Developer Vanimals has announced its next title, a zombie survival game called Undying. The game was previously announced in 2019 for PC and consoles. Thanks to Skystone Games, a new developer and publishing company by Bill Wang and David Brevik, Undying will be released on iOS and Android.
Undying was announced as part of the ID@Xbox showcase, which was initially scheduled to air during GDC. Unfortunately, GDC was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the trailer was released online. The short, one minute video introduces the characters and gameplay.
Undying stars Anling, a young woman from China who moved to America. During a zombie outbreak, she is bitten and is now trying to teach her young son Cody how to survive without her.
Players will have to ensure that Cody can survive alone by teaching him how to distract the undead, search for safety, how to cook, and other vital skills before it’s too late. The task won’t be easy. Others before her have already scavenged the city, making vital supplies even harder to find.
If Anling finds precious metal parts, she can use them to craft other useful tools or weapons. There are other survivors out there, such as traders, who can give the mother-and-son team a more useful item instead.
Time is finite, and the mother has to move fast. Anling has to balance surviving day-to-day with teaching Cody how to defend himself and perform basic daily tasks they once took for granted.
As players go through Undying, Anling’s infection will get worse. She has little time left, so players will have to decide what skills are more important to pass along to her son. Players will get to see how Cody grows from learning from Anling’s action.
Those familiar with Telltale Game’s The Walking Dead Season 1 may instantly spot the similarities. Lee, the protagonist of the first game, is also teaching Clementine how to survive in a world taken over by the undead. Unlike the story-driven game, Undying has players focus on showing Cody how to survive.
Undying is currently undergoing testing in anticipation of the game’s final release this year. The developer previously announced a Closed Alpha, which filled up fast, but they plan to hold another round of testing in the future. The Closed Alpha contained around 2 hours of gameplay.
Undying is planned to release on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, plus iOS and Android in Q3 2020. It’s unknown if the game will launch on all platforms simultaneously or in the future.
