Cause, yвЂ™know, friendly fire is a pretty common mishap when youвЂ™re fighting thousands of zombies in claustrophobic areas and the characters will never not comment on it. In fact, I feel like 90% of the time I heard a character speak, they were politely reminding me not to accidentally shoot them in the head. Precisely zero characters are fleshed out or interesting in any way, and their dialogue is campy and mostly serves as background noise while you run around shooting things. Compared to the fairly straightforward design of Rome, it was really nice seeing the developers have some over-the-top fun with Russia.Д®ven when the new episodes are at their best, though, Aftermath still fails to improve in the way of storytelling, which is still as disappointing as itвЂ™s ever been. Fairly straightforward tasks quickly become formidable undertakings with the constant threat of zombie hordes, and the best-laid plans can become a comedy of errors in no time at all. ThereвЂ™s also some great puzzle sections that require teamwork, like one where your crew has to use a flamethrower to melt doors thatвЂ™ve been frozen shut while the others provide cover fire, or another where you have to fix an electrical grid by finding and pulling levers in the right order. The frozen tundra of Kamchatka, on the other hand, has some really memorable moments, like one area where a blizzard causes you to take damage just for being outside for short periods so youвЂ™ve gotta race between heaters while fighting off waves of brain-eaters. Nothing really stuck with me very long after I beat it, though, except maybe those flaming pits filled with dead zombies those might give me nightmares.

ItвЂ™s still good olвЂ™ fashioned face-smashing fun with a few highlights, like when you have to guide and refuel a van through the streets of Rome while under constant undead assault. Aside from the new sights, sounds, and giant flaming pits filled with zombies, there isnвЂ™t much to distinguish Italy from other destinations. Rome is the more by-the-numbers of the two: it takes a well-known destination, gives it whatever the opposite of a facelift is, then lets you and your friends blast your way through it for a laugh.

ItвЂ™s rare to see it go beyond the roots of its very clear inspiration, and thereвЂ™s not a whole lot of variety when it comes to the missions, the special zombies, or the weapons, but what is there works and is enough to fill the Left 4 Dead-shaped hole in all our hearts, for a little while at least. The best way to experience World War Z is to fire up your microphone and find yourself a four-person crew to play through its brief but fun campaign. As with previous episodes, these episodes are challenging, heart-pounding nightmare scenarios that pit you and up to three co-op buddies against literally thousands of zombies while setting traps, managing resources like med kits and grenades, and trying desperately not to blow yourself up by firing a rocket launcher at point-blank range. One of the more noteworthy things Aftermath adds is two excellent new campaigns that take you to reclaim Vatican City in Rome and to the utterly dismal wastes of Kamchatka, Russia. That said, with ongoing online issues, forgettable stories, and some gameplay growing pains, it still has plenty of room to grow.

Aftermath is the next major step for this sleeper hit and one that mostly succeeds at moving the zombie-filled shooter in the right direction. With more episodes to rampage through, a greater selection of playable classes, and dozens of major quality-of-life improvements (like zombies no longer being able to pull you off ledges and devour you in the most unfair manner imaginable, for example), thereвЂ™s a lot to love about it these days. With the Aftermath expansion, World War Z is a much different game than when it debuted in 2019, and overwhelmingly for the better.

World war z nintendo switch