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0 Hellbreach: Vegas is a wave-based zombie co-op shooter moving from Early Access to a 1.0 release on Steam. It has been available in Early Access on Steam since early March this year, but solo indie developer Infinity Ape Studios has stuck to his 6-month timeline. With publishing by Iceberg Interactive (Star Dynasties, AirportSim), the official 1.0 launch date was yesterday i.e. August 14th, 2024.
Now this is Zombie Slaying!
Fresh off my preview for Last Whisper, Hellbreach: Vegas definitely looks to be a horse of a different colour. At a glance it immediately hearkens back to spending some late nights with friends fighting zombie hordes in any number of Call of Duty games.
Gameplay
Hellbreach: Vegas is a wave-based zombie co-op FPS for you and up to three other friends to enjoy. It features five different game modes across seven different maps with a plethora of weapons, boosts and perks. The five game modes include: Survival – see how long you can last as you fight off increasingly difficult waves of zombies; Trapped – a claustrophobic version of Survival where you’re stuck in one area of the map; Gun Pro – rack up kills on each weapon to switch to the next; Royale – think battle royale circles without PvP, on a smaller scale and with zombies; and lastly Nightmare – a dark, perk-less hardcore take on Survival. Each of these modes has three different difficulties and can be played solo or up to a group of four. Though I admit I didn’t survive one round of Nightmare, even on medium!
I first took a crack at Survival on solo to get a feel of the core gameplay in Hellbreach: Vegas. What I found was a solid foundation. It feels and looks familiar, but not in a bad way. Surviving each wave, unlocking more area and gaining access to slot machines (because it is Vegas after all) for different weapons and boosts, had me rolling with nostalgia. Add onto that this was only one of five different game modes and I was already sold. The game feels like the developer has actually spent a good amount of time playing similar games in the genre. They have clearly have taken the time to play and refine their own game. A lot can be said about that alone.
The extra bits
I did dip a toe into each of the different game modes and found Gun Pro to be overall my favourite as a solo player. At least for now. All in all Hellbreach: Vegas has taken great parts of other games in the genre and combined them to make something truly in the spirit of having fun. Not to mention that there is progression in place for loadout unlocks, cosmetics for each of the four playable characters, as well as cosmetics via stickers and skins for each weapon. Everything appears to be unlockable simply by collecting skull chips from playing the game!
Graphics & Audio
It is hard for me to believe that Hellbreach: Vegas is the product of a solo developer. The game looks and plays very smoothly. The models for different zombies are downright chilling. The environments for each map really give you the feel of being downtown Las Vegas with all the lighting and décor you’d expect. The only collision issues that I ran into seem to stem from positioning myself poorly along a stairway or in a corner right as a wave comes in. Otherwise I didn’t notice any major visual glitches. Although there was suspicious movement of zombies through bushes…
Now, there is an important note on the Hellbreach: Vegas store page that I will touch on briefly. This note states that AI was utilized for sticker and skin creation for the different weapons. I tip my hat to Ash (aka Infinity Ape Studios) for the transparency. Whilst I am not put off in the slightest in regards to using AI in this way, I know that AI is a sensitive subject within game development at the moment.
The audio for Hellbreach: Vegas is on par and above what I was expecting. I didn’t notice anything that was out of place. The audio cues I was expecting were readily present. Only on occasion would a zombie catch me by surprise. This was usually only because I was too busy fighting others from a different direction! I was having too much fun playing the game to notice if it also had a musical track. Take that how you will!
Longevity
Hellbreach: Vegas features more than enough content for a 1.0 release. I am really, really hoping that Infinity Ape Studios is already planning a roadmap for future content too. Just as there was for the game’s Early Access. I see myself playing this for a long while to come. Not to mention with all of the unlock-able cosmetics and player progression, the game is truly already an amazing time sink.
Final Thoughts
Hellbreach: Vegas is hands down the most fun I’ve had playing a zombie FPS in years. I cannot wait to get some more friends on board to spend some late nights having some old school fun. It has multiple game modes, several different maps, and unlocks to boot.
I’m proud to award the Thumb Culture Platinum Thumb Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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