Review: No More Room in Hell

Among the various fast-paced action shooters that have become increasingly common in the zombie video game genre, it’s refreshing to play a game that owes its inspiration to a different era of zombies. No More Room In Hell accomplishes this, and surprisingly well considering its free status. Originally released as a Source Engine Modification during its beta phase during Halloween 2011, it has since been released as a free-to-play standalone title on the Steam store. It derives its title from the 1978 George Romero zombie flick “Dawn of the Dead”, the Romero zombie series clearly being the primary source of inspiration behind this game.

Now, on with the review. Visually, the game manages with what it has. It’s using an older version of the Source Engine, so don’t download this title expecting breathtaking visuals, or even anything on the same par as modern Source games such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive. Despite it’s standalone status, it feels very much like a Source Mod.

It’s in the aspects of atmosphere and core mechanics where this game really shines. Immediately the atmosphere of this game stands out, the dreary nature of the desolate streets filled with shuffling zombies and abandoned vehicles feels like you’ve been immediately placed inside a Romero style apocalypse. Combat mechanics can be a little clunky, however the shooting mechanics work fine. Ammo is scarce and frequently you’ll find yourself avoiding zombies rather than facing them, especially since zombies have the ability to latch on to you during close quarters combat. An additional creative mechanic present is your ability to get bitten. Once bitten, your health will slowly degenerate until you die and reanimate as a faster-than-usual moving zombie. Team inflicted damage is also enabled by default, so frequently a team will be faced with the decision to euthanize a member or let the infection run its course. A dangerous decision if you’re friends or planning to continue being friends with the player being euthanized.

Ignoring the options presented by community servers, No More Room In Hell has two basic game modes – story or survival. The story mode doesn’t actually provide any story, but takes a rather Left 4 Dead-esque approach of leading the team through a level while completing objectives to further advance (i.e, unlocking a door). There’s also a few neat pop-culture references thrown into the story level design, as can be seen in this image. The survival mode functions the same as the average survival mode – survive the waves of zombies, with the addition of helicopter-dropped supply crates full of precious ammunition as well as the ability to board up doors and windows.

Overall, No More Room In Hell presents a good time with friends and a solid addition to the zombie genre. It does things a little differently to the typical zombie shooter, but that’s what makes it interesting. While this may not be the most mind-blowing game you’ve ever experienced, it sure as hell is a damn fine game for a free title.

For a free title, and considering it has absolutely no in-game purchases or pay-to-win rubbish, I’ll give it a 7/10 

Review by John Briggs

Try you luck against the zombie hordes for free over on Steam