Review: Zombie Wranglers

Gamers (and the general public) absolutely eat zombies up. If it’s even remotely related to the hordes of shuffling undead, then consider it a hot seller. Market it as a casual Xbox Live Arcade title, and you’ve got it made in the shade, as far as sales go. Unfortunately, one of the latest treks into undeadland disappoints in its execution.  Zombie Wranglers is one of the latest efforts in keeping the zombie craze alive. While indie devs Frozen Codebase had high aspirations for this casual venture, it unfortunately falls flat. Still, in its earlier stages, you can have a lot of fun! What’s the full verdict? Read on to find out!

Zombie Wranglers takes place in a quiet suburban neighborhood that’s just as normal as normal can be, that is, unless you count the zombies shuffling about within. You’ll be stepping into the shoes of one of four neighborhood rugrats who just so happen to be assigned the task of clearing out a mundane neighborhood full of shuffling, pasty undead. Because mixing zombies with the universally-loved Ghostbusters also equates an insta-hit, these children are equipped with their very own Proton Packs, to be used for sucking up all of the relatively helpless zombies running rampant throughout the neighborhood. Any child you choose has access to a Proton Pack, but they can also melee zombies to death (again) in order to successfully overcome them.

Along with melee and the zombie vacuum, a zapper gun can be employed for zombies that are hanging out just out of reach. While there is no real discernible difference between each character’s playstyle, each one does have a different “Zombomb” power that can be used to calm the horde. One wrangler can induce a trance in the zombies so that they’ll stumble around with no aim, and another can charm zombies so that they’ll follow them anywhere. Both are quite useful in speeding up the pace of the game, though are pretty mundane in the scope of things. If we’re going to implement something as outrageous as zombies and the undead, then it would be appreciated if we could have some outrageous powers as well.

You’ll rely on the wrangling part of the game the most, however. You’ll use the Proton Pack in order to suck the zombies up for cash (who’s paying you, anyway–the town seems pretty empty). When you’re going on a wrangling spree, you’ll rack up streak bonuses, which is in essence the game rewarding you for staying true to the name. Granted, it is much more fun to suck the sniveling zombies up in the vacuum, since it’s the more interesting thing to do, right? When you snap up all the zombies, the cash you’ll be earning can be put toward powerups found throughout the levels. As you can imagine, powerups will aid you greatly in picking up as many zombies as possible and meeting the directives given at the start of the level.

While Wranglers can indeed be enjoyable, it is unfortunately riddled with issues. It sounds like an awesome idea, but put into motion it’s actually pretty dull. You would assume that sucking up zombies to earn money while cleaning up the neighborhood would be a novel idea, but Zombie Wranglers ends up being absolutely boring. You’ll end up doing the same things over and over, with rarely any change. Often, you will find yourself forgetful of the initial objectives presented to you in order to successfully complete a level, and they are not available to refresh your memory. Aside from this problem, the zombies’ AI is rather dim, and the overall presentation is quite lacking. The graphics, albeit cel-shaded and smooth, leave much to be desired. This could easily have been a PlayStation 2 game, and when you’re purchasing an XBLA title, you find yourself wanting more from your games in the visuals department. Aside from the wonky overall quality, there are numerous pop-ins as well as strange camera angles that you’ll have to overcome in order to just simply enjoy the game. The music is quite throwaway as well – you won’t be rushing out to purchase the soundtrack anytime soon.

Zombie Wranglers could have been something much better. It’s a shame that it ended up this way, as with a bit more polish it could have been a truly engaging multiplayer experience, since its four-player co-op is where the game truly shines anyway. Perhaps with a bit more time and a little more work, we could see a sequel whose many issues are resolved. It wouldn’t be any contender for Left 4 Dead, but it would still be an enjoyable casual romp with friends over Xbox Live.

Doin It RIGHT: - Cartoony, endearing characters. - A blast to play, for a while. - Great premise.	Doin It RONG: - Obscure objectives. - Wasted potential. - Of course, no one is playing this online anymore.
FINAL SCORE: 6 / 10