March of the Living

March of the Living is an extraordinary, two-dimensional retro game released on PC that combines elements of real-time strategy, roguelike action game and survival. The game was developed in cooperation between the independent developer nicknamed Machine 22 and the Creaky Corpse studio which created the browser MMO game Dead Frontier. Both titles share the still very popular zombie theme and they both are inspired by the cult franchise, The Walking Dead.

Plot

The game takes place in a grim, post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies bearing a mysterious virus. The only glimpse of hope for the remaining humans is a safe utopian place in which, far from the hell on Earth, the humanity will be able to start their civilization one again. In the game the player assumes the role of one of the survivors who together with a small group embarks on a hard and dangerous journey in order to reach the mentioned place.

Mechanics

The acclaimed independent game FTL: Faster Than Light that was released in 2012 was one of the inspirations for the creators of March of the Living. In both titles the gameplay mechanics combines traits of few video game genres and builds them on the roguelike base. When starting the game, player selects one of four available characters. It doesn’t mean that during the game the player will have no one to depend on. On the way to victory the player will encounter many potential allies and will create a team of maximum six survivors. The team will travel together through a procedurally generated world in which the survivors will not only face zombies, but various random events that make each playthrough unique as well.

Survival is the core part of the game – during the journey one must eat, rest and manage resources. Visited locations must be thoroughly searched in order to obtain valuable items that then can be traded with encountered NPCs. Many times one will have to make hard decisions that will secure the survival of the group as well. As in every zombie game, March of the Living is filled with battles as well. The developers implemented a real-time tactical battle system with the option to use active pause during which one can give orders to the team members.

Technical aspects

March of the Living released on PC has two-dimensional pixel graphics with an unusual for this genre perspective. The action is shown from the side, like in classic side-scrolling games. During the game one can listen to an atmospheric soundtrack that dynamically adapts to events occurring on the screen.

Last updated on April 13, 2016