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But wait! Not another zombie game! Before you jump on that bandwagon, hear our story. When we first planned Three Dead Zed, the zombie craze wasn't nearly as bad as it seems now. This was almost 3 years ago. Other projects hindered progress so it took a while for us to bring this game to the market. Zombie game after zombie game was announced and to be frank, we were getting nervous.
You might be thinking, "That seems like a simple problem. Why don't you change development plans?" Despite our subject matter, we felt we still had an original idea and really wanted to proceed forward with the game. It's a scary decision, but one we feel will be appreciated by you, the gamer. If you're going to release a zombie game in today's market, you have to make sure you have something really special.
So how do we stand out? First, not too many games feature the zombie as the "hero." It seemed like an interesting prospect that wasn't explored enough. Along with controlling a zombie, we wanted to make sure our zombies look different. We wanted to add a charming personality to something that is normally thought to be rotting and disgusting. All the characters are drawn by hand. To be clear, we didn't want a vector quality hand-drawn look. Everything in the game is developed digitally as if it is drawn on paper. We then finalized the art and polished the lines and then colored everything. This includes each frame of animation for the characters, objects, every effect, and all the textures.
The second way we stand out is how the zombie is controlled. You dynamically swap between each character utilizing their specialty to complete a stage. You do a little problem solving, a little platforming, and a little mayhem as you proceed through each level. The first zombie form is average. He doesn't jump too far or high, he is able to climb ladders, carry small items and do a short range weak attack. The second zombie form is our "skittish" character. He runs really fast, jumps far, and sticks to walls, but cannot attack or carry items. He also doesn't take damage well. The third zombie is the strongest. SHE can take a lot of bullet hits, does a lot of destruction (especially if falling and attacking), lifts heavy objects, but can't jump and is extremely slow.
The third way we stand out is our story which is pretty weird and funny. Each stage has a hidden or out-of-the-way area to learn a little bit more about the back story. While initial concepts of our story changed over time, we just couldn't let go of having to collect a cat. Why are they in tin foil hats? Well that's in the story.
It's been a long journey for us. A lot of stress, internal conflicts, and many late nights went into developing Three Dead Zed. So did a lot of love, not to sound cliché. Speaking as team lead, I'm so proud of our team and what we accomplished. I'm also excited that our playtests yielded positive feedback. As our "baby" is about to be released into the world, I'm excited and nervous to have you all experience it. We seem to be on target for a January 24, 2012 release date. The game has been submitted for publishing and we hope everything goes smoothly. Wish us luck!
