Brought to us by Infinity Ape Studios and Iceberg Interactive, Hellbreach: Vegas is a wave-based first-person shooter for 1-4 players that scratches that itch you might have for zombies and the round-based gameplay we all love and crave from the ‘Call of Duty’ days. Admittedly, I have seen a lot of mixed reviews, but in saying that, I do believe Hellbreach: Vegas is a decent start for a one-man developer. Here’s what I thought.

Hellbreach: Vegas, as stated earlier, is a wave-based zombie game set in a neon-lit Las Vegas. Progressing through the rounds rewards you with cash to spend on weapons, slot machines or perks, and skulls to unlock the different areas. Might I add that by having four unique characters, and a wide array of weapons, perks and accessories to unlock, it will surely have you grinding for hours to look better than your mate.

Jumping right into the game with no tutorial or tips, you will have to figure out the controls by reading the control settings, but it’s fairly standard for any first-person shooter; WASD to move, LMB to shoot, RMB to aim, and so on. Basically, you can dive straight into the action with guns blazing, spending hours upon hours slashing your way through a series of maps, trying to survive as each round is more challenging than the last. Boring, right?

Thankfully, there are multiple other game modes to experiment with; Survival, which is your traditional round-based zombie defence game; Gun Pro, where your weapon is switched out every ten kills, and win once all weapons have been used; Trapped sets you up in a small section of the map, locked away with nothing but the bare essentials; Nightmare, which is yet to be released; and my personal favourite, Royale, which is a lot like your everyday Battle Royale, in that the circle gets smaller as the game goes on..

I did try to find a multiplayer game, but unfortunately, there were none in my region. I enjoyed my time solo nonetheless, but I didn’t feel any pizazz while shooting the zombies – pummelling them with bullets didn’t bother them unless I got a headshot.

Once you earn enough cash there is a plethora of slot machines to gamble on, such as ‘Win a Weapon’, which spits out a random weapon, ‘Spin a Boost’, giving you a random power-up, and ‘Pull a Skull’, granting you a chance to increase your end-game payout. Levelling up allows you to select which perks you want, but will also unlock a large number of weapons, characters, weapon accessories, and clothing items to customise your look.

I know what you’re thinking, “But Larry, what about maps? Is it only one map?” Seeing as I forgot to mention maps, there are also 7 different maps for you and your friends to run around and cause chaos on.

In contrast to other zombie games that have specific areas where the enemies spawn, Hellbreach: Vegas is quite different. Zombies will not only spawn from portals on the walls, but rather, anywhere they like. The majority of the time I found myself getting hit from random places I didn’t have eyes on, getting surrounded, and ultimately, trapped. Despite this, I did find the boss fights to be fairly decent.

They weren’t overpowering or hard to defeat, instead, sitting in the happy middle ground. This made for satisfying encounters and thoroughly aided in enjoying the zombie massacre. With that said, I do believe the shooting animations could use some work. Aiming down sights to line up a shot seems pointless – your sights sway aimlessly, so you’re better off hip-firing if you want to hit something.

Graphics, the vomit of bright neon colours mixed in with the darks gave a fun yet eerie feel, and I loved it. I will admit that certain areas on some maps were a bit too dark to see, but it didn’t take away from the overall look of each map.

Everything from the quirky character accessories to the skins on the guns all looked the part, fitting well with the overall vibe of the game being neon. I thoroughly enjoyed the maps and the presentation of Hellbreach: Vegas.

The bright neons lighting made me think of the 80s and 90s, a time I so desperately wish I was alive to see.
The sounds in Hellbreach: Vegas also deserve a notable mention. From the eerie deep tone of the drums sounding like they’re straight out of a horror movie, to weapons firing and zombies screeching in my ear, it all aided the experience of being a lone survivor in a zombie apocalypse.

I do believe Hellbreach: Vegas is a decent game, but I also believe it does need minor work in certain areas. Infinity Ape Studios has put in a tremendous effort for a one-man dev team, and I applaud it.

The number of different game modes, the variety of weapons and unlockables are sure to keep you and your mates busy for a while, whether it be a heavy weekend slog or casual sessions throughout the week. They are still putting out regular content for this game, and it’s only a matter of time before this one blows up, so get there, you legends, and slash those zombies!

Written by: Larry