ZombiU's Story said:
"For the second time in history, a great plague has enveloped London in a fog of death. Big Ben tolls as hundreds upon thousands of the unprepared die or are infected by a sickness worse than death...
You are still breathing for now, but how long will you survive in the labyrinth of London streets and underground? The horrifying remains of humanity ravaged by the foul disease shuffle through the streets waiting to prey on your living flesh at every turn!"
400 years ago, Welsh astronomer John Dee creates an apocalyptic prophecy known as The Black Prophecy which will be fulfilled in the year of 2012. "The Prepper", an "ex-army, no-nonsense" man sees this apocalypse coming and prepares, whilst a secret society known as the Ravens of Dee researches his predictions to find a way to stop them from being realized. In November 2012, the Black Prophecy begins to be realized in the form of a zombie outbreak in London, United Kingdom. Survivors hide in the Prepper's bunker, with one (the player) being chosen to confront the zombies, supported by Raven leader Sandra. Meanwhile, one of the Queen's doctors, Dr. Knight, searches for the fabled panacea under Buckingham Palace.
A little more tidbits:
NintendoWorldReport said:
- throughout the game, interact with different groups that have their own interpretation of John Dee's "Black Prophecy"
- they also have their own approach to this doomsday scenario
- guided most of the game by a survival expert referred to as the Prepper
- the rest of your group takes refuge in his bunker
- they are sent out one at a time when the current survivor out in the field is killed
- the Prepper treats the Black Prophecy as gospe
- he believes a great fire will wipe out the plague
- Dr Knight is a scientist who argues that science shall prevail in the war against the plague
- he has sealed himself under Buckingham Palace to search for Dee's fabled panacea, a universal cure for the disease
- uncover the secret society known as the Ravens of Dee and their leader, Sandra
Apparently, there's also quite more to the story, and only the most dedicated players will be able to find about it. Zombiu's story director said:
“There is a twist. ZombiU is a thriller, but only the most persistent and best-prepared survivors will discover what the twist is before the reveal.”
ZombiU is a survival horror game made exclusively for the Nintendo WiiU. In this day an age of "horror" games that focus more on action than anything else, Ubisoft Montpellier is attempting to create something special; a true, hardcore zombie experience that could be used as a simulator to prepare us for the inevitable day the undead take over us. ZombiU could be described as a combination of games like the original Resident Evil, a little bit of Left 4 Dead sprinkled on top, and one of its main influences, Dark Souls. If you ask me, this sounds like a fucking awesome combination, and it shows.
But ZombiU isn't simply a copycat; it's a game that's also doing its fair share of new things, things that could be a standard for future WiiU (and survival horror games in general). As mentioned before, ZombiU is hardcore. Similar to the Souls games, this title seems to have that same approach to difficulty; you'll have to memorize the maps, walk carefully, look around every corner, put your resources to good use, etc. in order to survive. One dead and you are gone for good. Next time you play you'll be an entirely different character, and your previous loot is lost (unless you can find your now walking corpse) and get it back. Your main mission is to survive as long as you can and escape London (while also uncovering the secrets of the story). The more time you survive, the more skilled your character will be.
While ZombiU is not an open-world game, there are definitely big areas with a lot of exploration to be done. Something that should be noted is that the enemies you kill in the game will stay dead (no respawns). There are some scripted parts, but the way the zombies spawn is in a dynamic way (similar to a rogue-like).
Perhaps one of the most exciting things about ZombiU is its use of the WiiU's Gamepad. Many expect Nintendo to be the one that demonstrates the capabilities of their own console, but in this case, we gotta give Ubisoft Montpellier props for being the ones that are putting it to good use, and it may be proof enough that the system can offer a new way to play games.
In ZombiU, the Gamepad will be your BOB (Bug-Out Bag), and with it, you'll be able to do many different things, including:
- Using the screen as a SONAR to scan areas and find enemies
- Each weapon in the game has its own attributes. With the GamePad, you'll be able to upgrades its attributes (fire power, firing speed, spread, capacity), tweak it and customize it by adding stuff like silencers or scopes.
- If you have a sniper rifle, the screen on the GamePad will be your scope, and with it you'll be able to blow the undead's brains out more precisely.
- Use it do hack doors. You gotta watch out though, since Zombies will be ready to attack at any moment.
- In the asymmetrical multiplayer mode, you'll use the screen to add traps and zombies.
- You can communicate with other online survivors like in Dark Souls; via predetermined messages. In ZombiU's case, the gamepad will act as a Spray Can, and you can leave a graffiti to warn others of possible dangers, or be a prick and send them to a mob of zombies.
