Ubi responde por ZombiU

Interview about ZombiU with Florent Sacré, co-creative director, art director, and Gabrielle Shrager Story Design Director at Ubisoft Montpellier Studios and Lead Writer.

Revogamers: In which genre will you include ZombiU? Survival or FPS... And why?

F.S ANSWER: I guess you could call it a ‘Survival Horror FPS Thriller’ thanks to the components of ZombiU that reinvigorate one of our industry’s most loved genres, plus its unique and compelling story.  ZombiU invites players to live a credible and terrifying survival experience in zombie territory.  By transforming the GamePad into the ultimate survival kit, we had the possibility of offering creative controls that augment the sensations of fear and the rewarding feeling of surpassing oneself constantly.  The new console is a perfect fit for Survival Horror, because--for the first time in video games--we can divide your attention between two screens; just like in real life, you have to LOOK DOWN to rummage through your bug-out bag and manipulate gear you actually hold in your hands, while keeping an eye to the surrounding dangers in real-time.  Co-Creative Director, Jean-Philippe Caro likes to think of ZombiU as “a zombie apocalypse simulator”!

The Pad-cum-survival-kit offers players the possibility to prepare and plan their survival moment-by-agonizing-moment, heightening their situational awareness and mastering environments by scanning enemies and areas for vital supplies, sniping silently from a distance, visualizing Infected on the radar and progressively upgrading their smart-map, weapons and skills in the hopes of surviving this apocalypse—all the while being guided by the mysterious voice of the Prepper, who speaks to players over the radio on the GamePad. These and other features will truly showcase what the Nintendo Wii U has to offer, offering an unparalleled level of immersion and emotion—the holy grail of great gaming experiences.

Revogamers: Red Steel was a launch game but also was a new control benchmark in Wii and sometimes graphically shocking as well. Is ZombiU following the same path on the Wii U? How important was for you to show the Wii U graphic horsepower?

F.S ANSWER: Our main concern was not to showcase what the console can do in terms of graphics, but to create a compelling, original and coherent universe that serves our vision of survival in a zombie apocalypse.

Revogamers: Recently it was announced the Survival mode of ZombiU. Can you explain it more accurately to our readers?

F.S Answer:  In ZombiU, you can choose between two single-player campaigns:  the solo Campaign and a Survivor Mode. In survivor mode, we dare players to beat the game with only ONE Character and ONE Life.  I know plenty of players who finished the RE0 with just a knife on their second run...  Call it a cop-out if you want, but it’s been my experience as a gamer, that the most satisfying rewards come from beating the most intense challenges.  Bragging rights are open... How long will YOU survive?