Game Review: EVERDARK: Undead Apocalypse (Xbox Series X)

A decent first-person shooter with light survival horror elements, EVERDARK: Undead Apocalypse puts you in the shoes of a survivor in a city overrun by the undead. No, it’s not zombies for once, but vampires and they are very thirsty.

Drawing inspiration from 80’s horror films both in visual and gameplay style, while also nodding towards games like Doom and Resident Evil. It’s a combination that should appeal to many, even if developers ESDIP_GAMES and Everdark Labs don’t quite manage to live up to what the imagination can create.

EVERDARK: Undead Apocalypse keeps its story really simple, wanting to get you out there, blasting away and staking vampires left, right, and centre. Which sounds like a lot of fun, and it is, except that you need to be smarter than that as the vampires are plentiful and very dangerous in numbers, and there simply isn’t enough ammo or melee weapons to take them all on. Some battles will need to be avoided, and in some cases, you’re going to have to make a run for it.

Those moments, when you know you’re up against it, are some of the game’s best and the adrenaline rush that comes from narrowly avoiding a vampire’s fangs as you make it to a safe area (denoted by garlic) never gets old. Nor does blasting the monsters, all so you can stun them enough to jam a stake into their hearts. While this might sound unwieldy and problematic when dealing with groups of enemies, it’s all done with speed and the action flows nicely.

It is challenging though and the further into the game you go, the tougher it becomes. The survival horror aspects are welcome as the game’s first-person shooter aspects aren’t strong enough to sustain it, but things do get tricky. Personally, it took me quite a few tries to get past the lengthy sewer level.

Whereas that can affect the long-term appeal of the game, the 80’s inspired horror vibes and sense that the creators weren’t taking things too seriously, won’t. This, for me, saves EVERDARK: Undead Apocalypse and makes it a game worth playing. You’re not getting the next Halo, or something big and impressive like that, you’re getting a grotty first-person shooter that wants you to blow away some vampires, while trying to survive.

Does it have a memorable story? Not really. Does it look great? Not really. Does it sound great? Not really. Does it have visual bugs and gameplay issues? Yes, all over the place. But is it fun? Absolutely it is. Which might not sound like much a recommendation, but it is. You’ll die, but you’ll be compelled to try again. After all, these scum-sucking vampires aren’t going to stake themselves.