I mentioned Blizzard's The Lost Vikings earlier in the review, and Teenage Zombies draws a lot from that game's (and quite few others) premise - use your characters' various attributes to make it from point A to point B. Half-Pipe comes in handy for ramps, jumps and getting under low-to-the-ground obstacles. Lefty has the longest arm (just one… zombies, remember?) and can grab ledges. Fins uses his tentacles to climb walls and swing across gaps. Sadly, as you near the end of the game, Teenage Zombies sort of runs out of tricks, whereas The Lost Vikings had you utilizing your team in different ways from the beginning to the end. By the time you near Teenage Zombies last puzzles, you'll know exactly what to do, who to use and how to get by. Maybe in the sequel they can toss in some new powers, or even a larger cast of undead characters to keep things fresh. It never gets boring, but it does get familiar.

As is the style with a lot of DS games, Teenage Zombies tosses in some bottom-screen touch-based mini games. They are scattered throughout the game, but they are an annoying distraction from the main triple zombie puzzle gameplay. They serve to break up the pacing of the game; by the time you get used to the slower planning and execution of moves to get through the stages… oh! There is a little mini game that can require quick, precise stylus movements. I'm sure the developers saw this as a way to keep things interesting, but to me, it just distracted from the better, puzzle-based main game.

I mentioned that the Teenage Zombies don't boast the most impressive DS graphics out there, but it wouldn't be fair not to mention the game's comic book style. The last game I played that reminded me of a living, breathing comic book as much as Teenage Zombies does was Comix Zone on the Sega Genesis. There are speech bubbles, narrative boxes, the whole nine. The character design fits in with this nicely and everything flows into one inarguably slick package. The lack of an attempt at tossing in some more sophisticated visuals is a bit vexing, but in Teenage Zombies, the style almost, ALMOST makes up for it.

I got a lot of enjoyment out of this game. It isn't the prettiest, longest or most challenging game out there, but if you thirst for an era of puzzles, slower pacing and an almost tangible sense of style, you'll probably like these zombies as much as I did. I'm hoping that people give the game a chance; if it sells well enough, maybe we'll get a Lost Vikings DS sequel or, I hate to jinx it but, the long-promised remake of A Boy and his Blob. There is an audience for this type of game, and if you aren't busy tossing hookers off rooftops, I'm guessing that you are a part of that audience. Good for you.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 76%.

« Page 1