Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes key art

What’s the best way to deal with incoming, shuffling undead? Fire, ice, massive axes? Or maybe a well-placed pinball shot that takes one on the way up, pings around to deal with a nearby group, and then descents towards the flippers and hits another zombie just as he was getting ready to strike? Make sure to keep each ball in play for as long as possible and pick the best time to activate all the special moves that make short work of groups or tough opponents.

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is developed by Zing Games Inc., with publishing duties handled by Daedalic Entertainment. I played it on the PC using Steam, but it is also available on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. This is a pinball game with a cool take on the game world that also has some rogue ideas.

The world of the game is plagued by undead and corruption. The player needs to choose a hero (all but one unlocked via playing) and guide them through four realms, tackling four bosses, to deal with the threat. There are some narrative elements sprinkled across the game world, but the story never rose beyond the level of background noise. The writing is serviceable but nothing more and there’s nothing in this universe that feels unique or engaging.

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
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The innovation of Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes lies in its gameplay mix of zombie combat and pinball action. All challenges in the game are solved using balls and flippers (you cannot bump the machine in order to gain an advantage). At its most basic the idea is to target the incoming zombies with your ball, taking them down before they reach the bottom of the play space. If they do, they deal damage, unless countered by a solid flipper strike. Simple ball strikes aren’t powerful enough to deal with all the undead, which is why the game adds a layer of extra abilities.

The ball itself can fire projectiles that take down enemies. There are also plenty of objects in the environment that can be activated to deal damage to groups of enemies. I love the hatchet-in-the-stump and the explosives most. The boards also offer opportunities to replenish health and to get the power for special attacks. Use them when the undead grow in numbers too quickly and as soon as they are available when dealing with bosses.

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes also features an overland map. Apart from the already described battle spaces it also features puzzles, solved by the solid application of pinball principles. For each world, players need to reach the portal that leads to the boss. To have a solid chance of taking him down, gamers should try to get to other points of interest, which will allow them to gain new abilities or upgrade their stats. Shovels play an especially important part in this side of the game, which also features purple corruption that creeps forward day by day, hot on the heels of the player hero.

The best moment I had with the game came during my first boss battle. It felt good to quickly take down enough of the undead to get access to the specials and then launch them as the boss drew threateningly closer to my flippers. The rogue mechanics mean players have more options for their next run. Unfortunately, there’s nothing original to how they are implemented. And simply fighting zombies with pinball, while cool at first, is not enough to sustain interest in the experience. I wanted to influence the world more or to find new ways to tweak ball flight or to get abilities that tweak the layout of the battlefield.

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is adequate looking, although a little more polish could have served it well. The zombies are easy to identify visually and it’s relatively simple to quickly judge where the ball should go for various results. The world itself feels drab and there’s little in the way of innovation in the presentation department. The sound design is even less interesting, with background music that never becomes interesting and effects that add nothing to the gameplay.

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
+4more

The Good

  • Cool pinball moments
  • Randomized world
  • Rogue progression

The Bad

  • Limited narrative
  • World interactions
  • Uninteresting sound design

Conclusion

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes has a solid core gameplay loop but lacks any extra elements that can keep players engaged for a long while. The narrative is almost non-existent, characters are bland. Even the rogue elements seem like an afterthought, a good way to justify multiple runs but nothing more.

But the pinball and undead mix is just good enough to justify playing Zombie Rollers for more than just an hour or so. I think players should try at least six or seven runs to see whether they like the gameplay or not. The puzzles and the boss fights are the best moments, especially once one becomes familiar with the special attacks. Zing Games knows how to mash two classic concepts together and, even if Pinball Heroes lacks polish, I really want to see what they plan to combine next.

Review code provided by the publisher.

story 5
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 7
audio 6
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 
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Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes screenshots (21 Images)

Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes key art
Zombie Rollerz: Pinball HeroesZombie Rollerz: Pinball HeroesZombie Rollerz: Pinball HeroesZombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
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