What's perhaps even more interesting is how one of the game's creators, Matthias Hoechsmann, got into the games industry. Hoechsmann tells us that--before creating the predecessor to Zombie Swipeout, ZombieSmash!--he was busy studying single-celled organisms known as Archaea. Creating games was simply a hobby of his and his brother's, but that all changed with the release of the iPhone. Soon after, Hoechsmann and his brother founded GameDoctors to craft ZombieSmash!
The Hoechsmann brothers then moved on to join Zynga to form Zynga Mobile Germany. Since around (or before) October 2011, the duo has been working on Zombie Swipeout, and now the game is available on the Canadian App Store, with a U.S. release on the way. Speaking of which, back to the game.

All you need to do in Zombie Swipeout is, well, swipe at the screen and zombies drop from the sky. (Of course, like in Fruit Ninja, those zombies are thrown into your view from all angles.) However, slicing zombies in certain spots earns players more points, like decapitating zombies, for instance. But you won't just slice zombies--you'll also bludgeon them with a variety of weapons available through the in-game shop that works in a combination of coins and paid currency. What mixes up the play hook, fortunately, are additions like grenades and ice bombs that blow cadavers to bits and freeze them, respectively. The most interesting twist on the well-known slashing hook is the inclusion of Joey, the sole survivor from the Hoechsmann brothers' first game, When Joey appears in the playing field amidst the hordes of zombies, he runs the risk of being caught in the crossfire. If that happens it's game over ... sort of.

It's only game over if you want it to be, really. As Joey falls from the game screen to his untimely undeath, you have ten seconds to choose whether you want to rewind time to before you made the mistake or to let him go. Of course, rescuing Joey from the grips of the unliving will cost you a health pack, which players can buy more from the in-game shop with coins or paid currency. (The same goes for the energy used to play each round.)
And as with all Zynga games, social is key to Zombie Swipeout. Every round played contributes to a leaderboard comprised of either your Facebook friends or fellow players that have opted to create an in-game user name instead. As players climb up the leaderboards and gain levels, they'll unlock new abilities and perks to use while slicing or smashing up the undead.

So yeah, it's kind of like Fruit Ninja, but only if Fruit Ninja were about zombies, featured different weapons and power-ups to collect, had the option to correct your mistakes and--oh, forget it. Zombie Swipeout is due out on the global App Store soon.


Are you excited about Zombie Swipeout? What do you think of Zynga's take on popular swiping games? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.