Zombie Slayer Diox

We've already had a rather lovely rhythm game for Nintendo 3DS in Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure, but until now there haven't been any Guitar Hero or Rock Band-styled 3D handheld titles.

Zombie Slayer Diox is all about rocking hard and sending the undead back to their graves, taking the term "death metal" to its literal extreme.

The controls simply aren't tight enough, however, and the game is rather light on content, leaving us longing for a real Rock Band instalment for 3DS.

You are Diox, the legendary zombie-slayer who has a suspiciously similar name to a certain legendary rock artist. The world has been overrun by dead walkers, and Diox is on a mission to cut them all down with the power of rock.

As zombies stumble towards Diox they're highlighted with a colour and a direction. By holding the appropriate button down and swiping in said direction at the correct beat in the music you can make Diox swing his guitar and turn the zombie into mincemeat.

It's a fairly well thought-out idea that had us intrigued to begin with. For instance, as you play you automatically learn which direction goes with which colour, allowing you to ignore the bottom screen and concentrate on the action.

Along the way there are achievements to earn in the form of guitar picks, and there are boss battles at the end of each zone, adding a little variety to the zombie-smashing action.

The music itself - all unique to the game - is a little hit and miss, with some hummable songs alongside some songs that frankly outstay their welcome.

But Zombie Slayer Diox's biggest issue is that the controls simply aren't tight enough.

When you're swiping multiple zombies in quick succession the game forces you to take the stylus off the screen for each one - you can't simply swing up and down quickly.

It's not at all clear why, as this makes succeeding with certain combos as good as impossible. Elsewhere in the game, swipes that feel spot-on only garnish 'good' scores rather than 'perfect' ones.

The game is also incredibly short, with around a dozen songs. This would be sufficient if the tracks were worth hearing over and over again, but the soundtrack just isn't compelling enough.

Add to that stereoscopic 3D that's barely noticeable and a total absence of online rankings and Zombie Slayer Diox proves to be an interesting concept let down by silly design.