A zombie apocalypse has become something of a impending doom for humankind lately. Stories about the inevitable zombie apocalypse have become more famous so to say. However, it is no surprise that TV shows, comics, anime, movies, etc. portrait what could happen in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Movies like World War Z, Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days After to name a few give an idea of how to approach said event. While survival remains the number one priority, Death Road to Canada does things different, since each time you play, a unique adventure is generated, providing a good mix of storytelling, role-playing, and classic button-bashing action sequences.
With no time to spare, you’re taught how to wield and deal damage with an assortment of weapons and even how to throw chairs and trolleys. Once you’ve grasped the basics, you must then attempt to escape to the safety of Canada. In each session, you create a survivor with their own unique looks and perks, which provide special abilities ranging from improved healing to incredible abilities with a rifle. If you’re feeling lucky, you can opt with a randomized character. You’re also given the option to start the game with a buddy by your side. From here, how your adventure unfolds depends on the choices you make.
As you drive your car, the game presents text-based information about your party’s journey. Fuel, food, weapons, ammo ,and rest in these survival conditions are highly valued. As a result, you’ll spend most of your time scavenging supermarkets, gas stations, and gun shops while evading hundreds of zombies at once. Occasionally, you’ll stumble across a friendly camp that sells much-needed supplies. There’s always a risk involved when visiting certain locations, and sometimes it’s better to keep pushing on. However, often it’s better to scavenge as much as you can, especially for fuel.
The decision making is just as vital as the locations you decide to visit. Say if a group of bandits ambush your team, if you fail to select the right response, then brace yourself for team casualties as well as a loss of important supplies. Party members must also keep their morale high. Ones with high morale are more reliable than ones that are about to give up (and some are ones that will leave you and take all your supplies). Each party member’s emotion and how much certain scenarios affect them are also triggers for doom or success. Each team member has the ability to gain special perks while certain characters provide unique benefits to the entire party – with some acting as medics for example. Like any zombie apocalypse, things can quickly spiral out of control if aspects of the journey aren’t properly managed. Fortunately, you can always recruit one of the many other survivors you encounter on your journey if you are running low on party members.
The primary concern at all times is party and supply management. Keeping a close eye on what skills you’re developing within your party should be the priority. Who will be the weapons expert? Who will be the medic? Is there enough fuel for your car? Should you abandon your old car for a sports model or should you let a dog drive the car? There are a lot of random events that may completely derail what appears to be a perfect run, and believe me when I tell you that some of those events are totally awesome. For example, in one of my playthroughs in a siege. I found an alien and the men in black. It was funny because after it was over, I took the “Space Car” of the alien and it had a good gas consumption. There was another in which I found the “Power Rangers” (sort of since there were only four). I got a cool reward after finishing it, but other events were my death. So there is a lot of room for experimentation to determine if certain scenarios are worth your trouble. Also, if it is too much, you can always get a second player to jump in on the action. There are also variations of the main mode that will further test your survival skills.
The pixel presentation in Death Road to Canada perfectly matches the bite-sized zombie scenarios. There are grainy filters that can also be applied, channeling classic zombie films to further enhance the immersion as well. Adding to this is an assortment of upbeat chiptunes incorporating well known music genres like disco and rock.
Bottom Line: Death Road To Canada is a fun, challenging, and sometimes unforgiving trip for survival, but it’s full of nods and funny situations that sometimes you just let yourself die to see what the next playthrough will bring. This is what keeps the game fresh and fun each time, including multiple “Trips” to play, even an super hard 25 day trip in which your survival skills are put to the test. Death Road to Canada is awesome, and I am honestly surprised of how fun can be. I give it a solid recommendation to any Switch owner.