That said it's surprising to see Zombies sorely under-appreciated when it comes to the videogame world. Obviously you have a pretty big franchise with the Resident Evil titles (does 4 even count ?), but the only other major titles I can remember have to be the 16 bit Zombies Ate My Neighbors and the Xbox diamond in the rough Stubbs the Zombie. Outside of these titles, there hasn't been a whole lot of stand out post apocalyptic exercises in flesh eating fun on any home console, especially ones involving the direct control of said zombies.

That said, I'd probably put Teenage Zombies up there as one of the better attempts to bring the mumbling, slow walking, brain eating creatures to the home screen (or small screen in this case). InLight, the developers behind this title have done a pretty good job of bringing together light platforming 2D elements with some simple puzzle design to make a fun, but short, portable experience.

Teenage Zombies, as the name would imply, revolves around 3 undead youths who awaken during an invasion by alien brain "thingy's" that are starting to subjugate the population of the world at the command of their leader, the Big Brain. Of course, as anyone familiar with zombie lore would realize (well, "Return of" zombie lore), brains are a pretty damn good treat in the eyes of the undead, so our three teenagers become the default heroes to thwart this invasion.

Each of the three have their own particular set of abilities that you'll use to overcome some small platforming puzzles here and there. Lefty, the only girl in the group, can stretch her arms out like Mr. Fantastic, allowing her to grip and swing across gaps, why Fin, the tubby one, has tendrils on his back allowing him to climb odd surfaces. Then there's Halfpipe, who has had his lower body replaced by a set of wheels, perfect for ducking under low tunnels that the other two can't quite access. You'll also encounter special abilities, typically right before you'll need to use them, that help to expand their limited move set a bit.

There's some action involved as well, but it definitely takes a backseat to the puzzle/platforming sections. You'll be attacked by the titular alien brain thingy's on occasion, who will hurl laser beams, random objects, or take control of cops/security guards all in an attempt to stop your progress. However, the enemies don't represent much of a challenge, since most can be taken out with just a hit or two. Also, for every brain you kill you get an instant meal, refilling your health a bit every time. This keeps the difficulty at a minimum, which might turn off some older players looking for something a bit more challenging.

Teenage Zombies is also a pretty short adventure, easily completed in 6 hours or so. There are over 30 stages involved, but each stage is relatively short, and the puzzles you encounter never become too taxing or involved. It doesn't help that it's generally obvious which of your Teenage Zombies you'll need to use to overcome every situation, and that there is only a certain ability needed for each puzzle you encounter. There's no multiple option for getting out of a situation, so even if you can't figure it out with your first attempt, trial and error will eventually get you thru. Simply switch between your three heroes with the click of a shoulder button (or use the touch pad), and you'll figure out your solution soon enough.

However, despite it's ease, there's a lot to like in Teenage Zombies. The cutscenes are handled in a comic book approach, and the tongue in cheek humor involved works really well. It would have been nice to see that humor handed down to the actual gameplay, but that's something that could easily be fixed if they choose to do another installment (which I hope they do). The puzzles are definitely geared to the younger crowd (evidenced by the E10+ rating), so us older gamers out there won't have much of a challenge. However, the 2D work is pretty nice, and while it lasts the game ends up being an enjoyable ride. Pick it up if you're looking for a short time waster, just don't expect too much out of it.