Welcome To Basingstoke by developer, Puppy Games, gives us a fun premise in an even more interesting setting. Zombies and aliens in Basingstoke, a small English town that many (including myself, I’m Irish) have never heard of. Brilliant. Most action, apocalyptic games gives us settings in massive cities like New York or Atlanta from The Walking Dead but Welcome To Basingstoke gives us something new. So, is it worth jumping into this roguelike action game to blast some zombies? Well, the answer is yes.
How Did The Interview Go?
Interviews for jobs are probably one of the most nerve wracking experiences in history. But nobody’s could be worse than the main character in Welcome To Basingstoke. In this game, players control a random character which can be randomised and chosen from a list. No named characters here, and every character can be changed throughout. But the plot is the same.
Our nameless protagonist is heading for an interview at what appears to be a scientific business company. You are given your visitor pass and you accidentally stumble upon them conducting secret experiments. And of course, they go wrong. After escaping a locked bathroom, you find that the entire office building and the town of Basingstoke has gone to Hell. Zombies prowl the streets with other alien looking creatures. Lasers are even blasted from the skies in some levels. Even tentacles pop up from the sewers looking to drag you to a watery grave. Like I said, the plot is simple and the game wastes no time in throwing you into it. But the gameplay is where the fun really begins.
Sausage Rolls Are Your Best Friend
Yes, you read that sub-heading right. Sausage rolls are the best tool in Welcome To Basingstoke. Let me explain. Welcome To Basingstoke is a top down game where you control a Minecraft type character as you navigate the zombie-infested streets and buildings of Basingstoke. Each level you must reach the end of the map to progress to the next level. One of the main mechanics of the game is looting. You scavenge supplies like truncheons, coffee and sausage rolls to survive. Truncheons can knock out enemies, coffee gives you speed boosts so you can zoom around the map, and sausage rolls can be used to distract zombies. Throwing sausage rolls can lure them to a certain area. Welcome To Basingstoke encourages many playstyles and stealth was my personal favorites. This is why sausage rolls were my best friend.
Stealth Or Guns Blazing?
The stealth gameplay is satisfying and the most safe. While you can beat up zombies with weapons like truncheons or rakes, they are limited. Even guns are low. Relying on stealth is essential at times to survive. I love when games give you many options. Zombies can hear your movements so you need to be careful when walking around. Levels are pitch dark and you can easily blend in. You do have access to a flashlight but this can attract zombies so you need to be careful when using it. Stealth is the best approach mostly because the zombies can kill you in one hit. Yes, you are one hit the entire game.
This is excellent as it makes the game more challenging and can lead to many tense situations. If you die, back to the beginning. Anything the player collects is stored at your camp after finishing the level. Players can only bring a certain number of items so it is important to choose carefully what you need to survive. Some levels also bring other enemies like the Wasteland levels where meteorites or lasers come crashing down to destroy you. Everything is out to kill you. This is why shops are important. You can purchase items like coffee or sausage rolls here, or the most expensive, the Insurance Policy.
The Insurance Policy allows you to save once during a level. Really handy if you made it far into a level. Can be a lifesaver. The campaign is short. You can pass all the levels in about 2-3 hours, depending on how many times you die. Also, the gameplay, while good and simple overall, can be clunky at times. I had problems with throwing items to distract enemies at times as it wouldn’t work at times. I think it is because of the aiming system. It automatically locks onto near enemies and I can cost you sometimes.
Here Comes The Horde
Aside from the campaign mode, there is also a Horde mode. Here, you can choose different characters that have different items and loadouts. Some have SMGS, others shotguns. Lots of ways to approach the mode. It is really simple. You pick a character and level and just survive as long as you can. The longer you survive, the more difficult it becomes. More zombies and they get faster every time. Just a fun little game mode if you want to blast zombies away and try and break some world records. Not much else to say.
Verdict
Welcome To Basingstoke is a fun, little roguelike action zombie game. The campaign is short but each level offers plenty of replayability and ways to approach. Stealth is great in the game but so is the combat option. Aside from the auto-aim system which can throw you off and lead to a frustrating death, everything is near perfect. Zombies able to kill with one hit leads to a lot of intense, scary moments so the best need to use all their skills to survive. Horde mode is a welcome addition also, especially for those who want to shoot zombies and break records.
