Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Switch) Review

Thank goodness zombie Hitler is doubley-dead, but his cohort is still dragging their living-dead butts around Europe wreaking havoc. So join the Resistance with a trench gun and a mate in tow and get blasting. 

The Sniper Elite spin-off hits the Switch and sets you up for some first-person zombie-shooting fun. Made and published by Rebellion Developments, the game picks up where Zombie Army Trilogy left off in 2015 and drops you in from the get-go. 

Zombie Army 4: Dead War also seems to pick up where the beloved undead shooters of  yesteryear left off. The gameplay is heavily reminiscent of Left 4 Dead, with four players tackling a chapter, frantically tackling objectives and dealing with a range of zombie classes before a mad dash to the finish line. 

There’s also a healthy dosage of Call of Duty on show, with Zombie Army 4’s Horde mode resembling the endless wave style of COD zombies mode, not to mention the wacky WWII zombie story with an oddball cast spouting dumb one-liners. Even the weapon loadouts, player rank and season pass game style resemble Call of Duty’s more recent foray into battle royale territory (dance emotes included). And Zombie Army 4 unabashedly wears its influences on its sleeve – the protagonists from the Left 4 Dead duology are all available as free DLC skins! 

The game is definitely designed for play with friends or online randos, as solo play is a touch lacklustre. It’s a shame there’s no split screen co-op to really capture the throwback zombie game feel, but the state of FPS games has shifted a lot in the last decade and you can’t blame Zombie Army 4 for that. So jump online and get to work! Between the 12 campaign missions, 10 Horde maps, a bunch of collectibles and 60-odd achievements you’ll be busy for hours on end. 

Now there’s a sizable amount of DLC you’ll need for a complete experience, especially if you’re wanting to expand your online play options. The vanilla Zombie Army 4: Dead War Switch version includes the Season 1 pass content, but you’ll be dropping about $100 on top of that if you want the additional Season 2 and 3 add-ons, which includes maps and skins. At a glance it seems a little annoying for a game to have so much DLC on release, but bear in mind the game first hit other consoles back in 2020, so it’s an understandable sitch. And if you’re already a fan then the DLC should be right up your alley anyway. 

It’s a tad dumb but it’s old-school dumb fun. Jump in with a friend or three and relive the glory days of zombie shooters in a simpler time when battles weren’t ‘royale’ and zombies were hotter than Jessica Alba. 

Rating: 3.5/5