Mostly mindless zombie fun - great replay value.
The game fails to measure up to the stunningly theatrical and poetic trailer, but it couldn't hope to. What it does do it provide a moderately well-crafted world wherein humanity is struggling to cope with a zombie apocalypse. The opening sequence is more or less a tutorial where you are deprived of a weapon and stumble about in the hotel darkness trying to gain your bearings and learning the basic movement controls. Emergency lights are flashing and every sound you hear and each shadowed corner does a good job keeping you on edge.
Eventually, you encounter other survivors in the hotel's lifeguard shack, and the cliches begin. Some survivors are praying fervently, others are quoting Revelations. Some are challenging you to do something, while others are backing into corners refusing to think of anyone but themselves. Ultimately you grab a kayak paddle and jump outside for your first encounter with the walking dead.
Combat never becomes easy. You will always need to remain on your toes and you can get pulled down in a swarm or run out of stamina and get overcome. Weapons break down relatively quickly other than guns. Your kayak paddle won't last long. Fortunately, levelling takes place at a good pace, and upgrades will be quick to find. Weapon mods appear throughout the game, and it won't be long before you're hammering nails into the end of your Louisville Slugger or wiring a high volt battery to the end of your machete for an extra zap when slashing open skulls.
The world is vast, and one could simply wander about and have fun smashing zombies and enjoying the realistic landscape. However, you'll soon get caught up helping various survivors by completing quests for various rewards, usually cash, weapons, or new mods.
Before you can ever fully explore a zone, you'll be sent on to a new one. Winning the game takes a long time, and once you do, you'll be able to restart the game from the beginning either with a new hero, or continue levelling your current one, but against opening scene zombies that match your level.
Each of the four characters has different abilities and specialties and each of them are fun. The game's story isn't particularly imaginative, nor is the voice acting anything to rave about. However, if you're looking for decent story, and an adventure with other survivors of a zombie apocalypse, this game is definitely a good investment for the sheer numbers of hours of fun you'll get from it.