Why You Can Trust CNET Dead Trigger review: Dead Trigger
If you're looking for a free first-person shooter, look no further. Dead Trigger is top-notch.
As far as game plots go, Dead Trigger's is fairly run of the mill: The zombie apocalypse is here, and your main objective is to survive. This, of course, means stocking up on weapons and other helpful items, completing missions, and forging alliances with other survivors. It's all pretty standard.
Dead Trigger
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The first thing you'll notice about Dead Trigger is its stunning graphics, which should come as no surprise, considering the game was made by Madfinger, developer of other aesthetically top-notch titles like Shadowgun and Samurai II: Vengeance. Dead Trigger shows off stunning 3D graphics, a variety of gory zombie attackers, and some impressively smooth animation, all made possible by the Unity 3D engine.
If you've played a first-person shooter on a mobile device before, then Dead Trigger's control scheme should feel familiar. You walk around with the virtual control stick on the left side of your screen, and control your character's looking and aiming by swiping around on the right. Trigger, reload, and scope buttons also sit on the lower right, making it easy to walk and shoot at the same time, even while adjusting your sights to hit moving targets.
Similar to other campaign-based games, Dead Trigger has a map full of scenes and missions, with some more difficult than others. You'll be able to play in standard scary spots like subways and warehouses. Plus, there are the newly added Arena levels like Deadly Corridors and Stadium of Dead (Android). In one mission your objective might be to simply survive for 90 seconds, while in another you may be asked to protect other survivors or recover lost items. The great thing is that there is variety in Dead Trigger; it keeps the game from getting repetitive too quickly. Also, the zombies often attack you at different speeds and from different angles, making your job much more difficult.
Another thing I love is the variety of weapons available in the game. With dozens of reality-based firearms like the classic Walther P99 and Winchester rifle, as well as a few stranger ones like the Brain-mill (a horrific hand-blender-like device) and the newly added Alien Gun, it feels like there's always something new to play with. The bad news is, if you want to experience all of these destructive devices, you'll have to earn a lot of in-game funds, which can be very difficult. Cash isn't so hard to come by in the game, but gold (necessary to buy more advanced weapons) is earned at a snail's pace, unless you decide to complete out-of-game tasks using Madfinger's partner Tapjoy. Tapjoy lets you earn gold by liking Facebook pages, signing up for daily deals, and more. Many of these tasks are fairly easy, but for the most part, this method of earning gold is frustrating.
Still, if you're a fan of first-person shooters, then there's absolutely no reason for you not to download Dead Trigger. The game features jaw-dropping graphics, simple controls, a variety of gameplay, and best of all, it's free.