World War Z Aftermath Review (Xbox Series S)

by Jim Smale · Published October 11, 2021 · Updated July 15, 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.
25.7GB download size.
1000 Gamerscore.
Zombie shooter gameplay.
Five control layouts.
Two modes- campaign and multiplayer.
Two new modes – challenge mode and horde mode.
The co-op campaign is online or offline.
Five difficulties, normal, hard, very hard, and insane.
Four chapters-New York, Jerusalem, Moscow, and Tokyo.
Two new chapters/locations – Marseille, Rome, and Kamchatka.
Quickplay option.
Plays like Left 4 Dead with improvements and additions.
Six playable classes-Gunslinger, Hellraiser, medic, fixer, slasher, and exterminator. Each class has unique load-outs, its own skill tree, and level.
Two new additional classes – Dronemaster and Vanguard.
Campaign locations and levels within them are available.
Gun customization-earn exp with each gun and buy unlocks like scopes, power, etc.
First and third-person views.
Multiplayer-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.
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.
Breaching charge-hidden in levels and used to open bonus cargo crates.
The collection can look 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.
Keep Exp on failed attempts.
The Multiplayer is 4v4 and has random zombie attacks.
When teammates die they come back as a zombie.
Story throughout.
Can replay levels.
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 in order 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.
Zombies are fast runners.
Tense atmosphere.

World War Z: Aftermath

World War Z Aftermath Review Cons:

In-app purchases.
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.
No private game options.
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.

World War Z: Aftermath

World War Z Aftermath:

Official website.

Developer: Saber Interactive

Publisher: Saber Interactive

Store Links –

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
8/10

Accessibility - 8/10
8/10

Length - 8/10
9/10

Fun Factor - 9/10

8.2/10

Summary

World War Z is a game that apes Left 4 Dead and it’s back with even more carnage from new weapons to more classes and locations. I was expecting some action cover-based shooter or something but this genre totally makes sense. I am so glad they kept the zombie behavior from the film, shooting down pyramids of zombies is not only fun but it looks incredible. The on-screen zombie count is next level. The shooting in the game feels good, it doesn’t have a wide selection of guns but it has enough to keep you going. The locations look good and all feel different, it needs more because the levels feel really short and small in scale. Aside from the straight-up running and gunning you also get set pieces where you have time to set up defenses and deal with waves of zombies, again this is well done and breaks up the gameplay somewhat. Having individual origin films for each character is a really cool touch, a shame it’s pot luck if you get the new character you need in order to get the origin story unlocked but that’s another story. I find myself once again saying though that a surprise hit of a game falls short in the content department. It’s a sad fact that this happens a lot and I just hope we get more levels and additions to help keep the player base. I had little desire to go back once I did all the locations and saw the story out. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it doesn’t pull you in as strongly as Left 4 Dead, I mean it should but it doesn’t, well for me anyway. As it is I loved my time with World War Z but once I did the story I never really went back apart for the odd game with friends. The game is no different overall than it was previously so the review still holds up, it’s just worth noting that this now feels more like a complete package with a lot of niggles ironed out and more locations added. It’s still an absolute blast to play but for me, I still only do the one location in a session as it’s just too much a lot of the time but hey I’m old.