Report Card
33622490
Gameplay: 2 (Done very well and made the experience a worthwhile one)
Monetization: 2.5 (Wonderful, wish more games used this model)
Replayability: 1.5 (At or slightly above industry standard for the genre)
Atmosphere: 2 (Done very well and made the experience a worthwhile one)
Score: 8
Personal Play Time: 7.5 hours
There are a few key elements that make a great survivor-like game: great visuals with minimal frame rate hiccups, engaging bosses or minibosses, and interesting, interactive weapons. Nerd Survivors checks quite a few of these boxes. After roughly 7.5 hours and unlocking a fair share of content, I feel like I’ve seen a lot of what the game has to offer. The nerdy aesthetic fits well with the weapons and characters, and I might find myself coming back for more runs occasionally.
Nerd Survivors follows the standard genre mechanics. You start with basic stats and aim to survive as long as possible. You look for chests to get better items, level up your character, beat bosses, or die and repeat. You’ll come across gold, which can be used to purchase more characters or permanent stat upgrades. Despite its similarities to other games in the genre, surviving the 20-minute mark here is particularly challenging, leaving me eager to start another run. Boss fights are distinct, with some bosses simply walking toward you while others have complex attack patterns you must avoid. There are great weapons, such as the iconic magic missile, pizza (a gamer’s favorite food), and even the ability to throw your friends around.
While the game does the survivor-like genre well, a couple of standout features deserve mention. The challenge level is high, keeping even experienced players on their toes, especially against bosses with giant attack patterns. The map is interesting to explore, as almost everything is destructible and drops gold. Additionally, you can unlock prototype weapons, modify their stats, and create special custom weapons, which is a pretty original idea.
However, there are some issues. The biggest is the lack of synergies, which are a staple in many survival-like games. I often finished levels before finding any synergies, if they were even there. The meta-progression can also feel slow. With only three worlds and three levels in each, the jump in difficulty between levels feels significant, making it easier to farm gold in easier levels before attempting harder ones.
Overall, Nerd Survivors is worth checking out at $2.99. You can easily get your money’s worth with tons to do and unlock, even if it takes a while. The game won’t revolutionize the genre, but it does a more than serviceable job. The nerdy aesthetic doesn’t overwhelm the experience, and seeing the screen fill with different attacks at the end of a level is deeply satisfying. With no major framerate issues and an interesting weapon customization mechanic, it’s worth a look. Available on both Android and iOS.
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