And when I say addictive, I mean it's incredibly addictive. But then again, Mike Bedsole knows how to make fantastic games, so it's no surprise. Some of you might have checked out Kero Kero Cowboy after I covered it here on Retro Dodo, a game about a cowboy frog who has the power to attack enemies with his tongue and wield a pistol to take down tougher enemies. Now, Mike's back with Corporate Rot, a room-clearing game where you play as an office worker battling waves of zombies.
Corporate Rot sees players moving through different office rooms, picking up items to attack zombies with. There are 100 floors, each with different zombies and office equipment which can be used as weaponry. So far, I've used computer screens, lamps, office chairs, golf clubs, and, my personal favourite, the stapler.
Here's the catch - this is a permadeath game, so if you lose your three lives, you'll go back to the start and have to start from the very beginning. There's no saving, no password entry, and no checkpoints. This is old-school roguelike difficulty at its finest. It's all very fast-paced and exciting, and you'll find yourself panicking when the durability of your item is almost out and you have to search for another item to use to beat back the undead!
There are different types of zombies you come across on each level. My understanding so far is that the green zombies are the grunts, the yellow are speedy, and the red are the toughest to kill. I've also come across zombies that spew bile after clearing around 20 rooms - they were brutal! Some zombies will hide in computer monitors too, giving them one bit of protection as you attack them. Undoubtedly, there will be more that I come across if I can manage to stay alive beyond 35 rooms, but I'm yet to beat that high score.
Defeating zombies gets you cash, which you can spend at vending machines for items that will give you upgrades to your attack, defence, or speed. You can also get items that give you health or automatically revive you when you die. It pays to be careful with your money so that you can save it up and buy auto revives, as they're the most useful item in the game. I also like how items will change on different playthroughs; sometimes water coolers are empty so you can't get more health, and sometimes they're full. Sometimes you start the game with cola on the boss's table, and sometimes it's candy, with each giving you a different stat boost. Fridges will sometimes contain food too.
Corporate Rot is a fantastic game, and it's live on Kickstarter now. If it meets its target, which I have no doubt that it will, Mike tells me that it will feature:
- 100 total levels
- Dozens of office supply makeshift weapon types
- 10 unique upgrade/consumable types
- A plethora of unique enemy types
- 5 intense boss battles, and much more!
Don't just take my word for it, though; head to the official Kickstarter page and check out the playable demo on Itch.io to get a feel for the game. You won't be disappointed!
