10 Awesome zombie games for your smartphone

The day of Halloween is upon us and vampires have become totally lame thanks to some recent movies. We're not taking any names here, we're just saying. The 'in' thing these days is the zombie. An age old question has always been asked about these creatures – how do you kill what’s already dead? They’ll keep on coming even after a hailstorm of bullets has been pumped into them. The worst part about these vermin is that they can be unpredictable and come at you in droves; they could be fast or slow and one bite could kill you or worse still, make you one of them. And let’s face it, these creatures really aren’t the smartest of the creepy lot. Zombies are featured everywhere whether they are blockbuster films, TV shows or videogames. If one was under the impression that they were short in numbers on mobile devices, then they would be sadly mistaken. So, if you’re looking for a little zombie thrashing on your tablet or smartphone, here’s a list of zombie games that will let you relieve a little stress by bashing, beating and maiming these flesh- eating monstrosities. The most fun that's probably possible with a game this sickeningly cute Plants vs Zombies – Rs 160 (iOS and Android) Plants vs Zombies is one of the many tower defence games for phones. The game debuted on the PC and was an instant hit thanks to its wacky sense of humour and, frankly speaking, absurd premise. The game involves a bunch of plants trying to defend their owner’s home from an onslaught of zombies. Major credit for the success of the game goes to the hilarious ad campaign that Popcap has executed, ranging from some short movies about a zombie trying to fit in with humans in a typical human workplace to an all-out music video – "There’s a zombie on my lawn" – sung by a sunflower. The game has very simplistic tower-defence elements coupled with minigames, like using giant potatoes as bowling balls against the aforementioned zombie horde. There are even a variety of of zombies, like one that uses a newspaper as a shield, and one that does the Michael Jackson Thriller dance to summon more zombies. The prettiest zombies you're bound to see in a mobile game Dead Trigger – Free (iOS and Android) Have you ever been so frustrated that you literally want to rip the eyes out of someone? Yes, there are chances that you have, but that would also get you locked up. In Dead Trigger, which is an FPS, you can literally get up close and personal with the zombies. When we mean personal, we’re talking about actually locking the barrel of your gun to the head of a zombie and blowing their dead brains to smithereens. This game is one of the hottest zombie games for smartphones and is available on iOS and Android. No more punching bags needed, as the hordes of zombies should be more than enough to satisfy your thirst for slaughter. The game has some amazing graphics, and the 3D characters also make things real interesting. For the first time ever, zombies with guns! Desert Zombie: Last Stand – Rs 53 (iOS) If wou want a game that will actually get your blood pumping, then this is one obvious choice as it features stunning graphics and zombies that look scary as hell. Think Resident Evil: Extinction and that's what the setting is. The advantage here is that you don’t sit back and watch a random chick kicking zombie butt—you do the kicking! The game features the Unreal Engine and the graphics are worth the cost. This game is not expensive and is available for just $0.99. The only catch here is it’s available just for iOS and there is no Android version yet. If gore and oozing flesh is your thing, then this game is worth a try. But beware, these zombies are fearsome. Kill more zombies! Call of Mini: Zombies – Rs 53 (iOS) and Free (Android) If you want something action-packed with cutesy graphics, zombies and microtransactions, you’ve come to the right place. Call of Mini: Zombies has all three coupled with an extremely generic storyline. The game features fast run-and-gun gameplay, along with a plethora of weapons and equipment. Weapons range from machine guns to rocket launchers. One of the biggest features of this game is that it allows co-operative multiplayer along with the ability to fight against your friends. If the prospect of killing friends upsets you, you could always pretend that they had been infected and you killed them in self defence – but then again, isn’t that how serial killers start out? As Shooter, you will have to live up to your name Contract Killer: Zombies – Free (iOS and Android) Like all zombie games, you play the hero in Contract Killer: Zombies and are simply known as Shooter, because that’s what you're good at. The game is free for both iOS and Android and has one of the best arsenals in a zombie game. You're loaded to the teeth with weapons like grenade launchers, sniper rifles and assault guns. To achieve success, all you need to do is take aim and blow up the heads of the living dead. Be wary, be very wary as there are hordes of zombies all coming to get you and those you’re supposed to protect. The fate