Halloween Game Review: Deadlight (PC)

The end of the world is something that both film makers and game designers always seem to go back to, in gaming we’ve got Fallout for example where we look at a world ravaged by nuclear war with the remains of the human race fighting it out against each other for survival.  Another type of apocalypse is the zombie outbreak that we almost obsess on, it makes for good games to be able to shoot a few moving corpses and know they are already dead right? Deadlight is a game that looks at the results of a zombie outbreak but looks to make it more personal, and is now available on the PC via Steam.

Randall Wayne is a survivor in an eighties version of the almost stereotypical zombie invasion.  The dead have taken over the streets and the human race are fighting it out with not only the zombies but themselves to take control.  You as Randall are searching for your wife and daughter in a world gone to hell.  You are the sole wanderer, a lot like Clint Eastwood’s cowboy character moving between the parts of the city helping people who you meet, killing the dead and fighting against the militarised groups who want to take control and don’t care who they kill.

Deadlight personalises the zombie game by taking away the basic shoot and kill philosophy, adding in the story of the family and slowing everything down.  Wayne has to make his way through streets and buildings collecting information about what has happened to the city and also what has happened to his family.  You solve puzzles and find the best way to keep out of the way of the zombies, when you need to shoot then you have the weaponry but ammunition is sparse so much be used wisely.  Wayne is no “super hero” style computer game character, he has limited stamina and he soon grows tired, where the zombies just continue their slow move towards you.  This all adds up to an imposing atmosphere where you are more of the victim of the surroundings than the big action hero.

The controls are easy to use (especially using an Xbox 360 controller on the PC) and you’ll find yourself easily finding your way through the zombies at first.  There are quite a few puzzles though that need extra thought and quick thinking, as well as quick fingers.  I found myself getting quite annoyed with some puzzles as you have to be fast, very fast to get through some scenarios but once you get past them it’s nice to feel you’ve actually managed to work the puzzle out, it’s not just a case of run, jump and shoot.  You have to earn your way through this one.

Using the Unreal 3 engine in a fairly unique way this is a 3D game, but more in the “2.5D perspective” that is often used.  This is a side on scrolling environment with the engine itself being used to give the 3D perspective in the background where you see the zombies continue their feeding and helicopters pass by (or even shoot at you at times).  The graphics are quite immersive and pull you into the story itself which is in itself a homage to horror movies of the past.  For zombie film fans you’ll feel elements of Romero’s zombie films as well as a few others, but this is not one for comedy this is all about the end of the world and the loss of family, with the revelations of just what happened to Randall Wayne’s family to come.

Deadlight is a game that wants to put you through a unique single player experience and does it for the most part successfully.  There are times you will get annoyed with the controls, you’ll feel you are stuck within one section with no way to get out but of course there is always an answer to the problem.  It may require you to be fast and quick thinking but the answer is there, which makes it perfect for a Halloween treat.  Deadlight is available for the PC via Steam and Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Marketplace now.

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