2013: Infected Wars

Lore & Background

2013: Infected Wars is a third-person shooter in which players clear areas of zombies and rescue civilians using a variety of weapons including assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, and a viral gun. The game is divided into missions with objectives such as clearing an area of zombies or rescuing civilians, and it features a co-op mode.

The game was released for iOS in 2013 and later for PlayStation Vita in 2015. According to review aggregator Metacritic, it received "mixed or average" reviews. Critics noted its ordinariness and forgettable nature, though the cooperative multiplayer was seen as a novel feature that provided some longevity.

Reader's Guide

2013: Infected Wars is significant as a mobile and handheld zombie shooter that attempted to leverage console-quality graphics via Unreal Engine 3. Its legacy is modest, defined by mixed critical reception and a reputation as a deeply ordinary shooter. The co-op mode was its most distinctive feature, offering a buddy-movie experience for iOS users. However, critics found the campaign too long and light on content for its price, and the gameplay uninspired. The game serves as an example of early mobile attempts to replicate console shooter experiences, but it failed to stand out in a crowded zombie game market. Its release on PlayStation Vita extended its reach but did not improve its critical standing. Overall, 2013: Infected Wars is remembered as a forgettable title that offered cooperative play as its main draw.

Did You Know?

• 2013: Infected Wars uses Epic Games's Unreal Engine 3.
• The game features a viral gun as one of its weapons.
• It was released for iOS on September 4, 2013, and for PlayStation Vita in 2015.
• Critic Jon Mundy rated it 3 out of 5 stars, calling it a 'deeply ordinary and forgettable shooter.'

Development & Platform Rollout

Action Mobile Games handled both the development and publishing of 2013: Infected Wars, a horror shooter that first hit Apple's iOS platform on September 4, 2013. The title was built on Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3, a choice that signaled an ambition to deliver console-grade visuals on a handheld device. Nearly two years after its mobile debut, the game crossed over to Sony's PlayStation Vita, arriving in North America on March 24, 2015, before reaching European shelves on July 2 of that same year. This staggered rollout meant that Vita players in different regions waited varying lengths of time after the original iOS launch, with European consumers receiving the game roughly three and a half months after their North American counterparts. The roughly two-year gap between the iOS release and the Vita port also gave the title a long shelf life in the mobile gaming space before it could be experienced on a dedicated handheld console.

Gameplay & Combat Structure

At its core, 2013: Infected Wars is a third-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead. Players navigate through mission-based levels, each presenting distinct objectives that typically involve wiping out waves of zombies or rescuing trapped civilians from dangerous zones. The arsenal available to the player spans several weapon classes, from rapid-fire assault rifles and close-range shotguns to precision sniper rifles, giving shooters flexibility in how they approach each encounter. A particularly distinctive addition to the loadout is a viral gun, a specialized tool designed to take down enemies in a manner separate from conventional ballistics. Beyond the single-player campaign, the game offers a cooperative multiplayer mode, allowing two players to team up and tackle the zombie horde together. Critics consistently identified this co-op element as the title's most memorable feature, often citing it as the primary reason the experience felt slightly elevated above the genre's many forgettable entries.

Critical Reception

The review aggregator Metacritic classified 2013: Infected Wars as receiving "mixed or average" responses, a verdict echoed across individual critic scores. Jon Mundy of Pocket Gamer awarded three out of five stars, calling the game "deeply ordinary and forgettable" while acknowledging that the cooperative multiplayer mode lifted it just above the median. David Clarke at TouchArcade was considerably harsher, giving it two out of five and comparing the experience to a stale meal reheated repeatedly, dismissing the "console quality graphics" pitch in favor of wanting genuine inspiration. Lee Hamlet of 148Apps also scored it three out of five, noting that the eight campaign levels felt drawn out and that the content was thin relative to what he considered a steep price, though he conceded that multiplayer added replay value and that with further refinement the game could become a standout zombie title on the App Store. Matthew Pollesel at Gaming Age gave it a C, bluntly advising readers that from an objective standpoint it was not worth their time.

Genre Positioning & Unfulfilled Potential

Within the crowded landscape of mobile zombie shooters, 2013: Infected Wars occupied a middling position that highlighted both the promise and the limitations of the genre on handheld platforms. Critics repeatedly pointed to a gap between the game's technical presentation—bolstered by Unreal Engine 3—and its creative execution, with reviewers describing the experience as derivative and lacking in fresh ideas. The campaign's eight levels were seen as insufficient for the price point, and the overall structure was characterized as formulaic. Nevertheless, several reviewers, including Hamlet at 148Apps, suggested that the game was close to becoming a solid entry in the category and that minor tightening of its systems could have elevated it to one of the best zombie games available on the App Store. The cooperative mode, while praised, was viewed more as a saving grace than a defining innovation. Ultimately, the title served as a case study in how technical capability alone could not compensate for a lack of creative vision in the mobile horror-shooter space.