After topping download charts in China, NetEase’s LifeAfter is now going global for Android and iOS. Users from North America and Australia can now download the multiplayer zombie survival game from their respective stores.
Lifeafter is a post-apocalyptic, zombie survival mobile game where Players must do whatever they can to survive. It tells the story of a world being plagued by a deadly virus and humans are turned into Infected Zombies. When night falls, you can hear the growling of Infected approaching. As you cower in fear worrying whether you can survive another night, all you can do is pray for the sun to rise.
As the dust settle and more survivors are being found, it becomes difficult to house all of these survivors. You as the main character, is tasked to go out there and reclaim the territory that are plagued by the infected.
Unlike most mobile survival games where you are thrown in an open world with no clue of what to do next, Afterlife actually provides a pretty good tutorial mission with narratives. The cool thing about the game is how it seamlessly integrates each individual mission into one big story plot. With some simple cutscenes and NPC dialogues, it actually helps you to get more immersed in this post-apocalyptic world.
Now let’s talk about the actual gameplay. Like any other survival games, Players will need to gather materials, build shelter, feed yourself and craft powerful weapons to defeat the Infected. Players will need to manage your character’s HP, Hunger, Health, Temperature and Vigor to survive better in the game.
Almost everything you see out in the open can be mined, gathered or chopped. As you progress further into the game and level higher, you will be able to craft more powerful weapons to fight against more powerful enemies. Every weapon in the game can be crafted by using the materials you gathered. From traditional Bows, to miniguns and even Bazookas.
Once you’re done laying the foundation for your base, you can then take the helicopter and head into the wild to gather even more valuable resources. However, before you go, don’t forget to store your excess materials in your base as once you die outside, you will come back naked.
For those of you who are exploring the higher-level wilderness, do take note of the in-game time as the Infected will appear more during the night. The best thing to do during the night is to hide in empty house and wait for the Sun to rise. If you’re worried that you’re wasting your battery life, the game got you covered! There are mini games where you can play with your friends during the night to past time.
To provide a more immersive world for players to explore, the game has a diversified weather system that will hamper your survival. Different weather can be found in different regions and the weather system isn’t only for visual presentation. It actually affects your character’s survivability. Remember to not catch a cold in the Rain, warm yourself up with thick clothing during the Snow and tread carefully during Sandstorms.
There’s only that many things you can do by playing solo. Teaming up with your friends is actually the best way to explore the game especially at the higher-level areas. The game encourages team play and allow up to 4 players to co-op.
You can also form your own clan which called Camps in the game. Members of the camp can enjoy benefits that are exclusive to the camp system. Not enough supplies? Fret not as Players can participate in Camp Battles! Players can form a party within your Camps to pillage other camps and plunder their supplies. This is the fastest way to “gather” materials. However, you must be prepared for other Camps to invade yours too.
Controls for the game are pretty intuitive. There’s a quick switch button you can use to change your gathering equipment depending on where your crosshair lands. It can be slightly cluttered if you’re playing with older phones with smaller screens. However, if you’re playing on PC with an emulator, you can actually see more and enjoy the environments of the game.
In terms of graphics, Afterlife is definitely one of the best in the mobile survival games genre. Previously, most survival games on mobile are using the 2.5D view while Afterlife is a full-fledged 3rd person 3D game. The environment is pretty much what you can expect from a post-apocalyptic world. The development team actually visited Chernobyl, a nuclear disaster site, to recreate some of the scenes in game.
Lastly, the best thing in the game is definitely your pet dog. If you’re a solo player, your pet is all you have to spur you on to survive in this perilous world.
Players can now download the game on Google Play Store or App Store.
