Ah, WiiWare. When first announced I had high hopes of indie publishers releasing hidden gems and Nintendo releasing silly little mini games from my favorite franchises. 5 years after Wii's launch, I have to say though some gems have definitely been shared, most of my ambitious hopes have been dowsed with the watery stream of reality.
Imagine my surprise, then, when a really hilariously excellent game is released for WiiWare to the masses. Zombie Panic in Wonderland is that game.
What is on offer here? The game is an on-rails (sort of) shooter akin to oldschool games like Hogan's Alley or Duck Hunt (or any other generic shooter you please!) that requires you to shoot massive amounts of enemies with little hope of ever releasing the trigger button. Sounds simple, and it is, but that is part of what makes the game work. Its intuitive, fast, frenetic, and offers a pretty humorous (though definitely light-weight) storyline.
The graphics are great fun. Very crisp, nice color palette, and the frame rate never bogs down (that I have noticed). All character movements are smooth and the locales offer enough variation to satisfy even the crotchetiest of gamers.
The gameplay is solid, and varied. Destructible environments add to the chaos of shooting away at Zombies that are attacking Wonderland. Yes, this is the fabled Wonderland of Alice origins, with a funky Japanese flavor. Momotaro is a Japanese mythical character (also the main star) of the game endowed the the duty of saving silly ugly dwarves. Shoot your way through wave after wave of Zombies (with boss battles, 'natch) until your fingers fall off. To keep your fingers in tact, there are multiple weapon upgrades as well as bombs.
There are plenty of reasons to come back for more. Firstly, there are extra characters to unlock, and though their speed varies when dodging, I noticed little else different. Then there is the multiplayer component, which obviously puts two players in the stage (this helps unlock things quicker, too).
Lots of complaints that this has no online functionality and to that I say get a real life friend you hoser. If the only friends you have live far away from you you're doing it wrong. :3
All in all, for 1000 Wii points one could say they would better spent elsewhere, but fans of the genre, or fans of humor or zombies in general, would be wise to at least download the free demo and give this puppy a try!
7.5/10
Thu May 30, 2013 2:01 pm by Nintendo Furniture
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Subject: Zombie Panic in Wonderland for WiiWare 
