Dead End is like retro-racer Outrun set in a grindhouse cinema setting (zombies!)

Fire up your engine and take off to the70's - an era which, as the grindhouse cinema-inspired racer Dead Endsuggests, is all about muscle cars, zombies, apocalyptic road-rage,and dirty rock and roll.

Dead End is a collaboration between twoFrench studios, Flying Oak Games and Sparkling Vinegar. It's aretro-racer that embodies all that's awesome and adorably clunkyabout B-grade horror movies - monochromatic graphics with awkwardanimations, abundant zombie splatter, babes, and garnishes it with aKuyss-inspired stoner rock soundtrack. In fact, its visuals arereminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age's red andblack video for "Go With The Flow", itself inspiredby comic book artist Frank Miller's characteristic style.

Fans of the bloody Carmageddon gameswill feel immediately at home, while seasoned gamers will appreciatethe homage to the arcade-classic Outrun. However, the game'saesthetics are definitely superior to its gameplay - running overzombies, which is the bread and butter of horror racing games,splatters blotchy bodily fluids on your windshield. They purposefullyobscure the race track, but the effect goes on for too long and makesit almost impossible to dodge spike traps and car scraps. Yes, thisis a "start level and see how long you'll last" type ofgame, but playing it doesn't feel very rewarding. Still, many gamerslike their games hardcore.

In addition to riding a zombie-infestedrace track, Dead End lets you earn dollars and buy upgrades in thegarage - your tires, shield, and steering wheel can be made bigger,stronger, and faster. After all, you are a race driver in theapocalypse - there's not much else to spend your hard-earned coin on,is it?

Dead End is free to play on Android andiOS, and $1.49 on Windows Phone due to the WP Store's lack of in-apppurchasing support. Unlocking the full title on the other systemscosts $1.99. It's a rather unique racer that's worth trying out.

Download: Android |iOS | Windows Phone

via Destructoid