The Typing of the Dead: Overkill Review

The Typing of the Dead: Overkill is a new game that I recently had a chance to play due to the spectacular Steam Halloween Sale. As Halloween is winding down–aside from the weekend parties that some have planned, which actually might be the start for some of you–this game is a must-have during any time of the year!

The story takes place in Bayou country, where you play as a cop and his friend trying to figure out what caused a mutant outbreak–and how to stop it. You must type words faster than the zombies can get you. Once the word is typed you will see the zombie explode right in front of you! 

Graphics

Developed by Modern Dream and Published by SEGA, the themes and obnoxious comedy from the House of the Dead series give this game a creative atmosphere. 

The combination of pictures and animation in this game are great! It feels like I’m watching an old-time movie reel–but in color, of course. The style is truly unique in that it combines the movie air with a bit of graphic novel thrown in there as well. 

Gameplay

Basically, you spend the whole time trying to figure out why you didn’t pay attention in typing class in high school. The words–and zombies–will come flying at you with the only seconds to type the phrase. The typing just gets faster as you move along the nine levels, and pretty quickly, the words turn into short phrases, and you must now know how to spell words like “egregious” off the top of your head with a raging mutant trying to eat you.

Within the first couple of minutes, I found myself on the edge of my computer chair waiting for the words to pop up. It is intense and  will make you anxious, rushing to find the right keys to press. One thing I love about this game is that the words change for every playthrough, so you can play the game multiple times and still have just as much fun, because it is unpredictable. 

Now, I played the game on the medium speed and I type on average 60-65 words per minute. I found myself looking down and having a difficult, yet manageable, time typing the words. I can’t even imagine my fingers being able to move fast enough to play on the fastest mode available! But that presents a challenge and I like that type of challenge in the games I play.

The only reason I bumped this down to a nine was that I found it hard to focus on the story or even the graphics because my eyes were literally glued to the text boxes the whole time. Now this may be because I don’t have experience playing the original version of this game, which released in the 90s, but nonetheless the story and speed of the game could be enhanced drastically if only they made the cut scenes just a little bit longer. I’m not talking a big change–just two or three more seconds would give me a chance to appreciate the work the artists put into making the game. 

I would definitely buy this game again at the full price of $19.99! There is also a DLC that will be completely free that allows for two-player co-op multiplayer, which I will definitely be dragging one of my friends to play. I recommend checking this game out, you won’t be disappointed!