 analyzed playthroughs

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Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now is a arcade role playing shooter game with horror theme.

Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now.

Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now was released on June 4, 2014.

Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now was developed by Dreamworlds.

Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Dead Effect, Shadowgrounds, How to Survive, 12 is Better Than 6, Redeemer and others.

Splatter: Zombiecalypse Now

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