I have a little confession to make.
I’m a little obsessed with zombies. For some it’s vampires, for some it’s werewolves, for me it’s lumbering corpses intent on eating human brains.
I know, it’s a bit weird. Luckily Mr GFB loves zombies too, which means whilst some are romantically watching a film together on a Saturday afternoon, we’re hacking at zombs playing Dead Island, or watching Shaun of the Dead for the umpteenth time.
Fried Gold.
But as most of my runs recently have been training runs – less fun, more bashing out the miles – this app has been sitting unused on my phone. Until now. Now I’ve been for fun, for enjoyment.
Zombies, Run 3 is an app for your mobile phone that’s specifically designed for use while you’re out running. Plug in your earphones and select a mission – each mission lasts around half an hour and is interspersed with music from your own collection. I’ll mostly talk about the first mission – simply because I don’t want to give any of the storyline away.
Initially, you’re in a helicopter, and your pilot chats to you, setting up the scene. You’re on a special mission, being dropped with supplies into a safe camp, in an area surrounded by zombies – you’re not told how it happened, or the background particularly, as time goes on, the story develops.
Just as you start to make contact with the camp where you are to land, your helicopter is hit by a rocket. You are plunged into wild zombie country.
A voice comes over the radio, the noise of the crash has drawn the attention of zombies in the area. No time to wonder who hit you or if your pilot survives with you.
Time to run.
This is where things start to get going. It’s like being in your own computer game. The radio operator talks to you, telling you where to go, talking you through the story, guiding you away from the zombies and asking you to divert, or collect items as you run.
After running towards a ‘tower’ (in my case I used the clock tower of Stretford Town Hall) you then divert via a hospital and collect useful medical equipment for the camp doctor.
As you run, you collect useful things for the camp. As the story develops, you become their ‘runner’ someone who runs faster than a zombie can lumber and able to head out of the camp and visit far away buildings and homes for goodies to bring back.
Whilst running through the hospital, I collected:
3 medical kits
4 tubs of painkillers
1 pack of clean underwear
1 sports bra
1 pair of trousers
1 set of CDs containing useful information about the outbreak
2 pairs of crutches.
I did wonder how I managed to carry two pairs of crutches on my back with all of the above, but apparently I didn’t get stuck in any doorways whilst running through the ground floor of the hospital.
And it’s also a little odd how as you’re told about what you’re carrying, you can almost feel it on your back.
I made it, however, avoided a car park full of zombies and headed back to the camp.
To be honest? I love this app. Not only does it make a change from just listening to a play list, it’s perfect for both the treadmill and the streets, meaning on those dreaded wet, miserable days, you can still find the motivation to run.
There is also nothing like being told by the radio operator speed up, whilst hearing the groans and moans of a zombie horde chasing you – perfect for getting the heart rate up and keeping you going.
And it really doesn’t feel like a chore. It’s an adventure, rather than you lacing up your trainers and heading out for another stomp of the pavement, this is fun.
The app is available for both Android and iPhones and costs around £2.49 for the initial app (you can then pay to install further stories and levels).
I can’t wait for the next episode.