Bloody Zombies Review – A Challenging Co-op VR Brawler

The brand-new VR zombie beat em’ up title – Bloody Zombies – has been out for a little over a week now, giving us some time to digest the challenging co-op experience. With sharp graphics and gameplay, this indie title brings more than just VR to the table.

With a hard focus on VR, players are welcomed either with or without the new technology but the VR headset enhances the experience slightly more. While a traditional enough 2D beat em’ up, you’ll fight your way through various levels brawling with all kinds of different and gruesome undead nightmares.

Starting off playing as one of four playable rebelious looking characters, the challenges and waves of enemies that wait ahead will give an experience full of finger-cramping fighting. The wide 2D fighting plane is an idea adopted through the genre for generations, but paired with the flat 2D characters graphics things may get complicated during combat at the beginning. Once adapted to the mechanics, the running, jumping, enemy juggling action becomes second nature.

The combat featured in Bloody Zombies is a grand mix of Street Fighter-esque combos with Streets of Rage-like beat em’ up action. The more combos you complete – as well as variety of special moves following the same style button inputs – the more fluid the game becomes. Rushing into the game, solo with a standard beat em’ up approach will count in your death more often than not. Tactical strategy and a healthy dose of co-op participation is sure to get you well passed the first couple of bosses.

If paying with VR support, the player(s) act as a strategic improvement for the rest of the team. Many traps and ambushes wait in the bloody streets of London and with the screen opening up with the vast VR screen, players are able to discover any meddling zombies looking to pounce on unsuspecting players.

With a large portion of the game spent fighting off powerful enemies, many combat tactics are worthy of adopting. Bloody Zombies pushes the player to learn its fighting mechanics, while uniquely dropping in various gameplay styles. Whether you’re a fan of beat em’ ups or prefer popular fighting franchises – or especially both – Bloody Zombies is an excellent challenging title that makes for a wonderful cooperative experience, and superb subtle use of the VR technology.