Mod Spotlight: No More Room in Hell
By Kyle Mann | December 3, 2011 | Features | No comments | Share
Yeah, yeah, Halloween’s long gone, but we thought we’d sneak in just one more spine-tingling game recommendation before the Christmas spirit takes over for the rest of the month. This one’s more atmosphere than action, and will satisfy the strictest zombie purists who shunned games like Left 4 Dead and the later Resident Evil affairs. It’s called No More Room in Hell, and it’s quite a treat of a Half-Life 2 mod.
The premise sounds simple enough: 8 survivors cooperate to push through a sea of zombies while completing objectives to make it out alive. Where No More Room in Hell differs from recent co-op zombie affairs is in its heavy slant toward quasi-realistic mechanics. Players’ inventory slots are very limited, allowing just a couple of weapons and ammo types each; reticules and other HUD elements are disallowed. In addition, despite the undead’s classic sluggish speed and lack of coordination, high zombie counts in each area combined with scarce ammunition and weak melee weapons contribute toward a high degree of difficulty relative to other games in the genre.
One thing’s often bothered me about the deluge of zombie games recently: very few of the them feature the “opportunity” for undead bites to turn the player. No More Room in Hell rectifies this, as bitten survivors slowly lose their minds to the call of the infected, forcing remaining survivors to gun down one of their own. It’s awesome in a morbid way, and finally allows you to live out one of the basic moral dilemmas of any of the staple zombie films.
Though the game can be played solo, it’s not recommended as it’s balanced for two or more doomed plucky teammates, some of which can provide covering fire for a survivor carrying a key or other pertinent item. The more the merrier of course, but having just a few participants can really augment the cold, lonely atmosphere of the whole experience. Voice communication is key, so it’s far better to hook up with a few friends rather than taking your chances with possibly mute online comrades.
That spooky atmosphere is one of the key elements that makes No More Room in Hell so special; it avoids the temptation to inject Michael Bay-esque action moments in favor of quiet, haunting dynamics. Moments of silence wandering the opening areas, as whispers of unknown horrors sigh off in the distance, build up to the more thrilling set pieces nicely. Appropriate horror film music complements the flow of the levels, while still leaving enough space for the ambient atmosphere to do its work on your mind.
A brilliant blend of solid shooting and survival mechanics and that classic zombie feel, No More Room in Hell is worth a try for any fan of the genre. To play the game, you’ll need a copy of Half-Life 2 in your Steam account. Grab the mod off ModDB or Desura, and keep your wits, guns, and melee weapons about you!
