DoubleBear Productions Interview
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CG: Zombies seem to be the '˜in' thing in gaming lately, with many games using them as enemies. What sets ZRPG apart from those other games?This one's really piqued my interest. I just hope they have enough resources to see their original vision through to the end without having to introduce any compromises.
BM: Are zombies really in or is it that they're just thrown into every game as enemies? I don't really think a game is part of the zombie genre unless it incorporates the themes of the scenario survival, societal breakdown, survivor guilt/morale, the quest for safety or a sense of normalcy, and the story being more about the humans than the zombies. That's what our game aims to do, which I think is what sets it apart from games that just throw zombies in because they're fun to shoot or run over with a lawnmower. I'm not saying zombies aren't fun to blow up, but I'd say there are very few games with zombies that actually embrace the setting. It's really a grim setting that doesn't lend itself to the (hero saves the day, defeats ultimate evil) plot of most games. I don't know if people will be enthralled or pissed that they're actually getting a zombie game that really reflects the genre accurately, but I know there's been plenty of people out there who really seem to like our direction so far. The fact that we don't have to hook a million people or more to break even makes it easier to take some chances with the way we tell a story.
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CG: With Zombies being essentially mindless, you've mentioned that more focus will be placed on the humans and the psychological effects of a Zombie Apocalypse. What kinds of people can we expect to meet on our travels through ZRPG?
BM: There's Mystika, the surly thief with a secret crush on the player, Xynax, the stuck-up wizard-in-training who thinks he's better than us, and M. Byson, the psychic nazi running a secret organization that plans to take over the world by entering a secret fighting tournament. Oh, wait. no, they're definitely not in the game.
You know your neighbour? The one that's got the piece of shit car in their yard, keeps weird hours, buys industrial size cans of Beefaroni, and may or may not be dealing meth? Okay, so someone vaguely resembling that could be in the game, except that he's got the upper hand in this scenario and all the other neighbours that have wanted him to move out for the longest time are already dead. That gives you an idea of the kind of people that populate the game, kind of. There's quite a few humans in the game and nearly all of them could be allies or enemies depending on how you handle the situation.
I'm hesitant to say too much because I don't want people to come into the game with preconceived notions about some of the characters, nor do I want to ruin some of the surprise. We're guarding a lot of the story elements because we're allowed a lot more control over the story and how much gets shown. It's the difference between the teaser trailers of old and the tell-you-the-whole-movie-in-two-minutes trailers of modern times.
