Zombie survival games have taken me to quite a lot of unexpected places in my time. I’ve spilled undead blood in Nazi Germany, idyllic tropical resorts, and the Wild West, among many others. Medieval England, though, is a new one for me. There are few games I’ve wanted to try more than God Save Birmingham, largely due to that unusual combination of genre and setting, but also because it looked like a proper hardcore experience. At Gamescom, my chance finally arrived, as I was treated to around half an hour of hands-on time with Ocean Drive Studio’s upcoming game. While it was certainly in its early stages and without any tangible narrative pull or objectives to follow, I’ve got few complaints about its stunning scenery and challenging survival.
I spawn inside a typically medieval house – it’s basic, and without much natural light, but it’s dimly lit with candles and feels quite cozy. I swing open the door, bright daylight washes over me, and a muddy but charming medieval town square appears. Market stalls, a water well, a church off on a hill in the distance – it’s picturesque, but given the state of the residents, it’s probably best I grab my pitchfork. Groaning, withered walkers shuffle around the streets. Your presence draws their attention, but God Save Birmingham is no high-octane, all-action zombie game. Enemies don’t come sprinting at you with limbs flailing. There’s no ‘miniboss’ style foe that will spit toxic mucus at you. I didn’t see any of the usual cliched ‘berserker’ or ‘shrieker’ archetypes. They are just… people. Believable zombies. That doesn’t mean they can’t cause you problems, though.
At first, I actually felt a bit disappointed with how easy my travels around God Save Birmingham seemed. I could weave my way past them and clamber over fences to evade them if they got too close. Puncturing a few with my pitchfork resulted in me getting a couple of clobbers, but nothing to really concern me. Amputating legs or knocking them to the ground and going in for a devastating and immensely satisfying headstomp also seemed pretty risk-free. Even when one finally grabbed me, all I had to do was aim in its direction and rapidly click my mouse to shrug them off. But what this game does extremely well, even at this early stage, is lull you into a false sense of confidence. Complacency doesn’t go unpunished.
While hunting for food and bandages, I stumble into an extremely dark house, not noticing a couple of zombies in the corner that quickly surround me. After squeezing past them, I head for the door, only to be greeted by three or four more that followed me down the street. On the front doorstep of this house, I’m now encircled, and as multiple zombies latch onto me, it becomes almost impossible to push them all off. I meet a grizzly demise.
On a second run, where I’m now equipped with an ax, I’m far more wary of my undead foes, and stay alive much longer. This allows me to explore some truly stunning locations that, for an early build like this, are presented in exquisite detail. First, the church on the hill, which also happens to be surrounded by zombified priests. Then, an ornate manor house with a main hall set up for a huge banquet – clearly, a big party was planned before Birmingham turned. This is great news, too, as all the uneaten food helps replenish my hunger levels, one of the core survival parameters you’ll need to manage. Alongside hunger, there’s also thirst, fatigue, physical exhaustion and injury, and a “panic/fear” meter, according to creative director Hyeonseong Cha, who was alongside me for this preview.
While the exploration, survival, and atmosphere were all on point, I did find myself desperate for some kind of objective to work towards or narrative to uncover. In terms of an overall plot, Cha explains that there won’t be a solid resolution to the zombie outbreak – you’re not here to stop it or find out all the answers, you’re here to survive in it. “In terms of the premise, we are thinking that it may not be possible for anyone in this world to figure out what exactly happened,” he says. “But we do want to show how these different people processed it and understood it and tried to make sense out of it.”
What I learned from my time with God Save Birmingham is that every decision needs to be a measured, calculated one. As soon as you get into a chaotic or fast-moving situation, it’s going to be tricky to escape alive due to your stamina, the duration of actions like opening doors or crafting, and the fact that you have to head into your inventory every time you want to pull out weapons or items. Keeping things steady, knowing your limits, and avoiding reckless risks will be paramount to your survival. With that in mind, it’s no surprise when Cha reveals he’s heavily influenced by Project Zomboid. He also praises the way it portrays an “overwhelming horde that slowly closes in on you.” Of course, stylistically, God Save Birmingham and Project Zomboid are very different, but I can definitely feel the shared elements between them. Cha also credits Kingdom, a TV series about a zombie plague in 17th-century Korea, as a huge inspiration for the game’s overall concept.
This early on in its life, I’ve got high hopes for God Save Birmingham. Its more hardcore, measured, realistic approach to zombie survival absolutely has an audience. Thanks to a combination of gorgeous scenery, detailed interiors, and, of course, the ongoing need to find more gear, food, and items, it entices you to explore. It’s also got the potential to create moments of panic when you least expect them. The next step is to provide a compelling reason why I would want to survive in this world with some objectives, a sense of progression, and light storytelling, and if Ocean Drive nails that, we could be in for a real gem of a zombie game.
