App games often feel like a race, if not to the bottom, to the simplest. Must Deliver, for instance, requires just two moves and your index finger. An endless runner, it asks you to avoid zombies while sprinting, reach a checkpoint (where you drop off a vaccine), and then resume running.
The object is to pass through as many checkpoints as possible before becoming (to use the game’s vernacular) “zombified”. Gather enough power-ups to create a “super move,” which allows you to pummel zombies for a brief spell (that move is carried out by simply removing your finger from the screen). But most of the game involves zipping around a screen to dodge zombies.
This is a basic, but enjoyable game. It’s challenging – the levels and turns are very short, so it’s clearly designed for tiny, bite-sized entertainments. The retro 8-bit look and sound is common in app games these days, which makes sense, and it looks well. It sounds good too, with an endearingly old-fashioned keyboard score, matched with grisly sound effects.
There are the usual app game tropes – micro-transactions to make the game a little easier, and the option to compare scores with other players. There's not much to this game, but if you're looking for a brief, retro distraction, Must Deliver does just that.
