Dead Trigger 2 Review

Dead Trigger had been released by Madfinger games in 2012, which was a free-to-play game about killing zombies. It was lovable because its gameplay was simple but very engaging. The game was originally sold for $1, but it ended up being a free-to-play game.

As such, the release of the Dead Trigger 2 made everyone excited. It used the same mechanics as the first game while addressing the main issue with it, which is the lack of depth. Dead Trigger was repetitive, and it came to the point where your next weapon upgrade takes a very long time. It did not have enough interesting content to keep players hooked, and the peak purchase point or PPP arrived way too early. The Dead Trigger 2 aims to address this issue, first by making the game a lot harder, and second by providing more content.

Was it successful? Sadly no, and the effort is almost futile. The developers seem to be greedy of the extra bucks that it could earn from the fanatics.

The Gameplay

Dead Trigger 2 is pretty much straightforward: all you have to do is the point at the zombie, shoot it, and enjoy its downfall. There are no additional defences such as crouching or some changes in the gun firing. The basics of the Dead Trigger were already awesome, and despite the simplicity, the combat system is very mass-friendly, allowing it to reach a wider range of audience.

The changes brought to Dead Trigger 2 are not found in the experience of killing zombies, but instead on the process of upgrading your weapons and equipment. The game starts with story missions wherein you rescue your team members who become permanent instalments in your hideout. The weapons can be unlocked with gold or by discovering blueprints that drop from the so-called super zombies. The weapon or item can be researched once you have completed the blueprint. The research and upgrading start at a few minutes, but it turns longer as you progress in the game (more than 6 hours!). If you want to speed things up, you can click the button – but that will cost gold.

The team members also need to be upgraded so that they can work on upgrading or building your weapons. Most of these upgrades are necessary for the game, and these uses in-game cash that can be obtained through missions or be leveling up.

The big problem with the game is that it focuses so much on profit. Everything requires an upgrade, making the gameplay frustrating. It became more effective in forcing players to send, but it is not successful in making the game engaging. It’s infuriating to know that you can only speed things up by spending real money. The criticisms on free to play games are very understandable.

The super zombies found in Dead Trigger rarely appear even more so when you are not in survival challenge mode. These zombies force you to think of strategy and make the game more complex. Dead Trigger 2 has several zombies – about 5 of them in total – that are difficult to kill and not fun at all. The super zombies are resistant to your guns. It ensures your death if you don’t have a consumable item. Get to know them:

The rampagers are even worse because it attacks at a faster speed and smashes you to submit to it.
The kamikazes have a strapped explosive barrel, so you instantly die as soon as it gets close to you.
The radioactive scientists reduce your health when they reach a certain distance.
The vomiting throws blood clots at you.
The panzers can take a lot of fire. It’s easier to die than kill it.

The super zombies can only be killed by explosives, which, surprisingly, can be obtained by spending money. It is a consumable that is non-replenishing and can be purchased from your engineer. Therefore, if you don’t want to play, then just wait to die as you see these super zombies.

An average mission gives you approximately $800 to $1,100 of in-game money. Two grenades cost $200. Each mission has 2 super zombies, and each super zombie can be killed with 2 grenades. That will easily cost you $400 for each mission. As you progress through the game, the grenades become useless on the super zombies, and you can only use explosive chickens or land mines (costs $600 for 3 pieces). The grenades can be upgraded but then, they become more expensive. At some point in the game you have to upgrade your engineer, then your entire team.

All these upgrades are tiring and frustrating. It is not fun in any way. The in-game currency is absurd, and all these money talks would easily be a turn off for a lot of people. Here’s a quick run through of the costs:

Upgrading the team to level 4 costs $40,000 of in-game currency. Purchasing 1 gold can be converted to $300, which is equivalent to 133 gold. The smallest amount of gold that can be bought is 150, and this costs $3 (real money). Speed up costs 100-200 gold – the level 4 upgrade takes 24 hours.
Upgrading the guns easily reaches tens of thousands of dollars of in-game currency.
You get more experience as you progress through the levels, and the higher your level, the more difficult the game is.
There is a $10 buy-in level (1,000 gold)

There are some TapJoy offers to get free gold, but this is not perpetual and is very limited (of course). It is hard to progress through the difficulty curve. Madfinger has a lot of work to do in terms of making the players satisfied, but it is probably going to take a long time for the developer to budge. It’s a game that is made to provide a profit.

Graphics and controls

Dead Trigger 2 is impressive in terms of visual quality. The graphics are great but it is not so different from the first Dead Trigger game, and it is not better than most mobile games now. Tegra 4 devices have enhanced texture (water and smoke) but even with the NVIDIA Shield, which is a device that is ideal for high-intensity gaming, the graphics still had to be turned down so that it would run smoothly.

Controls-wise, the Dead Trigger 2 is amazing. It is playable even on the Galaxy S4, which has a 5-inch screen. It is playable even on the touch screen, which is a great thing.

The sound effects are better in the Dead Trigger 2 than its predecessor. The voice acting now sounds professional, and this is a big plus because there are several parts of the game which have a narration.

The verdict

The fun of the game is easily destroyed by the in-app purchases. It was supposed to be an approachable game (the first Dead Trigger even became free-to-play), but Dead Trigger 2 obviously did not have the same objective. It is focused on profits and is aggressive in doing so.

Madfinger’s angle in this game sequel is very disappointing. Dead Trigger has a lot of potential, but the huge amount of gold and money to progress into the game is the absolute killer.

Have you played Dead Trigger 2?

What would you spend for the Dead Trigger 2?

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