Game Reviews

Grandpa and the Zombies

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Grandpa and the Zombies

One of the most urgent questions facing young adults today is, "how are we going to acquire the vast amounts of money and energy necessary to take care of our elderly population?"

There's no easy answer, but at least we needn't worry about one particular grandpa. The elderly star of Grandpa and the Zombies may be wheelchair-bound, but he seems perfectly able to take care of himself - even when he's staring death right in its dribbling, decomposing face.

Grandpa at the end of the world

Grandpa and the Zombies begins when Grandpa wakes up alone in the hospital with a broken leg and no memory of how he arrived. Before he can even fully shake off his weariness, zombies begin to spill into his room.

Seems like the apocalypse started when he was having his nap. Your mission: help Grandpa survive and escape.

Grandpa and the Zombies is a grid-based puzzle game. Grandpa lacks weapons, so he needs to dodge threats by wheeling his way around them.

When you swipe in a particular direction, Grandpa will keep on rollin' until he hits a wall, an object, a zombie (usually fatal), or the gate that takes him to the next level.

If you're familiar with the sliding ice block puzzles that appear in most modern Legend of Zelda games, then you already have a good idea of how the mechanics in Grandpa and the Zombies work.

Zombies a-plenty

Unfortunately for Grandpa, making a safe escape isn't simply a matter of bumping into the right walls. You also need to watch out for zombies, which move when you do. You need to think before you move, or a seemingly harmless flick of your finger might result in Grandpa's demise.

Grandpa and the Zombies keeps things interesting by throwing a mix of zombies into the fray. Some are dangerous, some are beneficial, and many are both.

For instance, regular garden-variety zombies will kill Grandpa if he touches them, but well-wrapped zombies aren't fatal to touch, making them useful as shields. Both types can be directed into electrical currents, and Grandpa can safely wheel over their ashes. Macabre and effective.

Slow going, sometimes

Puzzle fans will definitely get a kick out of wheeling Grandpa around pitfalls and the undead, and the game's mix of evil and 'friendly' zombies makes for some clever problem-solving.

Unfortunately, Grandpa and the Zombies is a bit unforgiving, a point that's bound to frustrate more casual players. Each level has three pieces of candy for Grandpa to collect, and you need a pretty hefty number of sweets if you want to open up new level packs.

Don't expect the scenery to get much more interesting as you progress, either. Grandpa and the Zombies's top-down view of the action is functional, but the dull colours don't offer a whole lot of graphical thrills.

Overall, Grandpa and the Zombies is good, tricky fun for grid-based puzzle fans. Go on and give Grandpa a hand in his escape. It sure beats listening to his story about how he went into town with a yellow onion tied to his belt because it was the style at the time.

Grandpa and the Zombies

Grandpa and the Zombies is an engaging puzzle game that works the part of your body that zombies covet most
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