Review: Space Pirates and Zombies (PC)

Combining old school shooter mechanics with a modern appreciation for depth, this unique shooter/RPG hybrid offers a clever take on space exploration and zombie invasions.

• GamePro Score

It’s been a long journey for the two guys who make up the development team of MinMax. They began work on Space Pirates and Zombies (SPAZ) roughly two years ago and have now finally given birth to a galaxy’s worth of potential with this unique shooter-RPG hybrid.

When I first took SPAZ out for a spin back in June, I wasn’t overly impressed by the game’s presentation. However, something about the gameplay left its hooks in me. To be sure, little has changed with regards to sprucing up the game’s story and dialogue, but ultimately, I found SPAZ’s interesting blend of action and exploration to be a good bit of fun.

SPAZ puts you in control of a small group of space-faring misfits headed for the center of the galaxy is search of Rez, the most valued commodity in the universe. Along the way, you’ll need to build up your pirate fleet in order to negotiate feuding factions and eventually take on the zombie horde that springs to un-life later on in the adventure.

The game takes inspiration from a variety of genres, and for the most part, everything comes together quite nicely. You’ll move around the galaxy by way of warp gates (á la Puzzle Quest: Galactrix), entering various planetary systems in order to complete missions or mine Rez.

The action in SPAZ is reminiscent of older arcade shooters such as Asteroids. You control a single ship with the mouse and WASD keys, while the game’s A.I. handles the rest of your fleet –- quite ably, I might add. I found the controls to be approachable and the gameplay mostly satisfying.

Missions have a nice bite size to them, and though exploration and combat take place in real time, you can easily pause the action in order to micro manage your fleet at a more relaxed pace. Customization of your ships is tied to a fairly deep skill tree, and the effects of the different weapons systems, engines and armors open up the gameplay to various play styles.

I enjoyed the layout of the game, the mission structure, and the general mix of "mine some Rez, fight some baddies, buy some ship components, level up stats in the stat tree, tinker with individual ships," etc. But there's not much more to the game than that familiar formula. The combat is fun, the controls are solid, and there's ample content-- unfortunately, SPAZ is not actually as expansive as its premise suggests.

The game's story and premise don't help matters -- both are shallow and don't provide much in the way of motivation to keep playing. The game's presentation is equally weak, with little refinement or depth.

In spite of the menus being a tad ho-hum, navigation is very intuitive. The guys at MinMax have made sure SPAZ is firing on all thrusters, and the visuals during gameplay are very attractive as well. The background music and sound effects make a solid backdrop for the game’s slightly eerie visual style, though the dribs and drabs of voice work were probably better left on the cutting-room floor.

Space Pirates and Zombies still has a few minor bugs here and there, and its collection of throwback gameplay components isn’t likely to appeal to everyone. For those looking to invest themselves into a fairly robust adventure on the cheap, however, SPAZ is a worthwhile investment old-school gamers may want to check out. There’s plenty of content already under the hood, and MinMax is intent on offering a steady stream of meaningful updates. Unfortunately, the game at present doesn’t fully satisfy in terms of presentation or variety, making the $15 asking price somewhat steep.

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  • rts
  • rpg
  • shooter
  • space pirates