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741106898_Garagelogo.thumb.png.d6815c0615a56d0ce6aab5daa0916608.pngGarage, from developer Zombie Dynamics and publisher tinyBuild Games takes its cues from VHS era B-movies: zombies and monsters created by a mad scientist, and lots of bloody action as you kill hordes of undead. This top-down shooter definitely scratches an itch for a bit of visceral zombie-killing action, but ultimately doesn't do anything particularly new or novel with the genre. Instead the main thing that stands out in Garage is the high difficulty level for the wrong reasons.
 
You play as an ex-drug dealer named Butch; as the game begins you wake up in the trunk of a car and bust out only to discover complete chaos. There isn't anyone in sight until you stumble upon your first zombie enemy. The mystery of the situation sets up a decent bit of intrigue, and as the game progresses you'll gradually piece together details about the zombie apocalypse and Butch's backstory. It seems like the B-movie influence also means that the writing isn't well fleshed out though, and not in a fun, campy way, more of a generic uninteresting way. Even with a small cast of characters there just isn't much development to keep you engaged. The game does end with a decent little twist at least, but it just feels like setup for a sequel.
 
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Garage is a top-down, twin-sticks shooter: move with the left stick, aim with the right, and blow away every undead monster you come across. The game provides the standard selection of zombie-killing weapons: pistol, shotgun, rifle, even a fire ax. There's definitely something satisfying about landing a solid headshot and dropping one zombie after another, especially when you're on your last bullet and won't have time to reload. If nothing else Garage offers plenty of these intense, hair-raising moments when you breathe a sigh of relief as the final enemy falls.
 
What makes Garage frustrating is that it feels like the difficulty comes from clumsy controls or just plain strange game mechanics. First and foremost: you can't see enemies at a distance if they are behind a corner or in another room. That sort of makes sense, especially not seeing enemies in a room you haven't entered yet, but it becomes insanely annoying because of how easily zombies swarm over you and how easily enemies with guns home in on you—clearly they can see you no matter where you're hiding. The most ridiculous instance of this has to be when you are required to stealthily move around armed guards but you can't see them until you're near by. Enemies with guns are by far the most frustrating aspect of Garage because of their preternatural ability to hit you from any distance. The best strategy is to just be ridiculously careful by peeking out of cover to land one shot then dodging away again. It's not a fun system, especially when the rest of the gameplay is geared toward fast-paced, up-close combat.
 
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A big part of that is also just down to the controls which can make it hard to aim precisely—which seems counter-intuitive to a twin-stick shooter. But when armed enemies can snipe you from so far away and undead enemies rush you it's pretty hard to land consistent shots. Thankfully you can dodge roll away from zombies at least, though there's a hidden stamina bar that prevents you from rolling constantly. Shockingly one of the more difficult enemies in the game is the simple rat, one of the first enemies you face. They're small targets so they're hard to shoot, but melee attacks, for some reason, have a very narrow range of effect, so it's incredibly easy to miss a small target. Garage throws a lot of hazards at you and many of them are pretty difficult to deal with given the game's controls and line of sight system.
 
Continuing the B-movie influence, Garage literally looks like it is played on an old VHS. Granted, a top-down viewpoint doesn't lend itself to an incredible amount of depth or variety, especially with a pixelated art style, but Garage still feels a bit bland, visually. The horror setting doesn't help either—dark corridors are great for making you nervous about what is up ahead, but they also make every area of the game kind of feel the same. And although the music can be energetic at times mostly it comes off as forgettable background noise.
 
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The game takes a seven or eight hours to complete—assuming you don't get stuck retrying sections of the game over and over. It's a decent length for what the game is but Garage offers few replay incentives. There are different difficulty levels and there are hidden reports you can find that flesh out the story a little more but they're pretty minor additions. If you make it through the game you probably wouldn't be compelled to do it all again just to see a few extra lines of text.
 
Garage offers the basics of a top-down zombie shooter but little other depth to make the experience feel unique. There will always be something fun about blasting away undead monsters but too much of Garage is overshadowed by the frequently frustrating moments of unfair difficulty that tend to grind the gameplay to a halt as you carefully inch your way through these tedious sections. Ultimately those annoying moments stand out far more than any fun or thrilling moments of zombie killing.
 
Rating: 5 out of 10 Zombies
 
Review copy provided by publisher
 

Garage will be available on the Switch eShop on May 10th for $14.99.

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