Editor’s Note: In a Critics Circle first, we will run two reviews of former contributor Shawn Alexander Allen’s Beatdown City Survivors. One will be by our newest NYVGCC intern, Osaze. And the second is by Kimari, who is one of our longest running contributors. Here is the first review.

By Osaze Okungbowa

In a world where a corrupt politician defunds infrastructure and services to amass personal wealth, everything gets ruined. In addition, New York City has been a victim of a zombie apocalypse; the bright neon lights of Times Square that once shined down on people now shines down upon shadows. Among the ruins remains a survivor, you, who wants salvation as a balm from all the injustice and death roaming around. But salvation in this city isn’t given. It’s earned.

Beatdown City Survivors utilizes a pixelated art style. The art choice is lovely because for someone with a weak stomach, such as myself, pixelated gore is much easier to process. Each map you traverse encapsulates the endless maze that is New York City. However, unlike the lively city we all know and love, you’re trapped in a commercial death trap, with only the un-alive to keep you company. As a native New Yorker I love the subway and I follow all its rules, but during this apocalypse I’m forced to confront the dangers of a subway surfer. The trains themselves take out the player and mobs alike. 

While I care about surviving, the zombies don’t care about my needs. All entities, including the player, are subjected to a color palette change depending on what substance they are splattered by. I personally like when my character is doused in blood because he looks like a true survivor, but being doused in blood nullifies your health regeneration. So try not to overdo it.

Each playable character has their own unique ability with its own gauge and status effects. But not all abilities are made equal because some abilities can make duplicates of the player, while others speed the player up. The ability that dwarfs all of them is the ability to slow down time, and I would heavily advise new players to pick R.J. Cobra, as he helps ease you into the combat system. 

In New York City, we all joke around and say “the rats are built differently.” But in Beatdown City if you see a rat, run because the rats will swipe at you and you’ll lose half your health. The weapons and mobs are things New Yorkers can relate to like stomping out things with the Timberland boots or throwing the chancletas at something. Beatdown City takes this a step further: the upgrade system can merge two weapons into a super weapon that mows down mobs. The upgrade combinations are borderline endless.

What’s truly fascinating about Beatdown City Survivors is how dying can teach you more about living than living does. My first death against Gloopy Yang, the giant, green first boss, was a turning point that emphasized the idea of spacing. The rule of thumb in the beginning of each level is to get up close and personal with the mobs but Gloopy taught me that it’s ok to run when you’re outmatched or outnumbered. I almost beat the subway level on my first try. But I got taken out by a speeding train. It was truly a shock at first but from that death onwards I would analyze the entire screen, not just where the mobs were coming from.

The music and sound design in Survivors is a rhythmic symphony to the ears. It also brings the fighting alive. While you’re punching out the guts of a zombie, all you hear is ‘ww-ahhh-wah wah-wow.’ While playing, I sometimes mistake the sound effects as part of the soundtrack because the disc’s remix is harmoniously interrupted by the sound of a mob kneeling over in pain. The trumpet’s classy and soothing tunes will let you find peace. The problem is that the trumpet is only used in the lobby or menu screen. When you begin fighting, the music shifts to become high-pitched, high-action. The irony is that you’re drawn in with some smooth tunes and then the pitch spikes into some old school rap music. 

They’re a lot of threats to the player like electrocution, poison, and fire. The threat that stands above all else is the way the hordes build up: if the mobs aren’t slain, they just pursue the player. Relentlessness is the only word to describe the mobs as they would even walk through burning fuel or toxins to get a swipe at you. Fortunately and unfortunately, your upgrades are completely randomized so you get to try new things, but without the proper upgrades, certain level bosses are next to impossible to beat. 

The early game feels somewhat unfair as you have low health and your damage output is super low. Despite that, Beatdown City Survivors is an experience that you’ll never regret having. The New York City design references like boots or chanclas – even a satire of GTA’s logo – coupled with the energetic beats will always keep you coming back wanting more. Once you pass the rough start, as a survivor with nothing, you’re able to take in what happens when New York City goes into a deep sleep and monsters lurk about, unseen but threatening in the shadows of the neon lights.

Osaze Okungbowa is a senior at the Bronx’s Lab School of Finance and Technology, where NYVGCC teaches its journalism classes. Osaze won our Rockstar Scholarship and will soon be attending Cornell University. Featured Image Art by Bianca Rasheed.

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