Zombie Driver Immortal Edition (Nintendo Switch) Review

Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition makes no bones about what it is and what it aims to achieve. There is a late '90s PlayStation vibe going on, thanks to the gameplay being so similar to the driving games of that time. The grungy music compliments the ocean of blood that drenches the chassis, and how the undead erupt into chunky and crunchy globs of gelatinous gore. The distant camera, the simplistic controls, character dialogue, and even the weapon variety are qualities that would not have been out of place in a Twisted Metal knock-off. What makes Zombie Driver so much more appealing than any other car driving game from that time is its impressive scale and how it features massive maps that are crawling with hundreds of zombies on screen.

Zombie Driver fits somewhere in the middle of the original Grand Theft Auto, and the first Driver, but with some elements of Dead Rising, and sometimes a little bit of Crazy Taxi. The gameplay loop is quick and satisfying, keeping a steady flow of missions that get book ended with various unlockables and extra cash to upgrade the many vehicles. Between rudimentary driving controls, and standard vehicular shooting and drifting, the variety of missions is diverse enough to keep things interesting.

Fighting giant undead mutants, driving survivors to safety, or just plain trying to stay alive is the extent of the variety, though. The missions are as fresh as a corpse, and have cheesy style B-movie dialogue. This is not really why anyone would play this - it's the grind and the fast-paced survival on wheels that is the main draw. There is always something to be working towards, whether that's grinding for more upgrade money, or unlocking more cars, or stages for the other modes. The faster and meaner automobiles will be crucial in the racing mode, but the core gameplay is just not suited for a grand prix, since the camera angle is high and aimed downwards.

Expect to crash a lot when going fast since in Zombie Driver speed kills. The survival mode on the other hand is an enthralling thrill-ride for what is essentially a budget game. The maps are much smaller and condensed, and much easier to navigate. Undead threats are constantly fed to the player like beef thrown into a wood-chipper so there is never a dull moment. It is an utterly shallow experience, yet it wears its shallowness on its sleeve.

As far as Zombie Driver conversion to the Nintendo Switch is concerned, expect a very stable experience. Considering the vast size of the locations and the sheer density of zombies on screen while driving through them at high speeds, the frame rate is very smooth. Thanks to the camera angle, there is no pop-in to be seen at all. This is for the betterment of the car combat but also comes at the expense of driving through the city at high speeds. Aesthetics are mostly browns and tons of red. This is for the most part a very ugly game but not an eye-sore. The visuals are very much a product of the time Zombie Driver was originally released: the late '00s. The cars themselves are passable and the environments get the job done. If it weren't for the stimulating action and violence that can be played portably, Zombie Driver: Immortal Edition would have been completely forgettable.