'Call of Mini: Double Shot': Repetition Claims This Game's Life

The popularity of zombies and the zombie apocalypse are at an all time high right now, especially in the gaming world. What better way to realize your fantasy of liberally killing zombies in a world where the dead become, well, undead than in a video game? Call of Mini: Double Shot by Triniti Interactive tries to cash in on the zombie craze. So how does it hold up?  Not very good as you can tell by this article's title. Call of Mini: Double Shot places you in the town of Lakeside which has apparently been overrun by zombies and other bio-engineered monstrosities. It's up to you, a stranded truck driver, and a fellow survivor to shoot through waves of zombies and make it across town to find the source of the infection. It's a pretty standard zombie premise with a really neat art style reminiscent of Lego figures and comic books. It is clear the developers spent a good amount of time designing the menus and all the little doo dads in the in-game store. More on that later. The gameplay is the meat of the game. You maneuver around the level avoiding the undead with the left virtual stick while simultaneously shooting with the right stick to thin their numbers until you finish a wave. In this sense, gameplay is similar to the 1990 arcade game Smash TV in that it is a "dual stick shooter". A very simple, and very effortless control scheme. So far, the game seems solid right? However, there is a major gripe I have. It is immensely repetitive. To the point that it got boring to play. There are only two levels so far with the second requiring you to grind through the first level's gazillion waves in order to earn enough xp points to level up to the required Level 14. The rest of the game's levels are unfinished! I don't get it. How do you put out an unfinished game and release the rest later? Anyway, being sort of a mild completionist, I took a look at how many stages there were ahead to complete. But seeing how many countless waves there were, coupled with the repetitive and tedious gameplay, I didn't even make it past level 8. There is nothing in level 8 that I didn't see in level 4,5, 6, and 7. There is no sense of advancing in the story. You just play wave after wave in the same area earning xp. I see this as nothing more than artificially extending the game's length. Something that's a no no for me. In contrast, Angry Birds has the same level structure (main level with a number of mini stages inside) with something new every time so it doesn't feel like it's dragging on with no end in sight. Add in stimulating gameplay and you engage the player. Unfortunately, going around in circles shooting dozens of zombies can only go so far in being engaging before it becomes a full time job here in Call of Mini. As I mentioned earlier, the game does have an in-game store and the developers did a good job of adding in plenty of extras like powerful weapons, powerups, and different looks for your avatar as incentives to play through the game. Everything from dual pistols, to cleverly named zombie killing machines are here. Ray guns, gauss rifles, gatling guns, rocket launchers, and shotguns make an appearance.The fact they're pricey means you'll be grinding more than a blacksmith that's for sure. Or spending real life cash. Up to you. Bottom line is there is no doubt gamers out there will grab this and play the heck out of it. They will enjoy the comic booky art style and the zombie theme. If the intro cinematic is any indication, there will certainly be more of it as you advance the story. I just loved how they presented it. There will be a significant amount of devotion needed on your part if you plan on enjoying this title. Devotion I could not give due to the game's level design. But if shooting zombies is your thing and don't mind all the gripes I mentioned, then by all means give this game a go. AppPicker Rating 3 / 5 Stars Pick It Up in the App Store: Call of Mini: Double Shot Other apps by Triniti Ineractive