World War Z's Aftermath expansion has you taking back the Vatican
Holy melee
World War Z was surprising in a number of ways. It was good, when I’d lazily written it off (not here or in any public forum, but privately to my cat). It was hugely popular for a time, too. It did well enough for Saber Interactive to keep at it, adding new cities and creating a GOTY edition. And now they’re updating it all again. World War Z: Aftermath is both an expansion to the original game, or a standalone that includes every update so far. It also has two new cities, survivors, a first-person mode, and lots of melee attacks.
You fight in Rome, and also Russia’s frosty Kamchatka peninsula. The Italian capital sounds like a lot of fun, with both the Colosseum and Vatican City being overrun like some gory package holiday. The frozen Russian map’s big centrepieces, meanwhile, are an ice-locked cruise ship and a nuclear submarine.
A new class, Vanguard, can stand against the horde with an electrified shield. If they get past you can slice at them with a more in-depth melee system. They’ve added dual-wielding and two-handed weapons, like sickles, cleavers, or axes.
First-person looks way better than the third-person aiming mode to me. I was never a huge fan of how the character was pushed off to one side, taking up valuable zombie spotting real estate on screen. I don't like feeling cramped, so this is a very welcome addition.
It’s quite the time for people who love Left 4 Dead-alikes. Alice Bee has already gone over what else is coming over the hills at us, but it looks like Aftermath will beat them all. It’s coming for us on September 21st on Steam and the Epic Games Store.