'Freaks' and tweaks: ZombiU's winding path to launch

What Ubisoft showed of Killer Freaks from Outer Space at E3 last year was clearly an early demo; it looked more akin to a traditional Wii game than something running on a new console. But that work-in-progress glimpse showed how wildly different the project could have been. Aside from the setting of London and general use of the GamePad for shooting, ZombiU and its earlier form couldn't seem more disconnected.

According to game designer Jean-Karl Tupin-Bron, who worked on both versions at Ubisoft Montpellier, Killer Freaks was a fast-paced run-and-gun shooter, with games like Bulletstorm and Duke Nukem as references, though the pint-sized titular creatures gave it a distinctive feel.

As seen in a handful of gameplay clips online, players racked up visible score bumps for plunking the little buggers with the likes of shotguns, electrified bursts and a gun that fired boomeranging buzz saw blades. Moreover, the arcade-style affair was intended to be played by up to four players in co-op, as hinted by the shadowy figures on the mocked up box art.

Ever since that first showing, many have remarked on the similarities between the killer freaks and the cartoonish rabbids spun off from the Rayman series. Such speculation is warranted — Tupin-Bron confirms that the game was originally conceived as a Rabbids tie-in.

As for the title itself, ZombiU, the moniker began as a codename that quickly caught on. "It started as a working title; a kind of joke, even, because we were reminiscing about Zombi, the first game from Ubisoft," says Tupin-Bron. "We said, 'That's a codename, but it's absolutely perfect. I'm looking for a zombie game on Wii U: ZombiU. You can't miss it.'"

ZombiU isn't meant to be a reboot or a reimagining of the original Zombi, which launched on the Amstrad CPC home computer in 1986, with other versions following in 1990. Zombi offered its take on Dawn of the Dead's shopping mall full of undead concept long before Capcom's Dead Rising, allowing the player to control four different protagonists as they aim to escape the commerce-centric calamity. But similarities between the two aren't intentional, Tupin-Bron says.

"[Similarities appear] naturally, because the original Zombi from the 80s had the same vision," he says. "The idea was to make something very realistic — we had the same path and the same development process, and we arrive at some ideas that are very similar; but we never said that we should take an idea from Zombi because it was first."

He admits to going back and playing the original, though. Asked what made that formative game for the publisher so unique, Tupin-Bron responds, "Right now with the Walking Dead games, we know that we can make adventure games with zombies. But back in 1986, it was less obvious. There were a lot of good ideas in that game, and it's nice to have that kind of ... we can't say that it's a sequel, but it's nice to have that history at Ubisoft."

Zombi might have made for a perfect hidden Easter egg within the game, which Tupin-Bron acknowledges was a consideration, but that's one proposed element that such a quick development cycle nixed. ZombiU has some fun nods to its Killer Freaks heritage, though, including an "Attack of the Killer Freaks" movie poster somewhere along the streets of London.

Also surprising, and perhaps indicative of a Nintendo-led trend to attract more core players to Wii U than the original Wii sustained, is the fact that ZombiU is pegged as a very challenging experience for hardcore players. Is it the next Dark Souls? Perhaps not — but that's another reference point mentioned by Tupin-Bron.

"Of course, we played Dark Souls a lot. We played Super Meat Boy. We played all of these games," he affirms, noting the recent trend of satisfyingly brutal titles and how that benefits the survival horror genre. "[ZombiU is] tough, but I think it's never unfair. Each time you lose, you have a way to come back quickly to get back your items. It's tough, and sometimes it's complicated, but it's not unfair."

It's a helpful perk in that regard, but balancing the two screens — and instructing players on how to ably utilize both throughout — proved a challenge that required plenty of playtests and user interface iteration. "One of the biggest issues we had was telling the user, 'Stop watching this screen and start watching the other one,' and vice versa," says Tupin-Bron. "It sounds quite stupid, but telling that to the user is seriously complicated."

As such, the team came up with perspective-switching cues that should trigger a reaction in players, such as looking in your backpack or attempting to pick a lock. "I think users will learn very quickly that when you start switching from the first-person view to the third-person view," he continues, "it means that you have to look at your Wii U controller."

At least in the asymmetric multiplayer mode, each player will be able to concentrate on his/her own respective display. ZombiU's King of Zombies mode — based on a similar separate-screen option from Killer Freaks from Outer Space — lets one player (as "King Boris") use the GamePad to manage resources and place enemy zombies and armored units in the game world, viewed from a top-down perspective. Meanwhile, a second player with a Wii U Pro Controller or a Nunchuk and Wii Remote combo fights them off in first-person combat.

With three play variations — including one that merges elements of traditional capture the flag and control point domination multiplayer modes — and five maps, it should be a fairly sizeable addition to the ZombiU experience. To make that happen in time for launch, Ubisoft Bucharest took lead on the multiplayer part of the game (and assisted with single-player), adding their talents to the pool of about 80 developers utilized at Ubisoft Montpellier.