New details about zombies

On By Daviel

Last week, the South Korean developer Action Square shared the first record of the game process of the upcoming multi-platform zombie explosion Kingdom: The Blood, which is based on the popular television of the Zombie Kingdom. How often this happens with games based on something known, the trailer attracted the attention of both the game community and fans of this film adaptation. Therefore, the Korean media decided to interview the Action Square studio to learn more about the upcoming game. Below you can familiarize yourself with a brief translation of the main details of this conversation with the developers, kindly provided by colleagues from MMO Culture.

  • Action Square was surprised at how the gameplay trailer was well accepted, as it was made of the ASSUTS that are still in development and did not differ in high resolution. No cinematic scenes were used. Therefore, the developers were afraid that this would not be enough to present the global audience.

  • The team admitted that the gameplay trailer was made in a hurry and does not represent the schedule and gameplay that will be in the final version of the game. Now she continues to work on optimization.

  • As in the series on Netflix, the zombies in the game will be active only at night or at low temperatures.

  • Despite the fact that this is a mobile game (with a client for a PC), Kingdom: The Blood is 100% focused on manual battles without the function of an autoboy. Support for automatic movement will also be absent.
  • During the game, the players will have only three buttons: a basic attack, a special attack and evasion. It will be possible to create a combo from basic and special attacks, and in addition to this, active/passive QTE (Quick Time Events) will appear. The active QTE system is used to apply a final blow, while passive variation gives a buff.

  • About 8 attacks are used in combination. As the character develops and promotion in the game, several more skills can be unlocked and collected. Players will be able to adjust the character to their own style of play by creating a unique set of skills.

  • The user interface (UI) was designed as simple as possible to match the screens of mobile devices. Work is also underway to support controllers, and the developers refer to the aid of another team of the studio working on Anvil shooter.

  • The developer team is fans of games similar to Souls, including Dark Souls, Sekiro and the recently released Elden Ring, and they are inspired by them when creating a game. The team was also delighted with the fact that some gamers mentioned Ghost of Tsushima after watching the trailer.

  • Development of Kingdom: The Blood began about 18 months ago. Many team members are veteran developers who worked in Nexon and NCSoft.

  • Currently, the game consists of 10 chapters, each of which includes level 4. The plot covers from 1 to 2 season of the Netflix series.
  • Instead of a simple following plot, the developers are trying to create a feeling that allows players to feel the battles from the zombie from the point of view of Crown Prince Lee Chang.
  • Much attention was also paid to the design of various zombies, including human characters that were sent to catch Li Chang (protagonist).

  • There are other playable characters in the game, but each of them will be equipped with only one permanent weapon. For example, Lee Chang can only operate Hwando. But this is complemented by many different techniques for each weapon/character.

  • In addition to Li Chang, the team refused to disclose other characters that will be available on the release.

  • Each script at Kingdom: The Blood is prepared in different ways to prevent characters’ conflicts with the original environment, relationships or plot.

  • The art team Action Square conducted a deep study of the costumes of the characters of that period (Choson dynasty), especially the traditional hanbock clothing. Each game character will wear various types of Korean traditional clothing.
  • Action in the game is not just waving weapons, the team tries to make players feel how real material is cut, for example, clothes. To do this, a mixture of animation and physical engine is used, since the use of only the last and all other variables will lead to the fact that the game will consume too many processor power.
  • For the team, it was a new experience to create a game in the era of the Chospon dynasty, where only ordinary weapons can be used for battle with the hordes of advancing zombies, and players should try not to be bitten. There are no pistols, no flamethrowers, no chainsaws in the game.
  • A real fencer with more than 15 years of experience in movies and historical dramas was invited to capture the movement.
  • The team has not yet confirmed whether zombie animals would appear in the game, given that there are already many initial material for both human enemies and zombie enemies.
  • Despite the desire for a high-class graphics, Action Square wants as many gamers as possible to enjoy the game Kingdom: The Blood. Therefore, Diablo Immortal and Genshin Impact are used as a guideline.
  • The Breakthrough mode is intended for players who are looking for a higher level of complexity after the completion of the plot chapters. It was mentioned that it takes about 20 minutes to pass each round. Meanwhile, in the OCCUPATION mode, short battles occur lasting about 5 minutes.
  • In the Netflix series, zombies are sensitive to the smell of blood, and the developers realized this in their game. After the murder of the enemy, if the players are next to him for too long, then they will meet with the dead from all over the district. In addition, the zombies in the game will not just stand on the map, sometimes they can suddenly break through the door, jump out of the ground or ambush the players from behind.
  • The developer team continues to work on a multiplayer PVP and PVE content.
  • Action Square also collaborates with the Astory studio, which is responsible for the production of the series, to create a new content that can become exclusive for the game.
  • In addition to the development of the character and improving the skills, the game has various elements of collecting, such as costumes.
  • When the release of the game will take place so far remains a mystery. The team is aimed at simultaneous global release. However, since ping is important for such action games, servers can be divided into different regions.

NEW
If you know the Korean language well or are ready to use programs for translation, then you can familiarize yourself with the original full interview with the developers from this link.