By Adam Smith on October 7th, 2011 at 10:28 am.
Amy is a game with zombies in it, but don’t leave just yet. I know we’re oversaturated with them, but that doesn’t mean we should be jaded about every upcoming game that involves the shambling nonliving. It’s still possible to use them in interesting ways and, for me at least, even just shooting them in the head isn’t boring quite yet. Amy’s doing something very different though. Set in an infected city of the near-future, it’s a game about survival and companionship. It would be easy to describe what I’ve seen so far as urban Ico with zombies, so that’s what I’m going to do. There’s new footage below, with developer narration to describe how infection will destroy you and how it can be staved off. It’s not the most whizzbang stuff but it’s certainly piqued my interest.
Paul Cuisset, designer of Flashback, is heading up Vector Cell, the studio making the game. That’s some pedigree right there. He also designed Fade to Black, the 3d sequel to Flashback which I always feel alone in having both completed and quite enjoyed.
Here’s another trailer for you, which is more cinematic but less intelligible. Funny how often that’s the case.
07/10/2011 at 10:37 Spinoza says:
This is not a comment
07/10/2011 at 12:13 Magnetude says:
Stop blowing my mind with your Magritte shit
07/10/2011 at 12:17 Dr I am a Doctor says:
The famous comment. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you read my comment? No, it’s just a representation, is it not? So if I had written in my post “This is a comment,” I’d have been lying!
07/10/2011 at 10:38 hench says:
Atleast it tries to be somewhat original compared to all the braindead zombie shooters out there
07/10/2011 at 12:13 Dom_01 says:
Oho! Well played good sir.
08/10/2011 at 05:46 zbeeblebrox says:
This is a good point. There can’t be that many games where you’re actually susceptible to the zombie virus. I can’t think of any off-hand.
08/10/2011 at 22:33 WeHeartKatamari says:
Resident Evil: Outbreak 1 and 2 had the player fight infection.
07/10/2011 at 10:42 inertia says:
Looks interesting. I hope it’s good. The infection mechanic sounds pretty neat too. Infiltrate the zombie base and take their sweeties before you turn!
07/10/2011 at 10:43 CaspianRoach says:
“…eventually, she’s going to die” *Lana falls over.*
Oh hi there PS2 animations, long time no see.
07/10/2011 at 11:33 Syra says:
painfully true..
07/10/2011 at 12:36 Sarkhan Lol says:
Haha, I had the same reaction. Plus **YOU ARE DEAD!!!** fzzt fzzt shaky bad-reception screen effects
07/10/2011 at 14:56 Tacroy says:
Well you know, since she’s infected with zombie cooties, being dead doesn’t necessarily mean game over. They could totally put in a recovery mechanic of some sort, since the little girl already de-zombies you somehow.
07/10/2011 at 10:44 Gnoupi says:
Interesting, from what I read on the official site.
Apparently you play as a woman (Lana) who is infected by the same virus that turns everyone as zombies. The little girl, Amy, is somehow not only immune to the virus, but also able to heal Lana as long as she stays close. (Edit: Ah, well, that’s what the narrator says in the video. Watching without sound at work has its problems)
So I guess it will be a lot of escort, plus an interesting kind of “survival”, as you are slowly turning into a zombie yourself, if you are without care for too long.
I like the change from the usual “play as people who are for some reason immune and explode others around”. The fact that you play a regular human who is slowly getting infected can bring interesting parts.
07/10/2011 at 10:53 Gundrea says:
I don’t know… sounds like an interesting turn but… zombies.
The genre’s so overdone it’s undead.
07/10/2011 at 11:00 Iskariot says:
An original take on the genre is always welcome, I think.
But I wouldn’t mind at all if someone would finally try making a sequel to Vampire Bloodlines for a change. The vampire genre is completely overlooked.
07/10/2011 at 11:55 sneetch says:
We are merely exchanging long protein strings. If you can think of a simpler way, I’d like to hear it!
I think this looks interesting, it’ll be nice to not be the only immune guy with an arsenal of zombie smashers. It looks surprisingly dated here though.
Edit: Ah, “reply fail”, my old enemy! My old friend!
07/10/2011 at 10:57 Iskariot says:
So far I am very interested in this game. I just hope it is not all linear corridor stuff. I am a sucker for open worlds and freedom of choice in games.
As a genuine office zombie myself, I would like to play a zombie in a game for once. I think it will feel very natural.
07/10/2011 at 11:07 AndrewC says:
That it’s a game who’s central image is of a woman holding a girl’s hand makes it wonderful.
07/10/2011 at 11:07 Echo Black says:
Wow, this is very interesting.
07/10/2011 at 11:12 Drake Sigar says:
Hey… is that Lucas Kane narrating?
