World War Z is a weirdly high-effort game given how many baffling design choices were made. I’ve broken down my issues with a list.
• [b] Pointless Character Variety: [/b] There are 36 playable characters, each with their own backstories and unlockable lore cutscenes. However, they all play exactly the same. Outside of cosmetics, there's no gameplay reason to pick one over another. To make matters worse, there are only 4 "canon" characters per episode. If you want actual character dialogue that explains the plot or motivations, the other 32 characters are entirely useless.
• [b] Needless Grind: [/b] The game features 8 classes, but each must be leveled up individually. Because class strengths are locked behind perks, you have to grind extensively just to find out if a class is even useful. So if you want to play on anything higher than baby difficulty you need to grind a few levels first. The weapon system suffers from the exact same issue, every individual gun requires its own separate level grind.
• [b] Abysmal Sound Design:[/b] The audio in this game is garbage. Zombies and special infected make almost no noise. During hold-out missions, hundreds of zombies can break down a fence right behind you, and you won’t know it until they break down your defenses and start beating you to death. The worst culprit is the Hunter (the special infected that pins you down). It makes zero sound when stalking or pouncing. My group routinely died from a Hunter without the rest of us even noticing because even when it’s killing someone it doesn’t make any noise. The background music is completely subdued; you'll be fighting off a massive, level-ending horde and the music doesn’t change, it’s the same placid tone like you’re stuck in an elevator.
• [b] Brain Dead Bot AI:[/b] Playing solo is a miserable experience because the companion AI is a legitimate hindrance. The bots can barely navigate the maps and constantly have to teleport to catch up. They offer zero help against hordes; unless you babysit them, they will die constantly even on easier difficulties. I don’t think they are even capable of using their class abilities. If you don't have 2 or 3 friends or want to play with random internet strangers, this game is unplayable.
• [b] Unhelpful design:[/b] The art direction might actually be the worst offender. While the characters look distinct in the lobby, they become completely indistinguishable from the crowd the moment a horde hits. My friends and I routinely shot each other because we couldn't tell teammates from zombies, and the game lacks any audio cues or barks to warn you that you're dealing friendly fire. Furthermore, out of the 8 special infected types, only 2 actually stand out from the crowd. You will frequently drop dead in a mosh pit simply because there's no visual indicator showing which zombie needs to be focused down.
• [b] Horrific Level Navigation:[/b] Outside of literal yellow paint and objective markers, the environments are so samey that navigation is a nightmare. At the end of one level, our objective marker disappeared. My friends and i spent five minutes wandering around after the horde died, only to find out we were required to climb a nondescript, muddy black box tucked away in a corner to pull a lever to end the level.
The Verdict: If you want a horde shooter, just play Left 4 Dead. It’s the pioneer of the genre, it still looks and plays better, it has a thriving modding community, and it costs a fraction of the price.
