The Fifth Ark preview - "Zombie Horde Action Heroes"

The Fifth Ark is a mobile action shooter that mashes multiple genres together and has you fighting hordes of zombies to defend the world from the impending invasion. The world has become infested with zombies and other creatures by an unknown source, and you play through missions and complete quests with one of ten different heroes, each with their own ability.

Story and gameplay preview

You begin The Fifth Ark with one of the game’s heroes, Carter, and then you must use the game’s gacha system to earn additional characters. The gacha system is pretty standard fare, with an indirect currency being used to roll for heroes. But before the game will even let you recruit more, you need to beat the first district in the campaign.

The top-down action is fairly intense, as you’ll be mowing down waves of zombies and other infected things with your hero’s weapon. You also have the option of using your hero’s special ability, like a grenade or a charged-up shot to do additional damage. Each special that you use has a cooldown and will recharge over time. It’s a bit like an RPG or MOBA in that respect, but you will quickly get used to it.

Base building in The Fifth Ark

Base-building is an option in The Fifth Ark, and building and customizing can be done in the hall. Each upgrade you add gives you additional resources, and you can eventually unlock other decoration options to deck it out to fit your style. There is personnel you can assign to the different stations, and each one will carry out your commands, toiling away for your benefit.

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There’s a bunch of different modes to enjoy when you’re not chipping away at the campaign, with plenty of options for PvE and PvP play. There are even some co-op challenges that you can join up with a buddy and tackle if you’re looking to share the battle with a friend. The 1v1 Arena mode is an automatic battle where you face off against other opponents. Challenging others to these battles and winning will help to raise your rank, all the way up to the top, which will move you up to the next division.

Game modes in The Fifth Ark

Other modes in multiplayer include Dominion, which really is just another way of saying ‘control points’, and Deathmatch, which is a little bit different than what you might be used to. In fact, it sort of feels like Titanfall in its own way, as you can shoot zombies to rack up points, and also kill players to steal fifty per cent of their points. Only the top four players earn rewards, so the battles will certainly keep you on your toes.

The Fifth Ark has the heroes of Overwatch, the top-down gameplay of a MOBA, and a metric ton of zombies to kill. The combat stays fresh no matter what mode you are playing, and there’s always something to keep you busy, whether you’re logging in to check the progress of your base or playing a quick round in between destinations.