Review: Welcome To Hell

Of all the shoot ‘em ups I was waiting for this one was it. Who could resist shooting up an ambush of zombies ready to tear you to pieces? Welcome To Hell by Dvide Arts brings this first person shooter over to webOS from the iOS and Android markets. Although this YouTube video does a great job of showing off some of the intense gameplay, actually playing the game in real life is a different story.

The gameplay is fairly simple: shoot as many zombies as you can to gain points and move on to the next level. There isn’t much of a storyline here as you’re dropped into various “worlds” and you blast zombies coming for you from different directions. You begin the game with a simple handgun that you fire by tapping an icon on the right side of the screen. You move through the level with an on-screen D-Pad and aim your weapon by swiping the screen in the direction you want to aim. The top of the screen shows the status of your weapon, health, and points accumulated.

It was disappointing to find the controls frustrating to use and poorly executed. First of all, the screen sensitivity in the game leaves a lot to be desired. This can be adjusted in the options window, but I found it didn’t make much of a difference in overall play. Second, aiming the weapon is a chore. The game can get hectic at times, so it would help if the crosshairs would auto-select targets similar to how Gameloft’s Modern Combat: Sandstorm does. Head shots in Welcome To Hell are high score targets, but it takes quite a bit of work to get your gun to fire in the right spot. Once you’ve done the work to get the aim just right, you’re being ripped apart from all directions.

The worlds are nicely rendered in 3D and seem expansive at first glance, but as you begin to move around, you find yourself restricted to just a small area. Just when you think you’re on your way to escaping the baddy’s by hiding around an obstacle, you’re blocked by a virtual “wall” and have to turn around. By this time, the zombies are right behind you and you either have to run a different direction, or fire your weapon until you empty your clip. Panic ensues when you notice your gun won’t fire because you have another finger on the screen – just another flaw in the controls.

Note: Only available for the Palm Pre.

Interested? Go here to download Welcome To Hell directly to your device!