NichProductions's game Reviews on Newgrounds

[Road of the Dead]

Definitely one of my favorite flash games ever.
I'm normally not a fan of upgrade games, but this one is pretty different. The action in it is extremely fun.
So, the main character, its an interesting one. I haven't seen too many games which actually explain to you why a character's vehicle can be upgraded with such excessive stuff.
But our main character justifies it easily. Him being a mechanic makes his skills with his car and his modifications a lot more believable. Besides, he himself is a believable character.
He isn't this almighty hero who is there to save the World. His an average guy, maybe even a little shady guy, trying to survive. Sure, running civilians isn't encouraged, but he isn't helping them either. The military's killing both civilians and zombies, giving the player a reason to not really feel bad for killing them.
Honestly, there's not really a hero in this story. The driver is a survivor trying to escape and the military are soldiers attempting to follow orders.
The gameplay itself is pretty fun. Love how the car actually changes appearance as you upgrade it. Its rather challenging, but not in a bad way. Sure, there are those "GOD DAMN IT", moments, but I have those all the time. There is a fair variety of zombies to be honest. Not too many though, but hey, what's there is good.
The game also wants you to play smart.
If you just break your windshield with your gun every time a zombie jumps on your hood, you'll be fucked because then you will be more vulnerable to bullets. So basically, its a smarter choice to just keep hitting stuff until the enemy, may it be a zombie or a soldier, falls off so you can proceed... almost safely.
The upgrades actually do help! And its not a problem there being only three slots of upgrades, because every upgrade actually FEELS like you've upgraded your car, and doesn't feels like an endless grind. The points system is fair and its satisfactory. You get points for mowing down zeds and soldiers, for how far you have gone and for the number of helicopters you've managed to make hit the billboards, while losing points for every civilian you end up killing.
I like how we can hear the military radio and how it tells us what's coming next. Its a clever way to introduce us to new enemies and obstacles, speaking of the mutated zeds, the spike traps, the helicopter... Essentially, in the end, the programming, including the AI ain't bad. Good job, Evil-Dog, you made this game HELLA FUN.
The art of this game? Beautiful. Its not the most mind-blowing thing ever, but what's there is REALLY good. Basically, everything is designed very well.
Voice acting. My GOD the voice acting, definitely one of the best traits of the game.
You have four very talented voice actors, that's for sure. Sapphire, TomaMoto and Xalkie were very well directed to deliver us believable voices. Except that one soldier that has one helluva raspy voice. Like, is he ok...?
The music. LORD is this music great! Sure, I do like my zombie action with a fair bit of Heavy Metal and rock, but this orchestral, intense and climatic music does helps setting up the player.
You are not some badass invincible super human. You're a civilian attempting to escape a very shitty situation, and the intense music lets you know that. So S made a WONDERFUL job with the soundtrack of this game.
Overall, for me, htis game is a 6/6 stars.
Fun and intuitive gameplay, great voice acting, great music, great art style.
Congratulations.

SickDeathFiend responds:

Thanks for the thought out review, We are glad you enjoyed it!