App review: Earn to Die for iOS
I’ve said this a number of times before, but I’ll say it again: I love playing mobile games on my iOS devices. Aside from being my main communication devices, my iPhone and iPad are perfect ways to enjoy a game, movie, or album on the go. I’m always on the lookout for new apps, media, and games to consume, which is how I found Earn to Die – again. If the name sounds familiar to you, that’s because it is: Earn to Die is a Flash game that’s been on the internet for a while, and just recently got ported to iOS. I enjoyed the Flash game a while back, so when I found the iOS app, I naturally paid the $0.99 to Apple and proceeded to download it. Is it as fun as it was back then, though? And is it worth the $0.99 since it’s free on the internet? Keep reading to find out. 
Not Doppler is still behind the iOS version of Earn to Die, just like the original, Flash-based version. The Not Doppler logo doubles as the loading screen. Once it’s done, you’re immediately thrust into the garage area, where you can upgrade your vehicles and purchase new ones. 
Just like in the original, you start out by having to purchase a car – in this case, a vehicle that resembles an older Volkswagen Beetle. You start out with just the car; all upgrades have to be purchased by actually playing the game and mowing down zombies while trying to get to the next checkpoint. Then, after your current car is fully upgraded, you can start saving your funds to purchase a better vehicle, which will invariably get you to the next checkpoint. 
There are a number of vehicles to choose from. Since some of them were added to the iOS game only – and are not available in the web-based one – I won’t tell you about all of them. All I will say is that the web version’s best vehicle, the beaten-up semi-truck, is the second best in the iOS version. 
Driving is fairly straightforward task: to go forward, you hit the Accelerate button. You can also tip the vehicle in either direction, which is very useful for when you purchase boosters to install on the back of whatever vehicle you are driving. When you drive, you will have to break through obstacles and ultimately run over zombies. Both will give you money to use on upgrades, as will getting as far in a level as you possibly can with your current vehicle setup. 
When you run out of fuel, you go back to your last checkpoint – called the garage. Here, you can upgrade your existing vehicle or buy a new one. Each time you buy an upgrade, you will be able to go just a little bit farther – which brings you a bit more revenue, and allows you to progress through the checkpoints and eventually complete the game. On my iPhone 4S, everything is completely smooth and beautiful in this game. The controls work very well, too, and I never missed a beat as I flung my vehicle through the air to smash both boxes and the faces of zombies.
Conclusion
Earn to Die may be free on the internet, but the addition of Retina-level graphics and extra vehicles makes it completely worth the $0.99 for the iOS version. You can download the game by scanning the QR code below with your iPhone, or by clicking the download link in your mobile Safari browser. 
Download: iTunes
