Saber Interactive's World War Z: Game of the Year Edition is the culmination of over a year of continuous updates made to the acclaimed co-op zombie shooter. With new levels, weapons, and quality-of-life improvements, now is the perfect time to return to World War Z or visit for the first time. The GOTY Edition essentially includes the base game (and all its free updates) and the Season Pass, which consists of a whole new chapter alongside the numerous weapon and cosmetic packs that have been released thus far.
Upon its release last year, World War Z sought nothing more than to amaze and entertain players with fast-paced co-op shooting against a horde of zombie enemies numbering in the hundreds. While relatively short in length, the multiple difficulty levels, upgradable weapons, and distinct classes made for a highly replayable experience. Initially launched with 14 levels across four chapters, intermittent DLC updates brought that number up to 17 stages, while the Marseille chapter new to the GOTY Edition (and the season pass) brings the current total to 20 levels.
The new levels don't feel like lesser experiences than the stages that came with the game. Instead, they feel like equal additions that try new things and offer unique gameplay options, while never losing sight of what makes World War Z so special in the first place: standing your ground and taking on hordes of enemies at once. Each of the new levels features at least one of these showstopping moments, where players can set up defenses to protect choke points while preparing for the imminent arrival of the horde. Thanks to developer Saber Interactive's signature Swarm Engine, each of the zombies can be blasted individually, adding an extra sense of immersion to the players' efforts in thinning out the horde.
The crown jewel in the GOTY Edition is the new Marseille chapter, three new levels that each bring new elements to the table. Set in the beautiful French Riviera, Marseille (like much of the rest of the game) avoids the drab color palette that comes with most zombie fiction, and many of the vistas would be outright picturesque if not for all the blood and dead (and undead) bodies. One of the stages features a trip to a series of underground catacombs where one player must light the way with a flashlight so the other players can see what they're shooting at. Another situation forces players to team up to operate a gigantic missile launcher. While WWZ has always relied on multiplayer cooperation to survive its harrowing combat encounters, especially on harder difficulty levels, the Marseille stages feature a whole new level of interplay between survivors that encourages players to work together in order to survive.
Horde mode was added in December 2019, and offers a hearty challenge for even max level players, but it's also the fastest way to earn the in-game currency used to upgrade classes and weapons. Even progress of just a few waves is enough to earn more credits than a regular co-op level. There's only one map, but it's large and full of variety, since the survivors are forced to defend different sections of the map as the waves wear on.
Other updates brought numerous other additions to the game, from the awesome flamethrower weapon to the weekly challenge mode and more, as well as numerous bug fixes. World War Z was notoriously glitchy at launch, and that issue has largely been improved, but not quite fixed. The game is still prone to the occasional crash on PlayStation 4, and numerous little bugs still pop up, including one where planted auto turrets have a tendency to fling the player across the map upon activation. It's hilarious, but annoying.
World War Z is the sleeper hit of 2019, and Saber Interactive is doing its part to keep the game alive in 2020, with the GOTY Edition collecting the game and all its premium DLC together in one package. The result is the definitive edition of one of the great co-op titles of this generation. For all its technical prowess and complex gameplay systems, World War Z succeeds because it never loses sight of one basic truth: shooting zombies with your friends is spectacular fun.
World War Z: Game of the Year Edition is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Screen Rant was provided a PS4 digital code for review.