OMG Zombies!

Much like the brain-eating monsters on the screen, OMG Zombies is one of those games that always seems to come back from the dead. I first reviewed it on Sony's PlayStation Portable back in 2011, followed two years later by the PS Vita port and then the Steam version in 2014. Now it's on the Switch, and I couldn't possibly be more excited. You would think that I might be bored of the game after reviewing it so many times, but that's not the case, because this newest port gives me another great reason to play through one of the best zombie games of all time.

For those who missed out on the PSP, PS Vita or PC editions, OMG Zombies is one of the few games to combine the mayhem of the walking dead with the explosive fun of chain reactions. It actually has a very simple premise, which involves an armed survivor attempting to kill an army of meandering zombies with only a few bullets. But don't worry, because in this game our hero is always safely perched high above the swarm of brain-devouring bad guys. This is definitely not your typical horror game.

How do you kill one hundred smelly zombies with only three bullets? In the case of OMG Zombies, it all comes down to choosing your targets wisely. There are eight different types of undead characters to shoot at, each with a slightly different dying move. For example, the zombie cop shoots straight forward, killing whatever is standing directly in front of him. There's a bloated zombie who explodes the moment your bullet spikes his flabby exterior. And don't forget about the bilious zombie, which bursts into a pool of acid when killed.

Each of these zombie types is specifically designed to trigger a chain reaction, allowing the player to take out dozens of walkers with a single, well-placed shot. This shot may also include flaming barrels, which are occasionally scattered randomly throughout the stages. With a little skill and a whole lot of luck, it's possible to safely wipe out every zombie with a single shot.

While this Switch version doesn't feature any new enemies, it does feature the three new zombies created for the prior HD remakes. The first is the mortar zombie, the worst of the eight enemy classes. Upon his death, the mortar zombie shoots his head into the air, randomly landing somewhere in the level. Thankfully the other two zombie types are more useful and interesting. The runner zombie is a woman who runs to the other side of the level when she dies. This is useful when you want to move the chain reaction to a new group of baddies. The final new character is the zapper zombie, who shoots out an electric shot and shocks nearby enemies.

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The player fights through 100 black-and-white stages, featuring locations as diverse as a prison, the city streets, a schoolyard, the abandoned highway, a sports arena and more. Sometimes the locations are only cosmetic, while other times they present obstacles for the zombies (and the player) to deal with. The prison stages, for example, are a series of corridors and tight cells, while the town square is nothing more than one huge mob of unobstructed zombies.

Similar to the 2013 PS Vita release, OMG Zombies allows players to fight the walking dead using both a standard controller and the Switch's touchscreen. Both methods work well, and I like that the developers have gone out of their way to give you as much control as possible. There's a sniper scope you can use to zoom in on the action and the D-pad will slow down the cursor and let you line up the perfect shot. And if you're playing the game in handheld mode, you can control everything with your finger, resulting in an even more intuitive experience.

Although the premise is simple, clearing out each stage is not. This is especially true early on, before the player spends any money on upgrades. The good news is that you aren't required to kill 100% of the zombies. In fact, each of the 100 stages offers four different medals -- bronze, silver, gold and OMG. Each of these medals comes with prize money, which can be used to upgrade bullets and enemy effectiveness. This means that many stages will need to be played multiple times in order to earn the most money and buy all of the upgrades.

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There's a reason that all this is so addictive, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's so simple that some could argue that OMG Zombies is built entirely on luck. And while there certainly is an element of luck involved, that doesn't take away from how satisfying it is to wipe out one hundred zombies in a single shot. This is now my fourth time playing through the OMG-Z series, and I still can't get enough of watching the explosive chain reaction caused from a well-placed bullet.

While I still dig the game's comic book inspired visuals, I can't help but be a little disappointed that OMG Zombies doesn't look that much different from the PS Vita and PC versions. This is, after all, yet another version of a game released in 2011 on the PSP, and there's no question that the game is starting to show its age. Don't get me wrong, I want this game on every system possible, but it's also about time Laughing Jackal gives OMG Zombies a facelift or proper sequel. We've been waiting seven long years and it's time for some new levels.

While it may not be the sequel we've been waiting for, OMG Zombies is a perfect fit on the Switch. This is an inventive action/puzzle game where all you need is a single shot to take out a horde of flesh-eating zombies. With one-hundred levels, plenty of upgrades and intuitive touchscreen controls, this is arguably the best version of the game yet. OMG Zombies is a must-own on the Switch.