Nom Nom Apocalypse, a game by Deadleaf Games, is a wacky and wild post-apocalyptic adventure. This top-down shooter puts a creative spin on what the end of the world looks like. The only question is… Are you hungry for a fight?
For appetizers, Nom Nom Apocalypse is a game that ducks out on the story but makes up for it in the gameplay. The plot can best be summarized in one sentence: Food mutants wreak havoc on the city folk and it is up to a small group of heroes to save the day.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way we can focus on the carnage that is the gameplay! Combat is rather fast paced because the monsters are fast food (ba dum-cha). Your characters are limited to a loadout of three weapons. The weapons themselves are a work of art: choose between your stock assault rifle, the mustard blasting shotgun, a submachine gun style salt shaker, and others. In addition to the weapons each character comes with his or her own special ability that you can use when things get real sticky. However, those abilities can only be activated by building up your power grease tank which increases with each kill. Timing yourself to use them shouldn’t be a problem, because there are plenty of enemies to go around!
As you cut your way through each area of the level you may find yourself struggling to keep up with the never ending horde of enemies. Every now and then a mutant will drop loot, the most important being ammo and money. Money can be exchanged at vending machines throughout the map for supplies such as health, grease for your special ability, and ammunition. At the end of the level (or at death) you can use the leftover money to purchase perks for your character. These perks make the gameplay vastly different than plain vanilla. In my experience I found that using the laser sight, fast movement, and quick dodging abilities compliment my Leroy Jenkins play style. There’s a handful of perks to choose from, but in the end you only have three slots to use them in.
Speaking of the levels, each area of the map is procedurally generated. You’ll find that your gameplay experiences will differ with each attempt, as areas will have different types of mutants. Some enemies will be easy and die quickly; others will be hard and require strategy to overcome (the burrito worm was my bane). Luckily each area provides a good amount of room for you to move around and obstacles for you to hide behind in case mutants are flinging their projectiles at you. At the end of each map you’ll run into a boss that is also randomized per attempt. A nice thing to have is the expanded view of the map during these fights, because you’ll be doing a lot of dodging! In the end, the unpredictability of each level provides a challenging replayability, forcing you to rely on your skill instead of a well-rehearsed strategy.
Final Grade: C+
In conclusion, this game is perfect for people looking for a challenging co-op experience (with the flexibility to play single player as well). A never ending horde of food mutants means there’s no shortage of running and gunning. This makes the co-op mode so much more humorous when you mistime a dodge or run out of ammo. However, the game becomes overcooked as you make attempt after attempt. Dying in the game means that you have to start over from the beginning area, which can get a little dry even though each area is procedurally generated (the saving bonus is that your perks stay with you after you die). It takes a little patience to get familiar with the controls and enemies, but even after you accomplish this you may find yourself full with no room for dessert. However, don’t let this put you off. Nom Nom Apocalypse is tactfully engaging. If you can stomach the slight repetition of the levels themselves then you will have no problem going up for seconds.
The Tip and the Top:
· Fast action gameplay
· Smooth level design
· Different character/weapon/perk loadouts cater to various play styles
The Flip and the Flop:
· Repetitive levels, even when procedurally generated, make the experience stale rather quickly
· Hardware requirements seem a little demanding