This is our first time developing a zombie-themed game, and honestly, we’re both excited and nervous, afraid of missing what players truly want. That’s why we’d love to share our design process and hear your feedback and suggestions to help us grow.
To better understand this genre, we revisited many zombie-themed movies and games. We asked ourselves: What makes zombie stories truly captivating?
And what do you think is the most important element in a zombie-themed game?
From our perspective, aside from gameplay, two things matter the most: great performances and great stories.
1. Great Performances
When you think of zombies, the first thing that comes to mind is usually stunning visual impact. Immersive audiovisuals combined with hyper realistic zombies create an unparalleled sense of tension and survival pressure. I still remember sneaking a playthrough of Resident Evil as a kid (even though it was rated 18+, shh). That first cutscene, turning a corner only to see a zombie staring straight at you, gave me goosebumps all over!
These days, the visuals of both console and mobile games have reached cinematic level. When SOS launched, I was blown away by how much the mobile game feel like a movie. But with so many games on the market now, impressive graphics alone aren’t enough anymore. Players want something fresh.
2. Great Stories
More than anything, zombie stories are about humanity. What moves us most are the moral dilemmas hidden beneath the chaos.
In films, there are countless unforgettable moments, like the father in Cargo sacrificing himself to ensure his baby’s survival, or the heartbreaking scene in I Am Legend where the protagonist is forced to put down his beloved dog.
Games take this a step further, allowing us to decide our own fate, and sometimes others’ too. My personal favorite, The Walking Dead, is a masterpiece of interactive storytelling. Who do you save? Who do you trust? Who do you kill? Every decision shapes the narrative and the characters’ destinies. There are no perfect answers, only the cruel balance between morality and survival. Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night, haunted by a choice you made in a game?
In these two years, there’s been an explosion of zombie games, but fewer and fewer actually “tell meaningful stories”. Many focus solely on “the thrill of killing zombies”, while narratives become formulaic, and the emotional depth gets lost beneath flashy tech demos.
For us, The Walking Dead is a beacon, a game that dared to ask bigger questions about humanity. We know it’s a high bar, but we want to carry that torch, and explore similar themes while adding our own details and perspectives to create a rich, thought-provoking apocalyptic world.
When I brought up this idea, the team agreed right away. “Let’s do it,” we said. So we started outlining the story.
The first question we faced was: Who am I?
At first, like most zombie-themed works, “I” was just a survivor in a zombie apocalypse, starting a journey of survival in a ruined world. We added what we thought were plenty of “deep, meaningful stories” on top of that. But during our initial previews, it fell completely flat; it felt dull and ordinary.
We were torn: should we keep pushing forward, or toss everything into the recycle bin?
Then one day, during a brainstorming session for zombie animations, someone asked a simple question, “If I were a zombie, what would I do?”
It was meant to help us design better zombie movements, but the topic “spiraled out of control”:
I want to be a rational zombie, keeping my human face instead of becoming a bloody, ugly monster.
I want to control other zombies, like the Night King.
If I could control zombies, I’d have 500 zombie bodyguards.
I wish I could bring the dead back to life… if I could, I’d bring back my dog. T.T
Actually, I’d rather not be a zombie at all. They’re too ugly!
…
That’s when it struck me: What if we made a zombie game from the opposite perspective? What if we told the story through the eyes of a zombie?
This reverse perspective has appeared in other works too, like the Night King’s army in Game of Thrones, Alex Mercer in Prototype, or Edward in Twilight. These stories keep the deep moral dilemmas while expanding on the world building in fascinating ways.
It suddenly felt like we’d found a new path forward. So we made a bold “moral decision” (XP):
Delete [Zombie Apocalypse Survival Journey], and Create [Zombie Reverse Perspective].
The apocalypse hits. 90% of humanity is infected with the zombie virus, and like most people, “I” become a zombie.
But as the protagonist, I’ve got a little “main character halo”: I retain my rationality; I’m not just mindless “walking dead”. Even better, I gain the ability to control other zombies! I become the leader of the zombies.
With this power, I now face choices that will define who I am:
The lord who does whtaever he wants?
The savior of survivors?
The guardian of family interests？
The god of war who conquers the world?
…
At the same time, we can explore a whole new zombie world. We know zombies are terrifying at night, but what do they do during the day? Maybe zombies have their own territories. Maybe they spend their days doing interesting things in their safe zones. (Like group workouts… so they’re ready to invade at night? XP)
This is our initial concept for the game. We’d love to hear your honest thoughts. Any ideas, feedback, or suggestions would mean the world to us!
