World War Z Aftermath Review (Steam)

by Jim Smale · Published July 15, 2024 · Updated July 22, 2024

We are back for our World War Z: Aftermath Review, we are again taking on the horde in this co-op zombie shooter and the next evolution of the original hit World War Z that has now captivated over 15 million players. Fight off hordes of ravenous zombies in intense story episodes across new zombie-ravaged locations around the world.

World War Z: Aftermath

World War Z Aftermath Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
62.13GB download size.
Steam achievements.
Graphics settings – graphics API (Vulkan/DX11), display mode, resolution, resolution scale slider, target display, v-sync, dynamic resolution scale, fidelity FX super-resolution 2.2, set FPS limit, and animation quality.
Advanced graphics settings – visual quality preset, details, anti-aliasing, post-processing, shadow quality, lighting quality, effects, quality, texture quality, and texture filtering.
Controller and mouse camera settings – Invert axis and sensitivity sliders.
Benchmark test option.
Zombie shooter gameplay.
Tutorial pop-ups as you play.
Daily and weekly challenges.
Five control layouts.
Motion blur intensity choice.
Two additional modes- campaign and multiplayer.
First-person view can be turned on and off.
New modes – challenge and horde mode.
The co-op campaign is online or offline and you can set up private or public online lobbies.
Five difficulties, normal, hard, very hard, and insane.
Seven episodes – New York, Jerusalem, Moscow, Tokyo, Marseille, Rome, and Kamchatka.
Quickplay option.
Horse mode XL – has three maps for Tokyo, Rome, and Arizona.
Plays like Left 4 Dead with improvements and additions.
Ten character classes – survivor, trapper, specialist, warfighter, phantom, demolished, striker, support, assassin, and shadow. Each have unique load outs and has its own exp levels.
Campaign locations and levels within them are available from the start so you can play in any order.
Gun customization-earn exp with each gun and buy unlocks like scopes, power, etc.
First and third-person views.
Multiplayer modes – Quick match, swarm, domination, King of the Hill, swarm deathmatch, scavenge raid, and vaccine hunt.
Party invites system.
End-of-level scorecard showing who did what and how many.
27 weapons and 3 melee weapons.
Earn and unlock portrait frames.
Guns – 3 tiers and melee weapons.
Each location has four characters to choose from.
Impressive on-screen zombie count. We are talking about what looks like 100s.
Solo play is you and 3 bots.
Has a ping system for loot and location.
Load out primary, side, heavy, and equipment.
Find guns and ammo in the game.
Has set-piece encounters where you may have to hold an area down, you get prep time and then trigger it when ready.
Breaching charge – these are hidden in the levels and used to open bonus cargo crates.
The collection menu looks at all guns, locations, notes, and origin trailers for each character.
The base defense set pieces. Collect and deploy defensive weapons. You have a set preparation time.
Seriously intense.
You get to keep Exp on failed attempts.
End of level breakdown showing who headshot the most zombies or dealt the most damage.
Every class/character has its own skill tree.
The satisfying bar fills in terms of exp earned for each gun.
The Multiplayer is 4v4 and has random zombie attacks.
When teammates die they come back as a zombie.
The Story is told for each location and you can do them in any order.
Can replay levels.
Locations are big enough that you can explore them a bit and find loot.
Decent gun plays with each gun handling differently and overall has a tight responsive feel.
Swarm happens a lot and fills the screen with zombies. It takes their behavior from the film, they fall from buildings and form pyramids to scale walls.
On-screen objective markers.
Stealth is a legitimate tactic. Using melee or silenced weapons will stop zombies from attacking en mass.
Different zombie types like screamers that attract more zombies, lurkers that pin you, and gas zombies who umm gas you.
They have nailed how zombies react and attack.
Zombies are fast runners.
Tense atmosphere.
You get clear checkpoint-style parts where you can rest up and refill ammo, and grenades, and pick up and change weapons.
The handling of guns is improved and feels really good.
Bot characters will fast-travel to you if you go too far ahead.

World War Z: Aftermath

World War Z Aftermath Review Cons:

In-app purchases.
The controller doesn’t work until you go into the overlay and disable the steam input option.
Exp does not save when you get a disconnect.
Can’t pause even in solo offline.
Bots are not very good at all.
Lines are constantly getting repeated.
Doesn’t show what levels you have done.
The slowdown in places.
Have to be really precise for interactions to work.
Levels feel short.
Loading times can be very long, even more so when you add in matchmaking.
Can’t earn gun exp in online multiplayer.
3rd person view can obstruct your view.
Afkers really ruin the game. More so due to how many group-up points are in a level.
Upgrades are slow and early on you can only have sights or power, not both.
Doesn’t have friendly fire but your pals will constantly shout out about it and it’s tied to achievement.