PLATFORM: PC (EARLY ACCESS) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
When soldiers accidentally bring back a mysterious virus from the forests of Vietnam and citizens start turning into ravenous zombies, wheelchair-bound war veteran and Snake Plissken lookalike Max Cobra springs into action to defend the country. But he does it in style, setting up an illegal TV show called Midnight Fury to make a bit of extra cash while he slaughters the undead under the watchful eye of buxom host Samantha Cox.
Each of Midnight Fury‘s levels takes place on a single screen. Zombies shuffle in from either side, and your job is to survive six waves of enemies and kill as many as possible within a time limit, with each wave lasting 10 seconds longer than the last and containing faster and more aggressive enemies. The better your aim, and the more combos you rack up, the more money you’ll earn from your sponsors, which in turn allows you to purchase upgrades between rounds. There’s plenty to choose from, including standard fare like steadying your aim and increasing your movement speed along with more audacious things like adding a vertical boost to Max’s wheelchair. There are weapon upgrades too, along with ten unlockable teammates like the (just about) copyright-dodging Synthcop, a certain time-travelling “Professor” and karate master Bruce Wrangler, all of whom can be called in to lend a bit of temporary support.
Currently in early access, Midnight Fury is still under construction and at the time of writing only consists of one “zone” featuring half a dozen levels that take you through some grungy streets, a bowling alley and a dinosaur arcade. While it can be brutally difficult on anything other than the easiest setting (and even then, the final couple of waves can be incredibly challenging), the addictive upgrade system helps to beef up your abilities and bring you back in for one more try. Throw in a really fantastic synthwave soundtrack and smother the lot with an 80s action movie vibe, and you end up with something really fun that shows a hell of a lot of promise. More of this sort of thing please!
