Sequels should improve on their predecessors, and ideally try out new ideas. Thankfully ZP2KX takes the 2D platforming deathmatch formula shown in ZP2K9, tweaks it for the better, adds class and skill systems, then lowers the price to make for a great XBLIG release. Strangely enough, the fun starts before you even begin play; the main menu has several hilarious remarks mixed in with useful advice, along with open contempt for XBL Indie Games developers who crank out Avatar and/or zombie fad cash-in titles... it’s basically a half step removed from insulting their mothers and challenging said developers to a duel. Yet once you get in-game, the humor is joined by platformer deathmatch play that is the real star of the show.
ZP2KX is played much like its predecessor, with one analog stick moving your character, the other stick aiming and firing, and the buttons are used for various other tasks like switching weapons. Each player gets to move through a 2D platforming landscape (with several different stages provided), picking up weapons and blasting away at one another until someone reaches the top of the scoreboard. And like ZP2K9, you can still move along walls and ceilings in this game so the original game play is intact. Where ZP2KX stands out is its focus on ’more.’ You get more weapons, more ways to play, and just plain more of what made the original so great.
The new weapons are a pretty interesting lot. Along with old favorites like the ’Cloud Sword’, shotguns, and rocket launchers, you have truly insane ideas like an AK-47 that fires cats (they skitter around wildly, making them hard to dodge indoors) or a ’rainbow cannon’ that forces enemies to float in place for a few seconds while you ready your next attack. With up to nine other people going at it at once, things get pretty wild. New weapons are joined by a class and skill system, where as you play you gain access to new abilities such as longer fuel duration for your jetpack or spawning with specific weapons, or even being able to hide from radar. While this does introduce a little bit of an advantage for people who have been playing longer, you shouldn’t worry; it’s very easy to level up and the game even provides some bots to help you do this offline. You’ll be effectively making your own character class and standing up to veteran players quickly, which adds a lot of charm to ZP2KX.
Yet bots aren’t the primary reason to play, it’s the online experience against real people that will keep you coming back. Whether you want to play conventional modes like deathmatch or capture the flag instead of ’zombie hunt’ (where you have a flashlight on a dark map and go hunting the undead), or playing with mutators that change the rules and focus of the game in various ways, ZP2KX is fun to play with others. The network code is generally excellent, and so long as everyone is playing on a decent connection where they have plenty of free bandwidth then you generally won’t notice much lag.
All in all, ZP2KX is everything a sequel should be. It takes a great game and improves on it, while using enough new ideas to stand on its own merits. If the idea of 2D platforming deathmatch play online with a lot of attention placed on the details appeals to you, pick up ZP2KX. It’s the sort of thing that would probably be justified as a $5 or $10 purchase in the Xbox Live Arcade catalog, and getting it for a mere $1 USD/80 Microsoft Points is an amazing bargain.
