Class Of The Living Dead Review

Love and Zombies

Class of the Living Dead is a zombie-fueled dating simulator by Genius Studio Japan Inc. Players take on the role of a high school gamer whose schoolmates are turned into the walking dead. Following an unimaginative plot, you work together with a small band of survivors to retake the school and maybe find love while you are at it.

A Lackluster Zombie Apocalypse

It’s a story you’ve heard before. You’re going through a typical day when suddenly zombies attack. People panic and soon there are more zombies than human beings. It’s the basic plot to almost every zombie movie—and unfortunately Class of the Living Dead doesn’t bother to bring anything new to the table. You spend most of your time running round the school, creating makeshift weapons, and acquiring supplies while trying to skirt the zombie horde. A dating sim that takes place during a zombie apocalypse is certainly an interesting premise, but Genius Studio Japan Inc. fails to captivate its audience with its lackluster plot.

Eek, Girls!

Perhaps more terrifying than zombies is the prospect of dating. Class of the Living Dead is at its cold dead heart, a dating sim, and the game offers players three girls to choose from. Firstly, there’s Yua, who happens to be your only friend at the start of the game.  Once timid and quiet, Yua has evolved into a bubbly socialite and is often the center of attention. Then there is Ranko, the so-called perfect one.  Ranko is beauty, brains and brawn all wrapped up into one. Lastly is Mel, a science-loving recluse who may be the only student at school less popular than you. Mel comes off as abrasive but once you get past her hardened exterior you see she is a kind and caring person.

Despite attempts at backstories, such as learning Mel’s interest in science stems from a desire to help her sick brother, the girls still fall flat. Each girl fits the mold of one stereotype or another with little to differentiate them from the bubbly socialite, the determined straight A student, and the nerdy loner you come across in every John Hughes film from the 1980s.

Pay to Date

Of course, if you want to date one of these girls, you’ll need gems. Gems are used to make premium decisions. Throughout the game, you’ll have chances to comfort, kiss, and otherwise build a strong relationship with your potential girlfriends. Each of these decisions costs roughly 25 gems. You start you off with enough gems to make one premium decision. After that, you can complete offers to receive points that can be converted to gems or purchase gems. It costs $2.49 for twenty gems and $20.99 for 250 gems. Bear in mind that most premium decisions cost more than 20 gems so for $2.49 you’re not even getting enough to make one premium decision. Offers are time-consuming, requiring you to download and play other games to earn a few points. Then there is the steep conversion rate of points to gems. It takes 60 points to get five gems. Honestly, it’s just not worth the time and effort or the money, for that matter, to acquire gems.

The game is divided into chapters and each chapter costs one story ticket. You start with two story tickets in your inventory. After you spend a ticket, you’ll receive a new story ticket in two-and-a-half-hours. Once you’re back up to two tickets, they stop respawning until you spend one. You can also buy a story ticket for $1.99 but as chapters only offer about five to ten minutes of gameplay each it’s definitely not worth the cost.

A Zombie Game Without Bite

All in all, Class of the Living Dead offers players little in the way of originality. The plot just isn’t that interesting, and the characters lack any real depth. Combine that with extremely short chapters and having to pay for gems in order to make premium choices in-game, and Class of the Living Dead is a bland disappointment of a game that seems to be designed more to fill the wallets of the developers than provide an engaging experience for players.