This Survival Horror Shooter first person in topic "Zombie Apocalypse", created on the engine Unreal Engine 4 through the efforts of just one person named Long Nguyen.
This game is "remake" mod of the same name released in 2009. You can read the review of the mod in my previous blog. The main place of history will again be a small provincial town Greenwood, where a terrible tragedy occurred. The streets are filled with hordes of zombies and many other bloodthirsty monsters. Portals to hell have opened, from which demonic creatures have emerged, destroying everything in their path. Nobody knows exactly what happened in Greenwood. The scale of the tragedy has increased noticeably, as has the degree of violence and cruelty.
The main character of the game will again be a policeman named Donovan Ling. In the original, he was a rescuer who arrived from a neighboring town Grenoda V Greenwood to evacuate survivors, as well as establish the cause of the tragedy and, due to an unfortunate coincidence, got stuck there. The helicopter pilot with whom Donovan carried out the mission got scared and flew away, leaving the hero behind."die". There were some changes to the character in the remake. Now he is a policeman living in Greenwood and found the very beginning of the apocalypse.
The game is in the final stages of development. A dynamic change of weather and time of day is declared, which serves not only abundance beauty, but also brings features to "gameplay". It becomes most dangerous at night. More dangerous enemies appear, and the hero gets tired and needs rest. Most of the locations, compared to the original, have gained some kind of open space where you can freely walk and explore the world around you. At some levels from point A to the point B can be reached in different ways.
The levels have become larger and open to different ways of passing. Your goals may remain the same, but the path to achieving those goals varies widely.
Long Nguyen
The player will have to look not only for a way out of the city, but also for various kinds of supplies. The character has acquired his own inventory, where he puts all the resources he finds. Weapons, ammunition, first aid kits, provisions and "quest" items. Everything the hero needs to survive and advance through the plot.
You have to carefully examine every corner, because there may be something lying there "valuable". Compared to the original game, the main character here needs to “Many“to survive, because not only monsters pose a threat to his life, but also the feeling of hunger..
The character now has a hunger and stamina bar. When he gets hungry, the screen will fade and will give the player information that they need to eat. During hunger, stamina regenerates twice as slowly. Food can replenish health and energy reserves. Donovan needs rest, so he needs to look for a temporary shelter where he can get some sleep and regain his strength. To make the shelter safe, you need to board up the doors and windows with boards. After all, enemies can take a tired hero by surprise while sleeping. Since time is constantly in motion, it is better to make forays during the daytime.
MONSTERS
Bestiary monsters has undergone significant changes. In the original, zombies and demons came to our souls, which were not much different from each other. In the remake the list "ill-wishers"there will be much more diverse. In addition to zombies and demons, the hero will encounter "hellhounds"with spikes on their backs, butchers with axes and machetes, the beloved zombies with shotguns will return, and some kind of bloodsuckers will come to support them. Various variations of demons will appear for every taste, including invisible ones. It is known that "hellhounds" will have the effect of invisibility and will only show themselves at the moment of attack. You can find out about their presence at the location by their characteristic howl and the louder it is, the closer the monster is to the player.
Monsters have become more diverse, and the presence of demons is felt more strongly. The story does a much better job of explaining what zombies actually are, which was not the case in the original game.
Long Nguyen
The above-mentioned monsters will be kept company by "bosses". Among those announced: Gallows. This demonic spawn is almost 3 meters tall and carries a huge cleaver. When Donovan meets this demon, his approach can be determined by the grinding noise made by the bladed weapon.
Manipulators, they’re demons. One of the most dangerous enemies encountered in Greenwood. They look like shadows. In the original they could be destroyed without much difficulty with firearms. The remake will require a special artifact that will allow you not only to see their glowing red eyes, but also to banish them. Manipulators inhabit a person and completely absorb his consciousness, and send his soul straight to hell. Afterwards, the body of the convert begins to change, and he himself turns into Zombie. Attacks other survivors and seeks to skin its victim in the most brutal manner possible.
Manipulators are more common as they are an integral part of the attack on Greenwood. They look like shadows that follow the player. The only difference is that now they cannot be killed without owning an occult artifact. You can’t see their eyes like they did in the original without another special artifact. This will make it easier for you to spot them in the dark.
