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NATION RED
review | PC
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Publisher: DiezelPower.
Developer: DiezelPower. Released: August 2010. Genre: Twin-stick shooter. Posted 30th July 2026. By Tom Clare © 2026 |
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Releasing on Steam in the summer of 2010, Nation Red delivered a refreshingly to-the-point dose of wave-based, twin-stick zombie blasting. Whilst its muted, sandy hues were somewhat typical of military-themed games of the time, its heart lies in the Smash TVs of yesteryear, foregoing story and gimmicks in favour of pure, undiluted action. The addition of cooperative multiplayer would prove the icing on the cake.
If you enjoy blasting zombies, then this is the game for you: after a few hours of play, you’ll have sent tens of thousands of them back to the grave. The core gameplay is simple but accomplished. It’s nothing more complicated than prolonging your survival, with zombies descending on you from all directions, as well as occasional, trickier boss types who withstand a lot more firepower and can wreak havoc with projectile weaponry. A choice of four character classes grant players different weapon loadouts, though so frequent are the drops, these are largely unimportant. Class attributes prove a far greater factor, where medics are especially useful during longer runs thanks to their potent healing capabilities.
Nation Red gets pretty exciting when the action hots up
There are plenty of smart touches, including automatic and manual reload possibilities, and characters running more quickly in the direction they’re facing, meaning sometimes turning your back on the horde can prove beneficial, so long as you are careful. The player can perform last-ditch rolls when backed into a corner, and melee attacks, though broadly speaking not recommended, come with a handy circle to indicate the perimeter of your swings.
Nation Red delivers good, gory fun, especially when the action hots up upon getting hold of a minigun, a flamethrower, or a shotgun. In addition, a slew of power-ups help make things interesting, including Bullet Time to slow your foes, Rage to offer a burst of extra damage, and Ghost, which, for a limited time, enlists the help of a doppelganger, ideal for thinning the horde and granting some much-needed respite. There’s an excellent perk system, allowing players to level up and assign a raft of boons to help combat increasingly frenzied zombie activity.
Nation Red delivers good, gory fun, especially when the action hots up upon getting hold of a minigun, a flamethrower, or a shotgun. In addition, a slew of power-ups help make things interesting, including Bullet Time to slow your foes, Rage to offer a burst of extra damage, and Ghost, which, for a limited time, enlists the help of a doppelganger, ideal for thinning the horde and granting some much-needed respite. There’s an excellent perk system, allowing players to level up and assign a raft of boons to help combat increasingly frenzied zombie activity.
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Despite the lively action, Nation Red doesn’t demand an especially powerful graphics card to enjoy the full experience, with common sense options such as gore levels and the duration of vanquished zombies remaining in the playing space offering some leeway without any detriment to the action. Complaints are relatively few and far between, but a repeated frustration involves accidentally picking up melee weapons and them occupying both weapon slots, which further along in a run can put you in real difficulty.
The game is well kitted-out for modes, though they flatter to deceive somewhat, lacking variety. This is also true of the maps, where locations such as an asylum, a prison yard and a warehouse offer little divergence thematically or in the terms of gameplay. Free play is your standard high-score targeting mode, whereas Survival, which takes place only on one map, is a pure, no-perks experience where the only factor that matters is the duration for which you hold out. Barricade is a defence-oriented mode where you must either protect a central point, or survive in conjunction with help from sentry turrets. A mission mode adds 17 quick-fire levels with finite zombie counts, though this ends up being unexpectedly long-winded as there are no fewer than fifteen difficulty settings to work through, one at a time, per level. These modes fail to provide as much variety, and therefore longevity, as you’d think on paper. There are a couple of exceptions: Bridgehead, which in Barricade mode takes the form of a north/south defence alongside four soldiers, is a really cool scenario, whilst the Farm map rather humorously has players protecting a scarecrow.
The game is well kitted-out for modes, though they flatter to deceive somewhat, lacking variety. This is also true of the maps, where locations such as an asylum, a prison yard and a warehouse offer little divergence thematically or in the terms of gameplay. Free play is your standard high-score targeting mode, whereas Survival, which takes place only on one map, is a pure, no-perks experience where the only factor that matters is the duration for which you hold out. Barricade is a defence-oriented mode where you must either protect a central point, or survive in conjunction with help from sentry turrets. A mission mode adds 17 quick-fire levels with finite zombie counts, though this ends up being unexpectedly long-winded as there are no fewer than fifteen difficulty settings to work through, one at a time, per level. These modes fail to provide as much variety, and therefore longevity, as you’d think on paper. There are a couple of exceptions: Bridgehead, which in Barricade mode takes the form of a north/south defence alongside four soldiers, is a really cool scenario, whilst the Farm map rather humorously has players protecting a scarecrow.
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If you like high zombie body counts then you're going to love what's in store for you here
The game’s finest attribute is its cooperative multiplayer, where you can fight the hordes with as many as three other players. It’s great fun in short bursts, and the ability to revive stricken teammates grants greater scoring possibilities than the single-player setup. Aside from an unintentionally humorous attract screen, which sees the zombies lined up, strutting purposefully like an intense boy band, the presentation is solid. Meaty sound effects, whilst perhaps not memorable unto themselves, fit the tone well.
Nation Red is a game you’ll likely play for a handful of hours, though its true lifespan will vary depending on your enthusiasm for its local or online multiplayer possibilities. It’s a game I’ve returned to now and again, with its uncomplicated, well-crafted score-chasing standing the test of time admirably. As such, DiezelPower’s shooter is easily worthy of its modest price tag.
Nation Red is a game you’ll likely play for a handful of hours, though its true lifespan will vary depending on your enthusiasm for its local or online multiplayer possibilities. It’s a game I’ve returned to now and again, with its uncomplicated, well-crafted score-chasing standing the test of time admirably. As such, DiezelPower’s shooter is easily worthy of its modest price tag.
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VERDICT
"Nation Red delivers energetic shooting that's especially good fun when played in a group. A lack of variety to its gameplay setups prevents a higher score, but it's well worthy of its modest price tag." OVERALL: 7/10 |
OTHER ZOMBIE SHOOTERS REVIEWED
ZombiU (2014, Wii U)
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Zombie Army Trilogy (2015, Xbox One)
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