Nasty Zombies is somewhat of an unassuming boomer shooter at first glance, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. It’s a wave-based survival game where the objective is to survive as long as possible. The undead enter into the map through barriers, and killing them and repairing barriers awards the player with points. This should sound familiar, as it’s meant to be a throwback to the earlier days of Call of Duty Zombies.
This is an incredibly interesting concept, as many players today find the newer zombie games too fast-paced and complex. It’s not hard to see why, either. The most recent incarnation of Zombies in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the most fast-paced experience yet, as well as being the most complex one since Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. I’ve seen many players share the sentiment that they wish the newer games would take more design cues from the older titles, and that’s where Nasty Zombies comes in.
Nasty Zombies is considerably slower, basing itself on World at War more than any other incarnation. The point system is a bit different, and while they’re relatively easy to acquire, it takes a long time to save them up since everything costs so much. After the Enfield Revolver, the cheapest wall weapon is 10.00, which doesn’t sound like much, but considering a single headshot kill grants the player roughly 25 cents, it’s undoubtedly a slog to save up.
Perks and power-ups are also featured in the game, but they’re tied into the game’s progression system, which is a feature that Zombies did not have until its fourth iteration in Black Ops 3. The progression is all out-of-game and is focused on expanding the power-up pool and perk arsenal through in-game currency. Said currency is an extension of the point system, with players receiving points equivalent to the total number of points earned in their last game. This system is incredibly tedious as the prices increase exponentially with every purchase, and as mentioned before, points are hard to save up.
Power-ups in Nasty Zombies are rather simple; many of them are carried over from Call of Duty, with some new additions sprinkled in. Every power-up will enter the in-game power-up pool once it’s purchased. On the other hand, perks are a lot different, as the player can only equip one at a time, and they must be equipped out-of-game rather than being purchased mid-match. It comes off as a change for the sake of change since it takes a system tied into in-game progression, makes it an out-of-game progression system, then restricts the player by forcing them to choose only one ability.
There are a few more minor features, such as a camo system, player character customisation, gameplay modifiers, and levers randomly placed around what is currently the only map in the game. Still, the most critical aspect is the gameplay loop.
Things start slow and ramp up over time with higher spawn rates and stronger zombies. As a whole, it’s pretty enjoyable. The gunplay is engaging and well-balanced, and it doesn’t seem like there are any weapons you wouldn’t use under any circumstances. Killing zombies is particularly enjoyable as it’s very stimulating to line up headshots perfectly or mag-dump into a crowd from a vantage point. Movement is also implemented well, and once you get the hang of it, juking zombies is extremely satisfying.
The PSX-style visuals combine rather effectively with the military and occult-inspired art direction. They serve as a way for the game to both pay homage to and distinguish itself from its roots. The sound design isn’t particularly special, with most of the audio likely being stock recordings and what little narrative the game has is in the description on Steam rather than in-game. I wouldn’t necessarily say these aspects reflect poorly on the game’s quality, however, since it is somewhat consistent with the games of that generation.
Overall, the game certainly has its flaws, but as a $7 callback to the old days of Call of Duty Zombies, it’s definitely worth it. A lot of mechanics still need work, but at the same time, the game certainly shows promise, especially as an Early Access title. If you’re a fan of old Zombies and want a distraction for a few hours, there’s no reason not to pick this one up and give it a whirl; you might just find new life in this subgenre after all.
Nasty Zombies is available on Steam.
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