Zombie survival games come and go, but now and then we get one that stands out amongst the rest. A title that I’ve kept a keen eye on for a few years now is God Save Birmingham due to its unique historical setting and challenging gameplay. While at PAX East, developer Ocean Drive Studio Inc. let me get more hands-on time with it and gave me yet another reason to be hyped for this game’s official release.
A True-to-Life Period Piece
While I am a big-time video game nerd, I am also quite the history buff, so marrying the two things I geek out about the most seems like a match made in heaven. So, coming across a zombie survival that is set within 14th-century Birmingham, England, I was interested to see how this would all pan out, given the lack of modern weapons and equipment.
To my delight, Ocean Drive Studio took this all in stride and carefully crafted a world that felt true to the early 14th-century setting. Everything the player can experience in this game, whether it be the various landmarks of the city, tools used at the time, or even the livestock, was backed by the team’s grounded historical research. Pair this with the looming threat of the zombie apocalypse going down during a time when firearms weren’t even a thought, and I suddenly felt much more vulnerable in the grand scheme of the survival food chain.
Survive, Adapt, Overcome
God Save Birmingham is very unforgiving to players who don’t think before they act. Neglecting to keep a watchful eye on your food, health, and stamina bar meters will cost you as the game progresses. Failing to stay up to date on your meters will cause the player to slow down significantly and remove their ability to push away the zombie swarms, but if you are mindful when looting various houses for food, water, and a place to rest, you should have no problem outlasting your undead friends and family.
One aspect of this game that has gone under the radar is the need to plan when looting houses and traversing the map. Sure, it may be easy to charge in full steam ahead when looting, but if you aren’t careful, that small shack may just end up as your final resting place. I found this out in a hurry due to my sheer hubris.
Upon entering a home, I took note of the zombies around me and went in for a quick round of looting. Once I was done, my undead neighbors swarmed my only exit out of the home, and I found myself in a do-or-die situation. Luckily, I was well-equipped to handle the horde, but I can easily see this becoming a challenge for those who jump into places unprepared.
An Object in Motion Stays in Motion
One of the key features of God Save Birmingham is its physics system. This was the thing I wanted to test out the most while playing at PAX, simply because it offers up a plethora of new ways to approach the map. Players can use various objects like wagon wheels, barrels, or benches to create barricades at key entry points to buy themselves time to heal or to rest. This also became a hassle when being chased by zombies in a home, because what would’ve been perfect escape routes could’ve been blocked by previous inhabitants.
God Save You
Overall, God Save Birmingham is a truly fun and unique zombie survival game. The attention to detail in the game’s environment and gameplay mechanics propels this title in an exciting direction. There is still some time to go before this game is ready to release, but so far, I am rather impressed with this upcoming game.
