The Undead Served Medium-Well: Zombie BBQ Reviewed


Players will realize they are in for a unique experience in Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ, when our protagonist flings off her scarlet cloak and begins firing her machine gun at the start of the game. Developers EnjoyUp have created a wacky title that skillfully mashes up the Brothers Grimm with gameplay reminiscent of Gun.Smoke and NAM-1975.

From the onset, it’s clear the developers know the DS hardware, as menu selections send the player sweeping through a 3D graveyard, before the main game even starts. Gamers can choose between two characters: the previously mentioned Riding Hood, and Momo ‘Kamikaize’ Taro, who’s armed with an endless supply of shuriken. Differences between the two players are merely cosmetic; as developers missed an easy opportunity to increase the longevity of the title.


                                            Is it just us, or does Momotaro looks like Chun-Li from the back?

Players are restricted to the bottom on the screen, and may use the D-pad or stylus to move left or light in one of seven lanes at the bottom of the screen. By confining the player to a specific path, the game simplifies hit detection- it is always clear if an on-screen threat is going to make contact with our hero. Firing is handled by holding down the stylus anywhere on the screen besides the bottom row of the screen. Players fire in bursts and must release the stylus to reload after a dozen shots or so. Special weapons are on the borders of the screen, and include shotguns and lasers. Tapping on the hero will cause our protagonist to duck- a skill that’s necessary during boss battles.  

Control works well for the most part, with one glaring problem. Players have a limited supply of bombs that are thrown by double-tapping. It’s far too easy to inadvertently toss one of these; EnjoyUp should have used the left and right bumpers to trigger these. Thankfully, Zombie BBQ isn’t just about fast reflexes, as most foes move fairly slow. Instead, the game challenges players to multitask- the skillful player should constantly be aware of what the most immediate threats are at all times.

The title stands as one of the best examples of hand-drawn art on the DS hardware. Characters are drawn in a style reminiscent of the Street Fighter Alpha series, with a meticulous attention to detail and shading. Cartoonish zombies have tufts of white hair, and blood lingering around their mouths, while killer dolls are missing eyes. Although the enemy roster isn’t especially deep, each foe in the game is charmingly drawn. Sadly, when more than four adversaries appear on-screen, the game’s speed can slow drastically.


                                   Candy apples, chocolate and the undead is a perfect receipe for short-term fun.

The game includes some intentionally funny voice-work. Hearing Little Red Riding Hood say “Zombie BBQ”, with a skewed accent is incessantly amusing. We wish even more of the catch-phrases were integrated into the game, perhaps after boss battles. Players may tire of the endless clatter of the hero’s main weapon being fired as it drones on throughout the game, however.

Our enjoyment of the title was inversely related to the amount of time we spent with it. The game offers a decidedly old-school aesthetic- later levels present the same play mechanic, but with different background and enemy art.  So after a few levels, monotony reared its ugly head. Perhaps the developers should have made shorter levels, punctuated by rounds offering a different play style.

Little Red Rising Hood’s Zombie BBQ is a competent shooter with a well-refined play mechanic. Its hand-drawn artwork is some of the best to be found on the DS system, and complements the action expertly. However, a lack of depth hurts the long-term value of the game- the title is a bit simplistic to keep gamers shooting once it’s been completed. Still, we encourage all players to at least give the title a try- this is one BBQ that everyone deserves to taste.

Good: Twenty dollar price, limitless undead horde to dispatch.
Bad: Having to restart a level after dying due to the lack of checkpoints, slowdown.
Ugly: The game’s art is gorgeously grotesque; the cutest gristle you’ll ever see.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

32 comments

  1. Howza! Ive never even heard of this game.

    Is this real?

  2. Yeah, it’s real, I saw another site do a preview on the game.

    at $20, I’m in.

  3. I dont see the SFA style artwork in any of the pics.

    I did think that was Chun Li, tho!

  4. Looks cool. The DS need more shooters!

  5. In the review you say Momo has shuriken. That looks like a gun to me.

  6. Looks cool. Too many games, and too little money right now.

  7. Is the other character a guy or girl?

  8. Ive been interested in this game since I first heard about it.

  9. Could be cool. For shooters, I got to play them before I commit to them.

    I do like the graphics, theyre pretty colorful without being too babyish.

  10. I loved the name.

  11. I looked for this game this week, after TideGear gave it the thumbs up. Couldn’t find it. My Gamestop got in no copies at all.

  12. Im am the only gamer whose never heard of Gun.Smoke and NAM-1975?

  13. I love the concept. I have to get this game!

    BTW is there actually a zombie BBQ in the game?

  14. Ive heard the graphics are really good and rival PSP quality.

  15. Ok, I’m on the hunt for this now. For some reason I think if I pass this up, I could regret it later.

    Great review, BTW.

  16. Looks like a fun game.

  17. What a great name for a game, and an even better pun in the title. Well played.

  18. Great review. I want to know where I can get this game cheaply.

  19. I bought the game today, and completely agree with the review. I think old school gamers will appreciate the game more than the new breed of gamers.

    I played for about two hours (until my DS can out of juice) and while I like the game, I feel I need to play something else for a while.

  20. looks great. I think i have some credit I can put towards this.

  21. Nice to see a decent shooter on the old DS, I would hope to see an enhanced port for the PSP if this is successful.

  22. digitially integrated7

    Seems like a very fair and honest review. Good job, DE.

  23. Looks as cool as an undead ghoul. I want this game now!

  24. Looks cool. $20 seals the deal for me.

  25. LOL Awesome title hadn’t seen anything on this game. Thanks for the review.

  26. Okay, it’s hard to admit but I hate zombies. The art-style is good enough to keep my mind off how real zombies look though and it seems like good, mindless fun. A thumbs up to companies that actually use the $20 price point.

  27. I’ve been in love with this game ever since I first heard the title. I can’t wait to pick it up!

  28. The game seems like an interactive idea. However, the game seems tiresome and wouldn’t last long. I might just get it since it has zombies.

  29. I will definitely get this when I get the chance, the videos Ive seen so far made me laugh lol

  30. Looks pretty good. At $20, I will definitely purchase this on release day.

  31. Wow, how could I have missed an awesome game like that!

  32. for $20, this looks like a good game