- Many other GamePad functions like controlling turrets, lock picking, checking maps, using night vision, etc.
The multiplayer mode (local only) in ZombiU is based on a mission that you'll play in the campaign:
ZombiU Story Director said:
You’ve seen the Tower Of London gameplay footage by now, so you know we are going to have to breach the Traitor’s Gate and penetrate the depths of the Bloody Tower to find the Raven Of Dee’s Secret Bunker," she revealed. "But you’ve never heard of St George’s Yard.
"St George's is our hell within hell. Survivors here are unwilling participants in a twisted game in which they are thrown to the infected. Our multiplayer arenas are a spin-off of this mission in the campaign
Here's more info about this mode:
ZombiU offers a local Asymmetric Multiplayer mode rather than online modes. So you can play with your friends using the Wii U GamePad and the Pro Controller in your couch. What is the multiplayer mode about: The ‘King of Zombies’ has organized his own sadistic London games to entertain his bloodthirsty subjects… Play as King Boris on the WiiU tablet, crazed boss of a violent gang and self-proclaimed ‘King of the Zombies’, and beat all survivors…one by one! Or play as a Survivor and attempt to outwit the King of Zombies and his brain-dead ‘gladiators’!
With SURVIVORS VS KING OF ZOMBIES, ZombiU features one-on-one competitive multiplayer modes, which tasks one player with controlling zombie hordes (Infected Units) using the Wii U GamePad, while the other player fights to survive in FPS view with either Wii controllers or the new Pro Controller. The multiplayer features 3 exhilirating game modes including assault, deathmatch and survival modes.
SURVIVORS VS KING OF ZOMBIES, is full-fledged multiplayer experience, with deep gameplay that will provide many hours of fun. The Wii U allowed us to create an exhilarating experience that can be shared by a hardcore gamer and a more casual player-friend or family member, without the latter becoming completely outmatched. Unlike the campaign, which offers a solo Survival Horror FPS experience, the ‘King of Zombies’ player uses the Wii U GamePad at a more relaxed pace. The gameplay is more about overall strategy than any gamer reflexes honed over years…so it’s more immediately accessible. Our multiplayer modes are also a bridge for new players to get into the game before they acquire the courage to face the Infected hordes alone, while offering a more traditional first-person shooter experience using the Wii U Pro Game Controller or Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Even survival-horror fans will love blowing off some steam with a little running and gunning!
As for the online options, if in your single player game you die, your friends online will receive a notification, and they can hunt your Zombie to get the loot you lost. Also, you will be able to leave predetermined messages in the form of a graffiti to help (or help get killed) others. Finally, there are leaderboards that keep track of people's survival statistics.
Note: A recent NintendoWorldReport mentioned that the multiplayer is playable online and/or offline, but they have fixed the error.
IGN said:
Having to work with the touch screen in real-time to equip your character, or to look for that critical gun tucked under a chair, only adds to the tension in a way that simply scrolling through menus could never quite do. It builds in a sensory experience, while offering a cleaner user interface that isn’t quite possible elsewhere. Combine that with a fantastic game design and Wii U could very well find itself with a killer launch app – and not from Nintendo this time.
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EDGE said:
ZombiU is tough, then, and unforgiving. Like From Software’s Souls series, its not a pleasant place to visit. The stakes are high and the rewards slim, but perseverance is key and dedication brings breakthrough. It’s the inverse of a traditional Nintendo experience, and stands out all the more for it. If the locales can deliver variety and menace enough to keep you guessing and challenged in inventive ways, then the game has every chance of being a Wii U launch highlight.
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Destructoid said:
ZombiU will undoubtedly be one of the most talked about titles of the Wii U’s launch lineup. In many ways, this game feels like a successful mix of the scares and tension from the classic Resident Evil series, along with the hardcore mechanics of From Software’s Souls games. I feel as if this could be a runaway hit for gamers looking for a uniquely challenging experience, and what better way for Nintendo to attract core gamers?
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NintendoWorldReport said:
Slightly curious name aside, ZombiU is a game full of potential. We have all probably partaken in our fair share of zombie slaying over the years, and for that reason, it might be easy to dismiss it out of hand as an also-ran. However, between the intriguing plot threads and the willingness to explore pretty much all of the new things the Wii U is able to do, ZombiU is looking more and more enticing for when it launches in the US on November 18, shortly after in Europe on November 30, and finally Japan on December 8.
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