World War Z: Infection (2021) (PC/PS4/XONE/PS5/Android/iOS/X Series)

World War Z: Infection is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Mojang Las Vegas. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 & Series X on May 23rd. 2021, and a iOS & Android version was released on March 21st, 2022. The game follows groups of four survivors of a zombie apocalypse in the cities of Los Angeles, London, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Miami, Athens and Sydney.
== Gameplay ==
The game is a co-operative third-person shooter in which four players fight against massive hordes of zombies in seven locations, including Los Angeles, London, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Miami, Athens and Sydney.
Players can choose from seven classes: the Gunslinger (specializes in range), the Hellraiser (specializes in explosives), the Fixer (engineer), the Medic (healer), the Slasher (specializes in melee), the Exterminator (specializes in crowd control), and the Dronemaster (specializes in offensive/defensive support drones). New perks can be unlocked for each class as players continue progressing in the game.
The game can support up to 1,000 enemies appearing on-screen simultaneously, and they can climb onto each other to reach players on a higher level. Players can collect different items in the battlefield, but their locations are procedurally generated. In addition to fighting zombies, players also need to complete different objectives, such as escorting survivors, in each location.
Each location, or episode as it is known in-game, is divided into 3-5 individual levels. After completing a level, players receive "supplies" based on a resulting defeat or victory. Supplies can be used to upgrade weapons and unlock new attachments. Aforementioned perks can also be bought for specific classes using supplies.
The game features five competitive multiplayer modes. The Player vs Player vs Zombie mode pits two teams of players against each other while the zombie hordes attack both teams. Other modes include Swarm Deathmatch, Swarm Domination, and King of the Hill.
== Plot ==
=== Los Angeles ===
A group of survivors fail to reach an evacuation point set up by the U.S. Army and are forced to fight their way back down to the streets. They are soon contacted by another group of survivors, who have procured a subway train that will take them to another evacuation site. The group manage to reach the train and help prepare it for departure while fighting off swarms of zombies trying to overrun them. Although they manage to get the train started, they are stopped by a sealed door that was previously guarded by other survivors who were supposed to open it upon their arrival. After opening the sealed door, the group fights their way to the last Army evacuation site but find all the ships have left and the remaining soldiers and survivors have been killed. Finding a boat attached to a winch, the group desperately try to bring it ashore as their last chance of escape while fighting off a massive zombie horde. After boarding the boat, the survivors leave Los Angeles. Somewhere along the way, however, the boat runs out of fuel and the survivors are once again left stranded in a zombie-infested town. They eventually come across another evacuation site still occupied by the Army and full of wounded civilians. With the help of a gunship, the group desperately tries to defend the site under siege from multiple hordes as the soldiers evacuate the civilians. Things take a turn for the better when the Air Force arrives and destroys the remaining hordes, allowing everyone else to escape via helicopters.
=== London ===
A group of SAS soldiers and a photo journalist are tasked with rescuing a scientist whom high command regards as crucial in putting an end to the zombie epidemic. The group manages to rescue the scientist, who reveals that he was part of a team developing an experimental orbital particle cannon that can be used to wipe out large swarms of zombies in a single shot. They escort the scientist to the facility where the weapon can be fired and manage to protect him long enough to activate the weapon and escape. While flying away from the facility, the group witnesses the devastating firepower of the cannon, which wipes out a large zombie swarm which overrun the facility.
=== Mumbai ===
A group of survivors searching for food and other supplies witnesses the crash of a military helicopter and move in to save anyone who survived. When they reach the crash site, they find only one survivor, a female Indian Army officer, and fight off a massive swarm that attempts to overrun the crash site. After fending off the zombies, the officer enlists the groups' help in activating a deadly nerve agent throughout Mumbai that is lethal to both humans and zombies. The plan is to evacuate any survivors in the city and kill all of the zombies, but the nerve agent will leave Mumbai uninhabitable for six months. After sending out a signal to warn all survivors to evacuate before the nerve agent is released, the group infiltrate a secret facility where the nerve agent can be released. They successfully release it throughout Mumbai, killing all of the zombies in the city. Five days after being stranded in the bunker, the group believes they have been abandoned, but re-establish a connection with the officer who tells them to gas the tunnels to kill off the zombies hiding inside. Soon after, the Indian Army arrives and evacuates the group from the station as it is being attacked by multiple zombie hordes.
=== Hong Kong ===
Following the outbreak, the entirety of China is being evacuated. A volunteer rescue team finishes a final check for survivors in the city and assists in escorting a bus of survivors to a military checkpoint. The team is then tasked with assisting the PLA in defending a large cruise ship, the only remaining evacuation transport. The team manage to hold off a massive swarm by destroying a large fuel facility that acts as a wall of fire and manage to reach the cruise ship in time as it departs China. However, some infected have gotten aboard due to rushed screening operations, leaving the ship in danger of being overrun as the infection spreads. The team assists the onboard military forces in repelling and ultimately eliminating the infected from the ship. Though they have abandoned their country, the team hold hope that they will one day return to reclaim their land.
=== Athens ===
With one of the largest zombie hordes in Europe headed straight for Athens, four members of the Greek Resistance battle their way through the streets to obtain weapons and medicine before it arrives. They soon learn that a missile battery set up in Corinth across the bay has gone dark, depriving the area of its much needed firepower required to stop the horde. Volunteering to investigate, the group finally arrives at the city after fighting through a town and a factory. There, they find survivors holed up in a fortified building, and a giant swarm of zombies climbing up the hill towards their position. With no time to lose, the group is forced to commandeer the battery in order to stop the swarm. Using missile launchers to trigger avalanches that halt the swarm, they eventually succeed in lifting the siege, and returns to Athens upon learning that the city is under attack. Rallying at Fort Zeus-28, the group stages a final stand against the horde as night approaches, setting up fire moats and sealing breaches along the way. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, they struggle to contact Corinth as their radios are disabled in the attack. They eventually signal the battery with a flare gun, who respond with a missile barrage that obliterates much of the horde, thereby saving the city.
== Development ==
Approximately 100 people of Mojang Las Vegas worked on the game. The studio decided to use the World War Z license for the game as they felt that there were too many risks involved in marketing a brand new intellectual property.
The game was announced at The Game Awards 2016. The game was released on May 23rd. 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 & Series X. Focus Home Interactive and Mad Dog Games served as the title's distributor. It was also an Epic Games Store exclusive. Saber planned to support the game by introducing more episodes, characters, settings, and competitive game modes, after the game's launch.
A Game of the Year Edition of the game was released on March 22nd, 2022, and includes new weapons and character packs, a new three-mission PvE episode set in Athens, Greece, as well as all previously released downloadable content. Alongside the reveal of the Game of the Year Edition, a iOS & Android port was released.
An upgraded version of the game titled Quarantine, which includes the Game of the Year Edition and introduces three new locations (Miami, Sydney, Budapest, Singapore & Berlin), new characters, a revamped melee system and a first-person mode, was released on May 26th, 2022.
Category:Mojang Games
Category:Zombies