Long Nguyen
DESIGN / ATMOSPHERE
The game contains indescribable scenes of violence and cruelty. Some moments are literally designed to shock. The environment at the locations creates total discomfort. The author plays not only with cramped locations, but also with darkness. Once in the police station, you get the feeling that the walls of the building are literally narrowing and trying to crush the player. In narrow corridors it is not only easy to get lost, but you can hardly squeeze through. According to the author, he did this deliberately in order to evoke in the player the feeling of "claustrophobia".
The locations are not only teeming https://zixcasinocasino.co.uk/login/ with hordes of monsters, but they themselves are a real hell. Purgatory, so to speak, where the most terrible and bloodthirsty creatures the world has ever seen live.
Donovan will visit Hell. The location is pitch black, with hooks and chains hanging all around. The walls and floor are covered in guts. It is not known exactly how the hero will be hit to hell and what will happen from there get out.
The game is aimed not only "frighten", but also to evoke a feeling"pacification". There will be levels where the character can take a breath, relax, wander around and find some valuable things. The visual style and mood will remain unchanged. As in the original game, here at times you will want to get lost, enjoy the beauty of nature, the autumn mood and the feeling of loneliness. Musical accompaniment will help a lot. The game’s composer is Sergey Yukon.
WEAPONS / UPGRADES
Only a few firearms have been demonstrated so far. Gun Silverman and automatic R-90. From hand-to-hand: folding knife, pry bar and iron pipe. Now you have the opportunity to literally punch your enemies in the face. When defending yourself with a knife against a zombie, you can see blood particles dripping from the blade.
In total, a little more than 30 types weapons: baseball bats, machetes, axes. hunting rifles, different types of pistols and shotguns, assault rifle, grenades, holy water ampoules.
The player will be able to carry as much as will fit in his inventory. There will be a special box like in the classic games of the series Resident Evil, where can you put found weapons?. But these boxes will only be located on some levels.
Original"famous"savory headshots. In the remake, you need to deal enough damage to zombies to trigger headshot. Elements HUD completely hidden. Hunger and stamina bars appear only at the moment of interaction. The number of cartridges is not displayed on the screen. Donovan will have to take out the magazine and count the number of rounds on his own. During shooting, when the ammunition runs out, the hero will "obscene" comment on what is happening.
During your stay in Greenwood, the hero will encounter unique items and artifacts that will improve his performance in one way or another. Some will increase the damage of melee and firearms, others, on the contrary, will reduce the damage received. Some artifacts will help the hero in the fight against special monsters.
Upgrades are not done in a typical manner, meaning the player does not receive points that can be distributed. All improvements occur due to items and artifacts, for example, armor reduces damage received or an artifact allows you to hit a little faster with melee weapons.
Long Nguyen
CHARACTERS/PLOT
Donovan will meet new characters who weren’t in original. Added a dialogue system where you can choose different answer options, which will likely have different effects on the hero’s progress through the plot. It is already known that on the hero’s path he will meet such characters as "Sullivan", good old "Renzo", and also a little girl named "Anastasia"who is Sullivan’s daughter. If in the original there was no voice acting, then in the remake the characters got their own voices.
Overall, my goal is to take the player through an interesting journey with characters that they can empathize with on some level. This is done so that I hope players will become emotionally invested in the story and what happens in it.
Long Nguyen
It is known that Sullivan and Anastasia are Russian heroes who arrived in Greenwood shortly before the tragedy began. They ended up in this place for a reason. Sullivan, aka Savely, is the owner of an occult store where he sells various products and artifacts. This character initially knew that in Greenwood disaster will happen and prepare in advance. He fenced his store with occult symbols. Manipulators, like other demonic creatures, cannot enter this room. Donovan will also visit this safe place, where he will meet these characters.
