There’s no denying the pure joy inherent in blasting away mutants, zombies, and various ghouls in games these days. No matter what console the player may prefer, there is no dearth of options when it comes to choosing a suitable game in which to tear through endless waves of horrific monsters. Beyond popular titles such as Left 4 Dead and Dead Nation, there are a lot of games these days which marry co-op action with mindless fun – and it can be a crowded market for aspiring developers. Unfortunately, Dead Horde, DnS Development’s recently released indie arcade shooter, doesn’t have what it takes to be particularly memorable or worth playing over its competitors.
Plot-wise, Dead Horde wastes no time putting the player into the thick of it. The story basically boils down to a summed-up paragraph before the first mission which establishes the basic tropes of horror video games everywhere. It turns out that the military was working on a super top secret virus which then carelessly got dumped into some town’s water supply. Flash forward a short time later and now the residents of the city have been turned into bloodthirsty mutants, freely spreading the virus wherever they tread. It just so happens that you, random military guy, have been forced to land your helicopter on the outskirts of the contaminated zone and must fight your way through to safety.
As one can tell by its synopsis, Dead Horde is a pretty simple game with a tried and true formula. In each level the player is tasked with proceeding from one end of the scenario to the other, all while gunning down and blowing up anything hostile in the way. Killing mutants awards points which can then be used to purchase additional weapons or to upgrade current ones at the occasional shop. A multiplier builds up should players manage to take out enemies without getting hit, which in turn makes the more expensive upgrades easier to get. Each stage takes place in a different location; new locales usually feature a new mutant type to fight. The game also proudly features co-op for up to two players across the internet.
On paper the basic premise of the game is pretty solid, but sadly Dead Horde is a game which is wrought with antiquated design choices and constant performance issues. More often than not, progression in the game is made only when the current area is entirely cleared of all mutants. Usually the gate or door to the next area remains lowered until a clean sweep is made, but the brain-dead A.I. of the monsters only has two modes: run at the player if nearby or mill about if at a distance. In addition to this, there are also a number of pathfinding issues which can cause mutants, and on the rare occasion even the player, to get caught on debris or doorways. These two problems combined make scouring for mutants an absolute chore and sometimes even exhaustingly tedious. These situations come up all too often and bring the game’s pacing to a dead halt.
Another downfall of Dead Horde is the level design itself. While each stage takes place in its own locale, most of them boil down to having the player run a straight line or follow an obvious path to the next “clear all enemies” gate. The game’s color palette runs from milky gray to muddy brown making areas lack any real personality, which makes level progression unrewarding. As stated before, the mutants mostly follow the same time-honored tactic of running directly at you, so a lot of the action taking place alternates between running backwards while shooting or occasionally dodging away from threats. “Three steps forward, two steps back” tends to be the appropriate phrase to describe the pacing of Dead Horde. There are some vehicle sections in the game as well, but the greater bulk of the content is on foot.
For those players who can tolerate the game’s bogged-down pacing and unexciting enemies, there is also the matter of the game’s visuals and sound design. To put it plainly, Dead Horde is a rough looking game with some unpleasant audio cues. A lot of the animation is stiff and uneven for mutants and humans alike while the sound effects for gun fire and blood spatter are very dull. Although the game’s musical score is appropriately fitting for the game’s tone, that too is ruined by the sporadic intervals of teeth-grating techno which accompany sudden waves of hostile mutants. The music stops as abruptly as it starts, but for the time that it does last, it is absolutely hellish.
There are also some very awkward design choices in Dead Horde which add to the frustration. Although the game may be meant to be played in co-op, that does not excuse the fact that there is absolutely no way to pause the game when playing solo. Neither opening up the game’s menu nor accessing the sporadic shops will stop mutants from slashing and biting away at the player. While there are clearly audio cues that will prevent players from dying this way, it does not excuse the actual lack of pause. It should also be noted that loading a saved game will not continue the player where he left off but rather at the start of the level. Because the stages can go on for twenty minutes and levels need to be completed in one shot, players will have to cope with the grueling pacing of Dead Horde for what seems like an eternity.
As far as co-op is concerned, players who venture into Dead Horde will have to bring a friend for their excursion. Constant server refreshes of the game’s multiplayer yielded no results on multiple occasions, so it’s up to the player to find a willing partner to play along. There is, however, a package deal for Dead Horde on Steam which allows the buyer to get a second copy at half price ($15 in all).
Even though the game is slightly more enjoyable with a friend, Dead Horde is still a deeply flawed game. While it relies on a formula which has been made all the more popular by recent zombie shooters and wave-based action games, the execution of the gameplay here is subpar at best and incredibly frustrating overall. Gamers out there looking for a co-op title to play with buddies may find some redeeming value in Dead Horde, but most will be tired of the title long before it ends.
