Zombie State is one of the best-looking mobile shooters ever, even if the microtransactions suck

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SHOULD I PLAY ZOMBIE STATE?

Play it. Zombie State offers fun, intense roguelike gameplay and looks incredibly good while doing it. It provides a fantastic shooter experience that’s only slightly dragged down by pay-to-win microtransactions and lack of control options. I highly recommend giving Zombie State a try, especially if you’re looking for a fun shooter or just a great zombie game.

TIME PLAYED

I played Zombie State for three and a half hours. I’ve gone on around three dozen runs so far, and I’m currently trying to beat the game’s third chapter out of five total. Each run lasted three to twelve minutes depending on how long I stayed alive. I’ve used almost every weapon save for the three guns I haven’t unlocked yet.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT ZOMBIE STATE?

• Killing zombies. Zombie State doesn’t reinvent anything with its gameplay, but it perfects what’s already there. It’s simple, straightforward, runnin’, gunnin’, zombie-killing fun and I can’t get enough of it. Battling mutated insects and zombies across different levels and blowing them to bits has given me more enjoyment than the average mobile shooter.

• Roguelike elements. I chose between different augments at the end of each level, which kept each run fresh and allowed me to build toward my preferred play style. For example, upgrading grenade augments let me take combat in a more explosive direction, while enhancing the damage output or firing rate on my weapons turned me into a master gunslinger. The range of ways to enjoy Zombie State thrilled me.

• It looks phenomenal. Zombie State is one of the few shooters I’ve played on mobile where I was blown away by the level of detail in its visuals. I feel like it wouldn’t look out of place on console or PC. Everything looks realistic and outstandingly crisp and clean.

WHAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT IN ZOMBIE STATE?

• Auto-firing. Zombie State’s auto-firing mechanic handled all the gunplay for me. Although I understand why accessibility features like this are essential for first-person shooters, especially those designed for phones, I hate that I couldn’t play the game how I wanted to. I wanted more control over where my bullets and grenades landed, and I also wanted more challenge out of the gameplay.

• Pay-to-win microtransactions. As great as Zombie State is, it’s not void of greedy microtransactions that give players an edge. Besides the normal pistol, all the other base weapons like the shuriken and golden eagle are locked behind paywalls. And missions feature an energy consumption system where players can either wait for their energy to replenish to play more or pay real money to continue making progress. While I was able to keep going without paying up, progression slows down after two hours. If monsters keep getting harder in the later chapters, I’m worried that opening up my wallet might be the only realistic way to make it to the end, and that really sucks.

💬 Will you play Zombie State or are you going to skip it? Let me know down in the comments!