Deadly 30 Review

Jack of all trades, master of none, Deadly 30 is a game with an identity crisis: tower defense, side-scrolling survival and ubiquitous RPG elements. These disparate elements work well together when you see them in action but after the initial enthusiasm I experienced, it became apparent that this is a game of squandered potential - while spreading itself so thin, none of the separate aspects are fleshed out enough to make it wholly satisfying. Fo' shame.

http://www.deadly30.com/img/screenshots/screenshot_4.jpg

Yeah, it's another zombie game. It's the Second World War, you're an American grunt and the hordes they are a comin'. By day you explore the surrounding areas, killing intermittent zombies and collecting loot. There are a few areas to explore but each offer nothing other than an aesthetic change. As you explore, a clock counts down and you best make sure you're back by curfew because that's when the shamblers come en masse. Back at base you switch to tower defence using the scrap metal you collected in the field to build up defences: fences and gun turrets, or upgrade your own weaponry, armour or boots (so you can run faster when exploring outlying areas). Each night brings nastier monsters, quickly ramping things up from your bog standard green-and-mouldies to bloated exploders ripped straight from Left4Dead, zombie mutts or juggernaut super soldiers. Survive the night, the game saves and it's rinse and repeat. As you play you collect experience that unlocks more purchasable weapons and equipment for all playthroughs. Furthering your passion to stay alive are two additional characters - a German and a Russian replete with embarrassing accents who will join your forces, making things easier with their additional firepower and who can be controlled with the press of a button.

http://www.deadly30.com/img/screenshots/screenshot_5.jpg

To begin with, the game is fun; there is a strategy to what you choose to upgrade; a sense of nervousness as you spend a bit too long outside your base, pushing for a bit more metal before the sun goes down while the base defence aspect has a cathartic satisfaction in its gory simplicity. Soon though the issues start to stand out: each of the different mechanics lack depth. The tower defence just doesn't offer enough upgrades to keep it interesting. The shooting feels like Metal Slug but lacks that games chaotic energy: there's no jumping and dodging here - the zombies come at you in  a straight line, either from the left or the right and you simply aim for the head. The different areas are little more than changes in backdrops, they offer no alternative in gameplay and as resources reset as soon as you re-enter a zone there's no real need to visit those that are further out.

Furthermore when you have three players you can control in-game, the lack of multiplayer co-op seems criminal,  especially as the AI on your bots is awful with a capital CRAP: they will often stand there getting punched to death, while you make the smart decision to BACK AWAY FROM THE MELEE BRAWLER YOU MORON. Of course you can take control of the simpleton and drag him back manually but then the other two will launch themselves into the fray.  

http://www.deadly30.com/img/screenshots/screenshot_6.jpg

To top it off the game also has an immature sense of humour: poop jokes and casual xenophobia; some may appreciate it, but I didn't.

This is an affordable game from a two man development team. If you want something mindless to wind down with then it might be worth the few quid it costs but bottom line is that this is a game of missed opportunity, if each aspect was fleshed out a bit more it would be something worth shouting about.