Initially, I was a little torn on whether to scoop up World War Z: Aftermath on Steam or not. On the one hand, it’s right up my alley. As a zombie survival shooter, like Left 4 Dead, which I spent many hundreds of hours enjoying, the idea of literal hordes of undead clambering over each other sounded like a lot of fun. But on the other, developer Saber Interactive chose a timed-exclusivity deal with the Epic Games Store, which struck me, and many like me, the wrong way.
In the end, I caved in when World War Z: Aftermath launched on Steam in September of 2021. And now, here we are in 2022. So, is World War Z: Aftermath worth playing in 2022, many months after its re-release?
A Horde of Content
When you buy a cooperative zombie survival game like World War Z: Aftermath, replayability is likely a primary concern, right? I know that, for me, it certainly is one factor I consider.
You’ll be happy to know that Saber’s survival shooter features a large selection of campaigns to select from, each with multiple chapters to complete. You have:
- New York
- Jerusalem
- Moscow
- Tokyo
- Marseille
- Rome
- Kamchatka
Each location features four unique survivors to play with, and different objectives to complete.
Furthermore, to ensure that not all playthroughs mimic each other, the AI Director shakes things up by manipulating special infected, hordes, and whatnot to enhance replayability.
A Selection of Game Modes
On top of the usual cooperative gameplay modes available in World War Z: Aftermath, you also have Challenge Mode, Horde Mode, and an extensive Multiplayer (PvPvZ) featuring:
- Swarm Domination
- Swarm Deathmatch
- King of the Hill
- Scavenge Raid
- Vaccine Hunt
Most folks pick up a game like World War Z for its cooperative campaign and game modes, though. Personally, that’s why I bought it. I have yet to even touch the competitive multiplayer side of the game.
Hours Spent Surviving
I won’t lie and say that, despite the replayability features and enhancements included in the Aftermath release, World War Z is a long, long game. It’s not. In total, my wife and I beat all of the levels in around 12 hours across multiple play sessions on the standard difficulty setting.
But that’s only one difficulty setting. And for our time spent in the game, we’ve barely unlocked any of the weapon upgrades, class skills and boons, and character customization skins. There’s still a lot to see and open up, and for that, we need to delve into higher difficulties.
Arm Yourselves, Survivors
Speaking of weapons and weapon upgrades, you have a lot of fun options to mess around with in the zombie apocalypse.
In total, there are three tiers of primary weaponry, melee weapons, heavy weapons, defense systems, and equipment to utilize.
- Tier 1 — Scout Rifle, Compact SMG, Shotgun, Pistol, Machine Pistol, Flaregun
- Tier 2 — Assault Rifle, Sporting Carbine, Classic Battle Rifle, Classic Bullpup Rifle, Light Automatic Weapon, SMG, Combat Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, PDW, Compact Shotgun, Double-Barreled Shotgun, Revolver
- Tier 3 — Assault Carbine, Battle Rifle, Bullpup Rifle, Advanced Combat Weapon, Advanced SMG, Special SMG, Assault Shotgun, Crossbow, Grenade Launcher
- Heavy — Payload Rifle, RPG Launcher, Machinegun, MGL, Heavy Assault Shotgun, Chainsaw, Flamethrower
- Equipment — Frag Grenade, Masking Gas Grenade, Molotov Cocktail, C4, Claymore Mine, Supply Bag, Stun Gun, Stim Pistol, Quadrocopter, Mobile Shield
- Defense — Autoturrent, Barbed Wire, Fence, High Voltage Grid, Mortar, Sound Trap, Stationary Machinegun
As you can see, you have a lot of toys to slay hordes of zombies with in World War Z: Aftermath.
Price Tag
When the game is not on sale, World War Z: Aftermath goes for $39.99. The Deluxe Edition, which includes cosmetic DLC, sells for $49.97 on Steam. Both editions are rather expensive.
That being said, yes, I do believe you’ll get your money’s worth and then some from the game.
Should You Play World War Z: Aftermath in 2022?
Absolutely! It’s a cooperative zombie shooter with enough content to keep you busy for months on end.
That being said, I do recommend playing with your own party of friends. Like most cooperative games, hitting up the pubs proves difficult, bothersome, and often downright annoying.