Those familiar with the wide variety of Facebook farm-based games will be sure to really like the unique twist on that agrarian trend. Zombie Farm is a game that allows you to create a farm that harvests both fresh vegetables and not-so-fresh zombies. Moving beyond the straight plant and build your farm theme, however, this game also requires you to build a zombie army to fight the neighboring farmer, Old McDonell. It’s an odd mix of Farmville meets Plants vs Zombies.
An important note for this app is that the cost of the game is FREE – which is a very cool and great treat. Be aware, though, that there are options for in-app purchases to help you in your efforts to build and better your zombie farm and army. However, you don’t have to make a purchase in order to have fun with the game. Keep in mind, though, that while you don’t have to purchase brain (a necessary possession throughout the game) for the first ten levels, relying instead on successful campaigns against Old McDonell to earn the gray matter, in order to go beyond the tenth level you will have to purchase one brain. That purchase price is only .99c. If you like the game enough to make it to the tenth level and want to go beyond, it would benefit you to pay the brain fee to continue playing the game.
The basic gameplay is simple enough. You must start out by planting seeds and zombies to harvest. Seeds grow into various crops (carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc.), which you sell to get money to buy additional seeds and zombies, etc. Every seed planted has its own growing rate and value, so players should, especially in early play, plant wisely. Faster growing produce means you can sell your crops more frequently and earn more money, thereby growing your farm more quickly.
The zombies you plant grow into, well, zombies. Once harvested, the zombies wander around the farm mindlessly (sorry — couldn’t resist it). When you have gathered at least eight zombies, you have enough to form an army to attack Old McDonell. Zombies come in a variety of forms and mutations, though in the earliest stages of the game you’ll be limited to your plain old garden-variety zombie.
Zombie Farm is very simply a fun little game. The graphics are amusing and silly, and the irony of the pastoral sounds of birds chirping and a single acoustic guitar playing quietly as background to your meandering zombies is priceless. Old McDonell and his farmhands are so crazy looking they make the zombies look not half bad. Especially for a free app, the graphic design is really impressive.
The ability to connect with friends through Facebook — much like the popular games Farmville and Mafia Wars – adds a fun dimension to this game. The FREE price tag should encourage you to at least download the app and try it out, but you will need to give it a try for some time before truly being able to appreciate the game. For anyone who is looking for a fast action game, this won’t be your best bet. An improvement in the early stages would be faster growing produce to help encourage newcomers to stick with the game. Earning brain and money should be made easier in the first ten free levels, and then become more challenging after purchasing the full game.
Pros:
- Great price – FREE!
- Amusing graphics and sound
- Social networking connectivity
Cons:
- Slow moving and hard to advance
- Needs to be played every day for best results
Score: 6/10
Price: FREE
