World War Z Aftermath Review

To skip out on World War Z after the release of the Aftermath DLC would be a grave mistake. With the addition of two new playable episodes, a new specialty class, a new enemy, and a surprisingly needed first-person mode, Aftermath revives the World War Z that was released in 2019…back from the dead.

The two added episodes in Aftermath are Rome and Kamchatka. In Rome, you take back Vatican city from the undead. Meanwhile in Kamchatka, Russia, you are tasked with preventing a refugee settlement from freezing to death. Each of the two settings has its ups and downs. Personally, I loved the variety in the character designs for your selection of survivors in the Rome mission. None of the characters blended in with one another giving them a sense of individuality. Sadly that’s all we would get. World War Z even in the base game never really got the grasp of getting any sort of connection out of the survivors you play, as there was no sense of attachment to be had especially since you only would spend 3 chapters before moving onto another set of characters. The only backstory you would get out of the characters would be their unlockable bio logs but none of the Rome characters come with them, just a short bio excerpt.

Rome’s chapter also seemed very lacklustre as nothing in this chapter really stuck. While the Kamchatka characters weren’t all too special I actually did enjoy playing through this chapter. There was a moment where a snow blizzard actually caused damage to players, that plus fending off the zed while other players solved puzzles was chaotic and exciting. The same as the base game, the storyline is forgettable and at times you won’t even know why you’re doing something. The characters and story just aren’t fleshed out (no pun intended) just like the base game.

A new class that was added with Aftermath is Vanguard and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Being a Vanguard equips players with an electric shield that can be used to keep zombies at bay or even can be used as a ram as you charge through hordes of the undead. I will warn players though that this class will not be for everyone as there is a slight learning curve with it. New melee weapons were added into the game with their own special perks which makes the slasher class a much more tolerable choice. Either clear the room with a two-handed weapon or hack and slash with dual-wielded blades. When paired up with the right melee weapon though and a little practice, you’ll be a badass roundhouse.

A small addition to the game is a new type of infected; rats. While they’re not a huge gamechanger I will say having plague rats in the game is rather a nice edition. There would be moments where one of my teammates would run off ahead and moments later are pinned down by rats eating their face-off. They’re so small that at times they can even be considered a minor jump scare.

One of the biggest game-changers is the addition of a first-person point of view. This new feature puts you face-first into the apocalypse, especially when you have hordes after horde over your screen. The execution however could have been better. Instead of looking into your scope when holding up your gun, you end up looking down the side of the barrel. That was a major disappointment. Melee-ing in the first person isn’t a thing either. You immediately go in and out from the first to the third point of view. Again a disappointment.

Conclusion

If you were already a fan of the base World War Z then I would have no problem recommending Aftermath to you. Although some aspects of the game could have used a bit more attention, blasting through zeds in the first person was still an enjoyable experience, especially with the addition of friends.

This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox One. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.