How do you get the new generation of ADD content consumers interested in a 200-year old classic novel? By throwing in zombies and ninjas, like its author did with the novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. And the campy-cum-classic adaptation just made its way to the iPhone gaming community via the game version of the same name.
A side-scrolling 2D zombie beat-em-up, the game is a hilarious romp through the 18th century aristocratic English society (mixed with zombies, ninjas, Shaolin masters and more) depicted in the book. It hits on pretty much every major plot point and breaks itself down based on the novel's different chapters. The graphics are perfect for the setting and the level of absurdity is just downright brilliant. To put it simply, the presentation borders on epic. In fact, enjoying it is more like laughing along with one of those bizarre late night cartoons than playing an addicting game. And it's a refreshing change.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies offers bare basics beat-em-up gameplay. You get zombies coming from every angle in your 2D world as you progress through each scene. The controls are easy to use and offer quite a bit of depth - an onscreen stick lets you move, a tap lets you attack with your katana sword and various swipe gestures allow you to perform special moves. However, the best move, at least from the way we played it, remains the basic sword attack, which kind of defeats the whole idea of having special maneuvers in the first place.
This gameplay will get repetitive after a while and, seriously, if the game wasn't as hilarious, you'd probably be bored out of your wits after two levels (and it is quite a short game already). However, the presentation is strong enough that it keeps the monotonous action rather interesting.
Overall, Pride and Prejudice and Zombie is a game that won't offer much replay value, as it's the story that makes you want to stick with it in the first place. However, for the kind of laugh-out-loud hilarity it delivers, the $2.99 download price is absolutely worth it, even if you only enjoy it in a single sitting.
