Let me start this review by admitting to something. Dead Strike has been on my iPhone for the last couple of months. I took great interest upon first hearing that an indie survival horror title had been released to the App Store. Psychoz Interactive, a developer located in Quebec, responded diligently to my inquiry about their new game. However, I’ve taken my sweet ass time coming up with the review.

Obviously, the first instinct is that this came out of sheer laziness or neglect, but the truth is that at the time of its release, I found Dead Strike absolutely unplayable. I couldn’t play through even the first level because I had no idea what the hell was going on, where I was supposed to go, and what I was supposed to do. And so, instead of reviewing the first build of the game I waited for an update…and another one…and so on until finally the game became cohesive enough for a playthrough. The result still isn’t as impressive as I’d like for it to be, but maybe the future looks much more promising.

Gameplay

If I was to compare Dead Strike to the first video game that came to mind, I would automatically think of the Resident Evil franchise. You control one of four characters, each with their own unique characteristics (self-healing, extra strength, extra speed, etc.). Regardless of which character you choose, your main gameplay objective remains the same: get from point A to point B. Originally, getting from point A to point B made you rely completely on a mist system. You see, there’s a strange mist in the town and you’re told it always blows from the north… but that’s pretty much the worst advice anybody can give you. Just because it blows from the north doesn’t mean you know shit about where to go. Granted, a later update fixed this by decreasing the mist (to a bearable amount) and giving you an objective arrow. Turns out, you just run straight and either turn left or right. At some random point, the game tells you you’ve progressed through the stage.

Now, this sounds confusing and boring at first; for good reason too, because it is. The shooting isn’t exactly the best either. If you select the character Sam, who’s a cop and has a penchant for guns, you’ll have chosen the best shooter of the group. Unfortunately, that’s still not saying much. Despite improvements over several updates to the shooting mechanic, it’s still not as fun as I’d like for it to be. For one thing, none of the guns are as strong as they should be. Generally, when you’re attacked, it’s a small horde of zombies (four to six) rather than one or two. Regardless of the amount of bullets you’re given, if none of the guns work to your advantage, you’re fucked. On one hand, it’s good thing that you can run and gun. On the other, the zombies really outclass your guns and squash any hope of you getting through. So eventually, gameplay deteriorates into running all the way through to the end of the level.

The best thing I can say about Dead Strike is that it utilizes the Unity engine. Unity almost always runs smoothly on the iPhone/iPod Touch; Dead Strike is no exception. But what bums me out is how much more could have been done with this game. I see the potential of an indie survival horror that could rival some of the best survival horror apps, but the execution is pretty poor. Even the Unity engine can’t help the fact that when you run, it looks like zombies are sliding with you. Still, though, Psychoz Interactive is putting a great deal of work into Dead Strike and it looks as if the coming months will see the betterment of the game (there is a massive multiplayer update reportedly in the works).

I should also note that there are cheat codes, which is a pretty awesome addition if you ask me. They make the game quite a bit more bearable since the difficulty is not as ridiculously spiked with, say, “god mode” on. If you’re looking for a list of cheats, here’s a few I found on the Touch Arcade forums, they can also be found on the Dead Strike‘s page on the App Store. I generally play and attempt to finish a game without cheat codes, but Dead Strike is one of those few that requires you to do so.

Style

The idea looks pretty well in its animated state. Unity runs smoothly and the 3D environment certainly aids the creepy atmosphere that a survival horror game of this kind needs. Still, though, the problems mentioned above overtake its stylish effects. The main menu presentation and even the pause menu presentation are surprisingly well done.

Story

In the bigger picture, a virus has turned the planet’s inhabitants into blood-thirsty brain-munchers; the only hope mankind has of surviving lies on your shoulders as you attempt to deliver a vial of a possible vaccine to the hospital nearby. That’s pretty cookie-cutter when you look at the zombie genre. It feels and sounds awfully familiar to Resident Evil but the zombies are fast and relentless, reminiscent of something such as a “Rage” virus that we’ve seen in Left 4 Dead and 28 Days Later. Each “day” you survive (rather, each level you survive) gives you the continuation of the story in something like a diary format. It’s great that they went this far into the story but I didn’t really bother reading anyway since it didn’t change what was happening in each stage at all.

Everything Else

The sound, I must say, is pretty solid all throughout the experience. The music, zombie noises, glass breaking, gunshots, etc. are done well. Unfortunately, all of these elements feel really clunky together and the game never shines. A confusing control scheme coupled with incredible difficulty and subpar shooting mechanics make for a mediocre title. Today, on March 21st, the game is free on the App Store. Generally, it costs $1.99 until, according to Psychoz Interactive themselves, the multiplayer update is released. Is it worth the price tag? Honestly, not unless you’re dying to own this kind of game. Dead Strike has come a long way, sure, but it has an even longer way to go.

[DIYgamer received a free copy of the game for review purposes. This in no way affected the outcome of the review.]