Dead Trigger 2 hit the iOS and Android app stores last night, and the good news is that this is a very worthy sequel to the original game. If you're new to the series, we've put together some useful hints and tips based on our time spent deep in the apocalypse.
- There are a couple of things you can do to bag a little more money in Dead Trigger 2. First of all, take the disgusting undead down with headshots whenever possible for an injection of bonus coins. Second of all, interacting with objects (such as restoring barricades) will reward you with extra money. Finally, if you're up to the challenge, you can always increase the difficulty level before starting a mission.
- Want to take out those zombies with a little more explosive power? Watch out for any red barrels you come across during your travels. A few well-placed shots here, and the explosive result will take out any nearby enemies. Just make sure you're not standing next to them yourself when you pull that trigger...
- Coins are nice, but ammunition is the most critical currency in Dead Trigger 2. Any time you pass by an ammunition box, make sure you top up so you're ready for the fight lying just around the next corner. Simply point your targeting reticule at the box and hold it there to get a full clip over time. You really don't want to end up relying on that monkey wrench in the apocalypse.
- Be very wary of backing up into a corner when there's a horde of zombies approaching. Very often these encounters are designed to push you straight back into a fresh assault from the rear. Our advice? Look for the nearest barricade you can find, make sure it's fully repaired and keep your back to that. You may still be ambushed from behind, but you'll get an audible warning as the zombies try to chew through the barricade.
- When you see that glowing red skull icon appearing on your reticule, move in the opposite direction immediately. This warning indicates that a nearby zombie is about to take a pretty meaty swipe at you - and while you may end up moving closer to other danger temporarily, you will get away from the immediate threat right away. This is particularly important when playing on the tougher difficulty settings in the game.
- Obviously it's a huge amount of fun to put a bullet between a zombie's eyes, but unless the mission objective calls for it, you don't have to kill every single last one of them to make progress in the game. If you're ever given a time limit in which to reach an objective, focus on the destination not the journey - and don't be afraid to skip a pack of zombies if it means avoiding mission failure.
- When it comes to the controls in the game, we really enjoyed using the auto-fire mechanism, although shooter purists may find this makes Dead Trigger 2 just a little too easy. If you prefer to take direct control, switch to manual aim in the options screen. If you have a supported physical game controller, you can also configure your button preferences in the options menu setting marked 'Gamepad'.
- Dead Trigger 2 is free to play - and pretty generous with it too - so you might be tempted to give it to younger players if you have children. It's a pretty gory game though, so if you want to tone down the blood and guts, there's an option in the menu screen that will take some of the nastiness out of proceedings. Not that much though, we should warn you.
- If you want to create new weapons in Dead Trigger 2, the Gunsmith is your new best friend. This survival specialist is a dab hand at producing some seriously cutting edge firepower, but you'll need to level him up to create better and better instruments of death. Don't forget to pick up your new creations from the workbench either, and you can change your loadout simply by pressing the Equip button in the menu.
- The arrow at the top of the screen will do a pretty good job of leading you through each mission, but if you get stuck navigating your way through a particular section, the answer's pretty simple. Look out for the big shuffling dead things that want to eat your brains, and head that way - armed and ready, of course. Between you and your objective there is always a line of convenient zombies just waiting to be splattered.
- When it comes to zombies, there's almost always plenty more where that one came from. After you've shot one zombie, make sure there's nothing else about to crawl out from the safe space, otherwise you'll get a nasty surprise from behind you when you head into the next pack. If you're ever stuck making progress in a mission, head back to your last area of activity to see if there are any stragglers you need to mop up.
- Certain zombies explode when you kill them, and believe us, you do not want to be standing next to them when it happens. If your weapon lacks the necessary range to keep you in safety, consider using a grenade from a safe distance. Simply aim the reticule up a little, tap the grenade button, and cross everything you've got.
