Waves Of Rotting Flesh

PC

I think it would be decidedly unfair to accuse Buried Treasure of having a “type”. After an adventure-cum-endless-runner about an elderly man’s PTSD, a half hour platform game about a violinist entertaining robots, and a game about going for a walk to the shops while thinking some difficult thoughts, here’s a 2-bit* shooter in which you’re mobbed by endless waves of 2D zombies. Waves Of Rotting Flesh is a very on-the-nose title for this super-simple, super-hooky FPS.

It’s been weeks since the meteor fell, the opening blurb informs. Then the dead started coming to life, and you, whomever you might be, decided to take your chances heading up to the wooded mountains. That turns out not to have been the best plan, as you’re holed up in an abandoned house, scant defences hammered across the windows, and surrounded by approximately 89 tobillion zombies.

Fortunately you’ve a couple of guns, a hammer, and what appears to be an infinite supply of ammo in the basement. Things could be worse? No, I’d say it’s safe to say things couldn’t be worse. You’re definitely going to die. The question is how many waves can you survive?

In my case the answer is about one and a half, so far. Which is a fraction of the game. It is hard. There are hundreds of them and only one me!

What’s so appealing here is the simplicity doesn’t just apply to the stunning presentation, but to the whole concept. While between waves you can upgrade specific skills, such as melee damage, reload time, that sort of thing, and while you get given a new weapon for each wave, it really isn’t more complicated than: survive while your house fills up with zombies.

There are some issues here. Glitchy bits where zombies can pop through walls, or you can accidentally fall outside of the level. And it’s probably an issue how bad zombies are at stairs, which is pretty exploitable. But goodness me if I didn’t keep playing and playing, and playing.

For less than two quid, it’s hard to complain. And I just adore the art, which is what caught my eye first of all. Monochrome, 2.5D, with a sort of pop art aesthetic. And there are some lovely details within that, especially the intricate reloading animations on the pistol.

It’s a distraction, certainly, but a very entertaining one, with no deeper message, no heartbreaking tale of childhood horror, just a person trying to survive an awful lot of hungry zombies.

• Chim Ruoi Games
• Steam
• £1.52/€1.43/$1.79

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*I have no idea if I’m using this correctly, but you can bet your bum I won’t correct it if someone tells me I’m wrong.