E3 2017 Preview: Bloody Zombies

VR has become a major buzzword around the videogame industry these days. For the past few E3 conferences, there have been whole sections of the floor devoted to people strapping on headsets and playing first person titles where you rock climb or pilot a spaceship. Other times you’re running in a foot race like the intriguing title Sprint Vector that I demoed at the show.

35432693645_0f25c2ff6a_b.jpg

Then there’s Bloody Zombies, developed by Paw Print Games and published by nDreams, which hints at an alternative future for VR gaming.

On first blush, it’s a basic four player scrolling beat-em-‘up in the 16-bit mold of the arcade Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and River City Rampage — up to four players walk right, beating up enemies as they do with fists, kicks and various pick-up weapons. At the end of every level awaits a boss with loads of hit points and special moves.

From a gameplay perspective, the game offers some variety and gameplay innovation of the beat ’em up experience. There’s a mild competitive element to the game in that the game tracks hit combos, treasure capture, and so on and ranks the player who did the best during a level. Players can “juggle” enemies by kicking them in the air, and punching them to keep them aloft, with the possibility of knocking them into a level hazard for bonus points. Every level also features hard-to-find secrets that earn bonus points, but also take them out of the main fight so they’re sacrificing treasure for combo hits.

However, the game becomes a whole new experience when a player has a VR headset strapped on. Suddenly, looking in each direction reveals not only the entire level, but also things that aren’t visible when playing without it. (Amusingly, players wearing the VR headset have their characters onscreen wearing one, too.) For example, the museum level features a gigantic brachiosaurus skeleton. Without the VR headset on, only part of the skeleton can be seen; with one on, the player can see the head and neck arching over the ceiling of the exhibit.

The VR set also has a more practical purpose. Since the player can see in three dimensions while wearing the headset, they can now see if their avatar is on the same plane as an enemy, always a tricky bugaboo of side-scrollers in the past. They can also see upcoming level hazards, as well as secrets.

The other impressive aspect to the VR is that unlike most games using the headset, there’s no motion sickness. The game presents itself is presented as a model set with characters moving through it, as if playing with action figures. Developer Steven Craft confirmed that people who had complained they were extremely sensitive to motion sickness in VR games had no issues with Bloody Zombies because there was no first person queasiness to be had.

Bloody Zombies will be released on Steam, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions following. It will support all VR headsets, including PS VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Episode 273: Flinging GutsEpisode 273: Flinging Guts

This week’s Gaming Podcast is a fairly routine one, with no Gaming Flashback or even a Question of the Week. However, this week features a ton of great news and industry discussion. Paul also announces that he will be unable to do the podcast in a few weeks for an extended period of time due to surgery.

The news items for the week includes:

  • Yoshida admits absence of Vita at E3 was a mistake
  • Irrational Games now includes 85+ Metacritic game requirement for employment
  • UbiSoft patches UPlay rootkit issue
  • Paradox Interactive announces dungeon builder Impire
  • EA: Current CEO John Riccitiello’s job is secure

All that plus Reader Feedback, check it out.

Episode 567: The 400th VGRT EpisodeEpisode 567: The 400th VGRT Episode

The Videogame Roundtable has been around since 2009 and it’s hit its 400th episode, separate from TD Gaming Podcast! Former co-host Dan Quick offers his congrats, and the guys discuss electronic music.

This week’s news includes:

  • E3 2020 cancelled
  • Resident Evil 3 remake demo lets you visit Raccoon City early this week
  • Xbox Live struggled to cope with demand last night

Be sure to listen to the outtakes after the end of the podcast!

Episode 401: Intentionally LateEpisode 401: Intentionally Late

This week’s episode was deliberately delayed because there will be a new day we record: Friday, which means the podcasts will be released on Saturday or Sunday. Therefore, the Dr. Who episode preceding this gave us a little space, and now this podcast will be setting the stage for future episodes.

This week’s news includes:

  • Rumor: Caveman game teased by Ubisoft leaked as Far Cry Primal
  • Steam Sections coming to major videogame retailers this November
  • Sony: “Climate is not healthy” for a new PlayStation handheld
  • LEGO Dimensions outsells Skylanders Superchargers and Disney Infinity 3.0
  • Fan turns to the crowd for Pokemon PAX party settlement

Write in the comments and let us know what you think.