Undying

Undying is an adventure survival with a melancholy story in a zombie-controlled world. The work of the independent Vanimals studio, and at the same time one of the first games in the catalogue of Skystone Games, founded in 2020 by veterans of the industry (including David Brevik, creator of the first Diablo).

Plot

Undying tells the story of Anling, a woman who has to face a zombie-controlled world. Unfortunately, she has been bitten by one of the undead. Despite this, the heroine is doing everything she can to survive - not for herself, but for her son, Cody. Anling must teach him the art of survival in this post-apocalyptic reality before an infection kills her.

Mechanics

The Vanimals studio uses many schemes typical of survival games. We observe the action from above ( top-down view), and the gameplay is about exploring the locations in search of items necessary for survival. This includes food and water, but also the weapons and resources needed to make useful tools. All this in a world with a day and night cycle and a constantly ticking clock. From time to time we meet NPCs with whom we interact in different ways.

Undying stands out by one important concept. We have two heroes here: Anling and Cody. We have direct control only over the mother - the boy is controlled by artificial intelligence. Moreover, while we try to keep both characters alive, the main goal is to teach Cody the skills needed to live independently in a zombie-controlled world. Anling's son acquires abilities by observing her, over time actively helping his mother to face the next challenges. It is also important to look after the boy's mood, especially as this will affect his obedience.

Game modes

Undying only allows you to have fun alone, although it is not a one-off adventure. Before we start the adventure, we have to put the world map together from the fragments of Anling's memories, which gives us some control over the location of key areas. This allows us - as in the roguelikes - to go through the game many times, each time having a slightly different experience.

Technical aspects

The developers of Undying used the popular Unity engine to create a three-dimensional graphic design. The graphics are very simplified: the characters are faceless and the environment is not very detailed. The whole thing may resemble Inside from the creators of iconic Limbo. The gameplay is accompanied by music, emphasizing the bittersweet atmosphere of the game.