Dead Nation

About

Dead Nation is a top-down action game where you or a friend team up to blast through hordes of undead in a zombie-riddled world. You pick up weapons, upgrade them at checkpoints, and rack up points by stringing together kills. Health and score multipliers drop when you get hit so you have to balance aggression and survival. Each level is a gauntlet of shooting, scavenging, and grinding through waves of baddies with occasional timed survival stretches where you just have to hold on. The game stands out for its tight co-op play and progression loop that rewards scavenging and smart upgrades. Players can mix melee and ranged attacks to carve through zombies in bursts of chaos. While the 2010 release date shows its age some mechanics like loot boxes and weapon swaps still feel punchy. Community feedback often highlights the fun of teaming up but notes the single player campaign is short. It’s a straightforward brawler with a focus on quick reflexes and explosive upgrades.

Storyline

Dead Nation takes place in a fictional world afflicted by a zombie apocalypse. The player can play as a male or female character and fight different types of zombies. Players fight their way through ten levels, using weapon shops that allow weapon upgrading and armor swapping. During the levels, players can find boxes that hold ammunition, multipliers, money, or armor pieces, and also loot cars trunks for money. If a car is blown up before being looted, though, the loot is lost. At times the players are trapped in areas where they must survive until they have accomplished a certain goal (i.e.: wait for an elevator while fighting zombies or kill all zombies in the area).