Infect Them All 2: Zombies Review

Maybe we’ve got zombies all wrong. Maybe they aren’t brain-hungry monsters. Maybe they’re just really happy and they want to share their joy with everyone. They could be the most selfless and caring creatures in existence, and we give a shotgun blast to the face for their noble efforts. Yeah, probably not. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun to play “Zombie Missionary” from time to time.

Infect Them All 2: Zombies is a sequel to Magic Cube’s other brain muncher. This newer version includes more playable zombies, more types of live prey, and so on. Newcomers should note that this is a game about eating people and turning them into zombies themselves, so that they can in turn eat and convert more people, until each level is completely overrun. Or the player’s zombie dies. Again. In addition to the campaign with increasingly difficult groups of humans to devour there are also a number of bonus modes including an infinite Tower, time-based Blitz, wave-based Survival, and more.

It’s the inclusion of more playable zombies and their own unique abilities that really sets Infect Them All 2 apart from its predecessor. These are no mere reskins (har-har), but rather totally different characters with different strengths and weaknesses. Micky, the starter zombie, is a good all-around brain eater and sports some very handy blood-based attacks that can weaken tough enemies. Mary, on the other hand, isn’t as tough but she’s a lot faster and can buff her minions. Each of the 8 characters plays a bit differently and can be individually upgraded until they’re a rotting, stinky wrecking machine. The core mechanics are fun to begin with, but adding a sizeable roster of unique individuals with their own upgradeable skill sets really encourages multiple play sessions.

It’s not all fun and reanimated corpses, however. Due to the manic and somewhat random nature of Infect Them All 2’s levels (thanks to meandering humans, mostly) it can be difficult to approach hostile targets. They’ll get mad and attack, which is prefaced by an icon over their head, but often times there’s no delay between the fumes and the aggression. This leads to moments of frustration when a target I’ve been chasing halfway around the room suddenly turns and blasts me in the face without warning. It’s even worse when groups of these enemies are clustered together because it can create a hail of attacks that could lead to an untimely second demise.

Infect Them All 2: Zombies isn’t without its frustrations, but overall it’s a very fun way to kill time. There are plenty of levels, as well as bonus levels, to mess around with, not including the leaderboards that have to be dominated. And that’s all before considering the roster of upgradeable characters. I think it’s safe to say that this particular sequel is worth the health risk.