The basic premise of the game is, start a stage, earn a new power, clear out the dungeons on that stage that require that power. This is done for each stage, of which there are four. It can get pretty repetitive and become boring pretty quickly.
The later portions of the game can be quite demanding on ones typing skills. This means that no matter how much a player wants to see the game through, if their fingers are not equipped with the skill required, they most likely will not be able to finish the game. This is actually a physically demanding game and only the most competent typist should go into the game with the goal of completion.
Instead of the normal movement used in a game on PC (WASD) the player uses the E F J I keys, as the game wants the player to have both hands on the keyboard as they would when typing. This means movement is done through both hands on the keyboard only. This allows the player to quickly type words when in combat with no need to transition to a different control scheme.
The graphics are styled to look like folded origami pieces. As the player progresses in each stage, the map will fold out on a isometric plane in a way that looks like paper folding out to form objects. This gives an original look to the game that is actually a treat to watch.
Due to the unique controls, there is no need for a mouse to play this game, which means it will be a bit easier to play on a laptop as no external mouse is needed nor the use of the touch-pad. This is a keyboard only game, and that lends itself well to laptops.
This is an issue, as one enemy may be closer than the other and it can be a mixed bag as to which one will be hit with the attack when two enemies have the same target word. This leads to frustration and death due to the game not allowing for a way to target a specific enemy when the same word is used on both.
Originally released for the Dreamcast, this game does show its age. While this is a port of the Wii version,simply the graphics look poor. Textures and models look pretty poor, though that does mean the game is not that demanding, so is good for people with low end hardware.
While words per minute type counts for a lot in the game, the player does need to keep track of what mutants are moving faster towards them and plan out attacks accordingly. This means that the player needs to access the situation to then type out the word or words for the mutant they deam the most immediate threat. This makes for a lot of fun as it requires some skill with gaming by judging what the game is throwing at you, which can be a lot.
You have to make split-second decisions about which zombies to attack. You also have to think carefully about your loadout and how you are building up your base over time.