In theory, Broken Thumbs Apps Zombie Duck Hunt is nearly a perfect idea. What gamer doesn’t remember Duck Hunt and reminisce of an older generation of gaming? Moreover, why would gamers not appreciate playing a similar experience on their heavily favored handhelds in the modern day? But see, I think this works both ways — some will love it, and some won’t care in the least bit. I’m impartial; I enjoy Zombie Duck Hunt, but can’t see myself playing it for too long.

Yet, Duck Hunt fans will be ecstatic to find that Zombie Duck Hunt actually blends in fresh mechanics which aren’t just a direct rip-off of the old IP we know and love (or knew and loved). For instance, a new currency system will allow players to purchase different guns. Also, did anybody notice the word “zombie” in the title? If you don’t take care of a bird as it initially swoops in, then the bird will go red and indicate it has become zombified — this means you have five seconds to kill the bird before it takes one of your precious lives.

I like that Zombie Duck Hunt is based heavily on progression rather than survival-like mechanics, unlike the other zombie title (Zombie Flick) I covered today. As you handle different types of birds and advance through the “Hunt!” mode, you’ll also encounter bonus levels with different types of enemies (like bats) and earn lives as well as new guns. These new guns can later be selected through a menu on the title screen. If you want to try out a gun but haven’t earned it yet, the game comes equipped with a gun range in the “Gun Store,” allowing you to shoot to your heart’s content and building anticipation for when you attain that weapon.

But for all its merits, Zombie Duck Hunt was close to receiving some bad commentary from me. When I first played the game, the accelerometer (tilt) functions would not work. Each time I shot the gun, the aiming reticule would move higher in increments until it reached the top of the screen. This would make me recalibrate the controls each time it happened…but the aiming reticule would do the exact same thing over again. Therefore, I can understand the concerns users have voiced on the app already, because this issue makes the game simply unplayable. Here’s to hoping that Broken Thumbs can take care of the situation with the next update.

Finally, I need to get this off my chest: where is that fucking dog? I need to kill it. In fact, I need to kill it, then I need it to be zombified, then I need to kill it again — several times, please! I don’t know if the dog is a part of the game as this is not a full review, but if it isn’t, perhaps that’s something else for Broken Thumbs to work on in the future.

Zombie Duck Hunt is available for free on the App Store. I suggest getting it if you dig the idea!

[Broken Thumbs Apps]

[This is not a review. This is a "first impressions" piece based on less than an hour of gameplay.]

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