07/10/2011 at 11:17 Johnny Lizard says:
Ico = one long escort mission = one of the best games ever.
07/10/2011 at 11:17 Merus says:
This feels like a @petermolydeux concept, in the best way.
07/10/2011 at 11:26 Temple says:
“Imagine you are the hand, holding the girl and another player is the hand of the girl”
07/10/2011 at 12:35 Sarkhan Lol says:
Replace girl with dog, massive success.
07/10/2011 at 11:20 diebroken says:
No escort mission from any game is as bad as Sleepwalker…
07/10/2011 at 11:22 Agricola says:
Interesting, but I think this mechanic could get very old, very fast.
Will keep an eye on it though. I still like zombies!
07/10/2011 at 11:31 BooleanBob says:
“this could end in a very upsetting fashion”
Zoot suits?
07/10/2011 at 11:32 Syra says:
It looks clever, but uncanny valley is strong with this one.
07/10/2011 at 11:34 BooleanBob says:
The big problem I’m having is how much Amy looks like William H. Macy.
07/10/2011 at 12:09 Battlehenkie says:
What has been seen cannot be unseen, you vicious bastard.
07/10/2011 at 12:23 Brumisator says:
Resident Evil 4 pulled off the escort + zombies thing pretty well.
07/10/2011 at 12:55 Magnetude says:
My sarcasm detector just doesn’t know what to make of that comment, Brumisator. Although that section was great if you were into looking up pretend girls’ skirts while they climbed ladders.
07/10/2011 at 13:31 Casimir's Blake says:
“Fade to Black, the 3d sequel to Flashback which I always feel alone in having both completed and quite enjoyed.”
You’re not alone on that one, Adam. Though its very wayward controls makes it rather hard to enjoy these days, there’s something delightfully oldschool about its level design, and low-poly abstract-ness that makes it compelling today. HG101 covered it.
07/10/2011 at 20:03 Waltorious says:
I, also, completed and enjoyed Fade To Black. I hope it gets re-released on GOG or somewhere else so I can revisit it. I think it would be interesting to see what I think of it today.
07/10/2011 at 13:41 DrGonzo says:
You aren’t alone friend, I remember fade to black too. It had a cover system if I remember it right, possibly the first one?
07/10/2011 at 14:01 Ovno says:
1) Still love zombie games so wicked.
2) Infection mechanic looks interesting, keeping an eye on this one…
07/10/2011 at 14:08 ZIGS says:
Just because you’re turning into a zombie doesn’t mean you can’t have perfect, sexy hair
07/10/2011 at 14:20 Chizu says:
I’ve been interested in this for a while, since i read about it in a magazine.
I knew it was on consoles as a download only title, didn’t realize they were doing a PC version too.
Thats good.
I just hope its a bit more polished than say, Hydrophobia was.
The concept certainly appeals to me though, so I will continue to keep my eye on it.
07/10/2011 at 15:02 jezcentral says:
The only good escort missions in a zombie game involve garden gnomes.
07/10/2011 at 15:05 Tei says:
Looks like a game in a very early phase.
07/10/2011 at 17:26 HothMonster says:
Fade to Black was awesome
07/10/2011 at 18:53 Phasma Felis says:
Why is Amy green? Does…does this game take place in the Matrix?
07/10/2011 at 19:27 Moonracer says:
I was impressed with the infection animation until I realized it was the main character. My guess is no other characters will transform in game like that.
Still, it’s trying something different with zombies so I wish them luck. It could end up being a good game.
07/10/2011 at 19:36 Gabbo says:
I’ll be keeping an eye on it, after seeing that game mechanic [sort of] in action.
07/10/2011 at 22:24 eclipse mattaru says:
The infection mechanic sounds like a very interesting idea with a lot of potential, but the virus and the futuristic lab and that Bane-like super zombie with the chains all reek too much of the Resident Evil school of horror, which makes it a lot less interesting.
I’m still giving them the benefit of doubt, but the moment someone produces an assault rifle I’m gonna be saying some bad words. In all caps.
08/10/2011 at 11:26 RegisteredUser says:
Have we not yet learned to not trust preview videos of zombie games with little girls in them? :P
08/10/2011 at 11:27 RegisteredUser says:
I blame Amelie.
08/10/2011 at 19:13 BeamSplashX says:
What pleasing narration. I’m not afraid at all with you by my side, Mr. Narrator. In fact, my infection’s disappearing as you speak.
Who knew infection mechanics could sound so dreamy!
08/10/2011 at 21:31 Rikard Peterson says:
On the one hand I’m interested of the escorting. On the other hand, zombies… shudder…
(I’ve heard good things about Ico, but have sadly never been able to play it, as I’ve never owned a console.)