It is not known for certain what changes the plot has undergone compared to the original game. The author carefully keeps all details secret and avoids all possible spoilers of his project. It is likely that the general background of the tragedy in Greenwood will remain unchanged, but literally from the very beginning of the game it becomes clear that before us is completely "other"a game that has little in common with its predecessor. The original was more perceived as a game about a zombie apocalypse with some mystical elements. The remake will obviously pay a lot of attention to mysticism, occult activities and rituals. Previously named objects and artifacts with mysterious origins will appear. The fragments that the author shared with me clearly gave me the feeling that the zombie apocalypse has faded into the background and is not the main setting. The plot and story will become much deeper, there will be many new details that I would like to talk about, but Long wants to keep the details secret until the release of the game.
The plot delves deep into the occult of a demonic invasion. The player is sent to Hell, most often against his will, and will fight to return to our reality. Demons will drive Donovan crazy.
Long Nguyen
The game will probably be similar to the fictional narrative from the book. During loading between levels, manuscripts torn from the story appear, as if the game itself is the voice of the author, who tells us the story from moment to moment. For those who like to read and delve into the lore, the remake will have many artistic elements. Knowing the author’s writing background and his love for writing mystical stories, he will obviously add quite a few texts, letters, diaries and newspaper clippings to the game.
I now better understand the pace and fluctuations of the ongoing horror. This is actually very interesting from a psychological point of view. You need to lay down the idea, then there should be an increase in conflict, then there should be a jump scare or denouement, and then there comes a moment of calm and healing.
Long Nguyen
One question arises here – Localization. Only declared English language, which will be a problem for some players from different parts of the world. I asked this question to the author directly. I asked him if other languages would be added to the game, including Russian. This is what he replied.
In fact, I was thinking about adding Russian language. Nothing specific, but I would consider this possibility. This may be included in an update after the game is released.
Long Nguyen
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Development started back in 2014. Long time author Long Nguyen chose the engine on which to create his own "brainchild". He studied CryEngine and even Unity, but for some unknown reasons, these engines did not suit him. When Unreal Engine 4 was released, he realized that he would make his project on it. The game was at the concept stage for 5 years. 3D models of characters, monsters, environments were created, and only in 2019 Long sat down to assemble the game based on his own assets. It was at this time that the active stage of development began, which continues to this day. The author faced many difficulties. One of the recent problems was the save system in different places and segments of the location. He had to dig through quite a few tutorials on blueprints before he managed to implement saving at any point on the map, provided there were no enemies nearby.
Previously, the author promised to release the game by “halloween” 22 years old. But as we know, he overestimated his capabilities. When you do a large project alone, there is no need to talk about any deadlines. Also, some of you who understand game engines are probably wondering why the game is on UE4 when there is already UE5. The question is open and Long answered it.
I ported the game to UE5 to see how it would look there. The game looked amazing. But I put so much effort and time into creating unique dynamic lighting in UE4 that by porting the game to a more recent engine, all the time I spent creating this lighting would be wasted. For this simple reason I decided to leave the game on UE4.
Long Nguyen
I think this is the right decision. After all, no matter how beautiful he was Unreal Engine 5, many games that are released on this engine have problems with optimization. Are the developers to blame for this?? Maybe. But the problem is"mass character"and is found in almost every game that uses this engine. So let the game be on a more outdated engine, but more stable and devoid of many problems with optimization of the fifth version.
At the moment the game is completely ready and can be completed "from from start to finish". But there are also enough bugs in it, which the author finds and promptly corrects day by day. He has his own team"testers"who regularly play all builds and find flaws. He could release the game now in Early Access, but Long wants players to see the final product without any bugs ruining their experience. In the near future, he promises to publish a demo version that anyone can play. But what does “soon"we don’t know. It could be tomorrow, or it could be in a year or even two.
Not long ago I had a conversation with the author, in which he clarified that demo version will be released 2-3 months before the game release. He is currently planning to release the game in October 2025 (Plans. )
The game will cover some "uncomfortable" topics and put you in situations where you will have to make "uncomfortable" decisions.
Long Nguyen
EPILOGUE
In November 2024, the game finally got its own page on STEAM. Long currently plans to sell the game for $20 in the future. But the price may change over time. Add the game to "desired"and be patient.
The page appears in Steam contributed, among other things, to the recent interest in the project, namely the review that I published several years ago. Anyone who is interested in the history of the game can watch the video History of OUT OF HELL.
Thank you very much for reading and attention to the article, Friends! See you soon!