of civilians rests in your hands. Lab of the Dead – Rs 53 (iOS and Android) Have you ever wanted a pet zombie of your own to do experiments on? Well, you’re in luck! Lab of the Dead puts you in the shoes of a mad scientist stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. You have to run experiments on zombies to see what makes them tick so that you have a better chance to survive. Experiments include trying out different kinds of food, shooting them with different kinds of weapons, and for some reason, giving them different things to play with, because everyone wants to know what effect a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would have on a zombie. Some of you may remember virtual pets called Tamagotchis – this game is a lot like that, only a lot more twisted and entertaining, and less capable of guilt-tripping you because you forgot to feed your pet that one time. The game was ported to Android and iOS from the original Flash-based version on Newgrounds. A zombie tamagotchi! Just what every kid needs! Organ Trail: Director’s Cut – Rs 160 (iOS and Android) Just to be clear, we haven’t mis-spelt the name of this game. This game lives up to it’s name; it’s like Oregon Trail, but with zombies. The game has you ferrying a bunch of survivors across a giant landmass. In Oregon Trail, you’re trying to keep your survivors alive against the wishes of the environment, but here your battle is against zombies. You have to manage resources like food and fuel so that you don’t die. Zombies aren’t the only enemies though; you can also fall victim to illnesses such as dysentery. You will also have to fight for your right to survive against bandits – Mad Max style – except with more zombies. The game features a very retro aesthetic, similar to that of Oregon Trail. Like Oregon Trail, but scarier Death Dome – Free (iOS and Android) It all starts with a virus and the adaptation of zombies in this game is no different. Where Resident Evil had the T virus, the city of Palamira has the M virus. It spreads fast and before you realise it, this virus is everywhere and turns once friendly citizens into Behemoths. So if you had a problem with being a guy in any other zombie game, then your luck has changed as you are now a hot girl who is fighting off zombies that are huge – like Incredible Hulk style huge! This game is free for both iOS and Android, however, if you want to level up quick, you would need to pay with real cash to get stronger. The game is highly addictive and the gameplay is similar to that of Infinity Blade, Blood and Gore or the Avengers Initiative. Zombies as big as buildings Zombie Highway Lite – Free (iOS) So picture this, the world is infested with zombies and all you need to do is escape using your car on a highway with the help of a trusty passenger equipped with a gun. But whatever you try to do, death is close. The trick with this game is how long will you survive. This game is utterly simple and all you have to do is make use of the accelerometer on your phone to steer. The zombies will come flying on you and latch on to your car, and your only hope is the poor soul sitting besides you and your ability to knock the zombies off using the debris on the side. But remember, there is no hope for survival in this free game. Sort of like a Carmageddon that's more based on survival Judge Dredd vs Zombies – Free (iOS and Android) While there is rarely any movie tie-in game that’s ever really good, Judge Dredd vs Zombies seems to do a few things right. This could possibly be because the game is completely free from following the story of the actual movies and comics themselves and concentrates on you running around and killing zombies. The gameplay manages to be a simplified top-down shooter with no aim button except for where you touch and the auto-aim. These things aren’t that difficult to figure out, because there isn’t much to figure out. You just run-and-gun. While it is free, the game does feature a lot of microtransactions, including one that – for some queer reason – lets you gold-plate all of your guns. All said and done, I don’t know why anyone would bother with a weapon that isn’t the shotgun, because that gun can clear entire hordes of enemies in one shot. As Dredd, you are a judge, jury and executioner for these zombies So these are the games that we like and sate our cravings for killing – or in some cases experimenting on – zombies. Obviously, it goes without saying that this is by no means an objective list of the best possible zombie games. There are many more games that we would have liked to include, like Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies and the Resident Evil franchise, but these are already some of the most popular games available and we wanted to talk about the lesser-talked games. Another reason some games weren’t mentioned was the lack of availability in India. Word of advice – while some games are free to download, progression depends on upgrades that could cost you real world money. Nevertheless, the games are still hardcore entertainment and worth giving a shot.