ZombiU was one of the best horror experiences I’ve ever had. In fact, just thinking about it makes me want to get out my security blanket and boot it up on WiiU. But soon, I won’t have to – one of my favorite horror games is coming to PC and new consoles, and it’s been totally retooled for the transition.
First up, here is the truly brilliant reveal trailer for Zombi. The music is the best thing ever.
Coming purely as a digital release for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, the game will be pretty different from the WiiU original, but still seeks to capture that claustrophobic and terrifying feeling. While the mini-map is now on the screen because there is no gamepad to display on, the HUD is still as minimal as possible and disappears when not required. Other display tweaks include slightly increasing the field of view and improving the look and feel of the first-person movement.
Big changes come in the form of melee weapons:
While the cricket bat was your only melee weapon in ZombiU, Zombi adds two more implements of death for you to ferret out. The shovel offers longer range and the ability to hit more than one zombie at a time, while the nail bat gives you more damage and a higher critical-hit chance (while also being able to hit more than one enemy at a time). Even the flashlight is changing, letting players switch to a wider, further-reaching beam at the expense of battery life and a greater risk of attracting zombies. It’ll also have to be kept off for 30 seconds to recharge, forcing players to be even more careful than before about how they use it.
One of the most terrifying parts about ZombiU, though, was the use of the second screen. On the WiiU, when you would look in your backpack, the game didn’t pause and you were unable to see if any danger was coming. Despite the removal of the second screen, that tension is maintained.
We kept the central idea that you’re always vulnerable. Rummaging in the backpack still doesn’t pause the game. We’ve added a dedicated button to access the backpack, which lets players see their full inventory and assign shortcut keys.
While doing so players won’t be able to see approaching zombies unless they’re coming from the sides of the screen.
While I’ve been skeptical of how this game could transition to other platforms, it sounds like the team was determined to take the best elements of the game and bring it to PC and new consoles. They know the parts that worked so well in the game, and wanted to preserve them.
Without hesitation, the general sense of claustrophobia, and not knowing what is coming next – at least for new players. It’s mostly small technical improvements on what was already there – the faster load times, and the small changes to controls. In fact, a lot of time was spent getting the controls mapped as intuitively as possible, to keep the original atmosphere.
I never finished ZombiU back in the day. I loved it, but when you die, you have to go find your old corpse (who is now a zombie you have to kill) in order to get your loot. If you fail, you lose all your stuff. I was having such an awesome run as a former IT professional, but when that character died and I had to find her as a former security guard, my heart just wasn’t in it. I died, lost everything, and gave up. I think it’s time to give that game another whirl – but should I play it on WiiU again, or just wait to grab my digital version on PS4?
Last Updated: July 31, 2015
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:03
Matty said he’d play test it for you, Zoe. Honest.
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:22
I heard it too
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:22
A Zombie game!
*snore*
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:29
Yup. Zombies are becoming the next Vampires. They are being overdone. Not so scary anymore
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:31
Zombores need to go the same way as the dinosnores and vamprosaic.
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:32
Dinos rule you specieist!
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:34
http://prnt00.deviantart.net/89e7/b/2013/116/4/41b2a8b5d8e0ee269f65070744ecd1f3-pji2a2.jpg
Refresh
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:37
How does it reload anything? Its arms can’t reach.
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:47
Transporter Buffers.
Rock789
July 31, 2015 at 09:26
That’s awesome! Like Dino-Riders on steroids. 🙂
Fnuik
July 31, 2015 at 09:53
Why is it shooting the defenseless bugs?
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 10:03
I don’t ask questions to a heavily armed T-Rex
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:37
Then why are they all DEAD?!
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:38
I don’t know what your race was up to millions of years ago!
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:47
Creating you ungrateful sods!
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:48
You were distracted when you made Rince, weren’t you?
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:48
Distracted or severely disappointed?
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:32
I’ve got ARK, so finally I can play a decent game filled with dinosaurs. While devs keep pushing out more and more zombie games an indie company has given us what we’ve always really wanted.
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 08:33
Are all games on steam Early Access?
Ir0nseraph
July 31, 2015 at 08:37
XD
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:37
No.
That would be Origin
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:37
No, but most are on Origin. 😉
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:38
Ha! Beat you to it!
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:38
That’s what she said!
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:38
LOL
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:57
That is never what she said!
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 09:10
That’s because YOUR MOM is a classy lady!
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 09:14
XD
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 09:21
She is? Dude! I did not know you were into Necrophilia! (there is the bottom of the barrel. And then there is the Bottom of Dutch.)
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 09:31
Well that would explain why she didn’t say that. She’s not classy, she’s dead. Oh well, live & learn.
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 09:41
Live??? Are you making fun of my dead mother????
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 09:48
I don’t hear her complaining!
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 10:27
I hope she comes back from the dead and bite you in the dick! OK. Gum you in the dick. We still have her dentures on this side…
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 10:29
You really want me to make a tupperware joke?
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 10:37
Go ahead! Do your worst!
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 09:08
LOL
MakeItLegal
July 31, 2015 at 08:27
nice try ubisoft……
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 08:34
I’m always filled with a little cynicism when a trailer starts with gamer scores and quotes…
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 31, 2015 at 08:39
Winner of over 60 awards E3 2014.
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:40
Didn’t Watchdogs get the same “wins?”
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:41
Battlefield Hardline.
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 09:07
Exactly
Xcalibersa
July 31, 2015 at 10:20
Its the same trailer as the wiiU.
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 08:36
It looks better than Dead Island but worse than Dying Light.
Ir0nseraph
July 31, 2015 at 08:38
I would rather go get dying light then zombi if I have a need for a zombi game.
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 09:08
You’ve not played Dying Light?
Ir0nseraph
July 31, 2015 at 09:39
NO
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:39
Dying Dead Island Light.
Dutch Matrix
July 31, 2015 at 08:48
Dying Dead Resident Island Light.
Captain JJ Fantasticus
July 31, 2015 at 08:49
Dying Dead Resident 7 Days to Island Light 😀
Geoffrey Tim
July 31, 2015 at 09:05
Totally different sort of game.
Hammersteyn
July 31, 2015 at 09:06
I kinda like crafting in my zombie games as well…
Geoffrey Tim
July 31, 2015 at 08:50
This game rules. I loved it a LOT.
EL chingon de chingones
July 31, 2015 at 09:53
I wanna see day z come to the systems
Johann
July 31, 2015 at 11:07
I first want to see Dayz work properly on ONE system