People LOVE zombies. People LOVE iPhones. The result of this logic became N.Y. Zombies, a great little game being put out by Foursaken Media for the iPhone.  The game is a tap n’ shoot, First Person Shooter set during the zombie apocalypse.

When you first start this game you notice something is different.  You can look around…but you can’t move!  This means that the zombies have to come to you and they do.  You are given a handy compass that lets you know where on the screen you should be looking.  By quickly swiping the screen you can turn around and see the gibbering madness that is about to tear out your spine and hopefully you get to squeeze off a few shots first. By placing the player in an unprotected center of the map the developers have created a deliciously panic inducing gaming experience.  You are forced to constantly look over your shoulder because they really are right behind you.

The story is played out through a series of journal entries that you get to read at the beginning of each level. Basically, people are getting infected and you are trying to figure out why.

You are allowed to carry up to six weapons with you at any time and they are represented as little icons along the bottom of your screen.  The icons show ammo levels and you can quickly switch to a new weapon by tapping one of them.  You can purchase new weapons and upgrades through the in the game store and trust me you want to upgrade your weapons.  Also, you can earn money for the store by… killing lots of zombies of course.

The game makes great use of sound but it is the music that really sets the mood.  The music chosen for the game is haunting and it helps you feel all the more alone.   Read the player reviews of the game and most of them talk about the music, some of them even want to buy it.

Additionally, the game includes web based score boards and a series of 3D trophies that are totally worth collecting just to see them.  There is also an endless mode which is just as hopeless as it sounds:  wave after wave after wave of mindless zombies forever shuffling forward.

If you own an iPhone and you have an extra 99 cents kicking around, this game is well worth it.  Combining great atmosphere and an instantly accessible control scheme N.Y. Zombies from Foursaken Media is a promising introduction to this new game developer.  I had the chance to ask the developers, (who are all brothers by the way), a few questions about the business of making games.

Critiq Al (CA):  Congratulations on the number of downloads your game has received.  For those not familiar with the game what can you tell readers about the world of N.Y. Zombie?

Jamie: N.Y.Zombies is an action/strategy game which we feel has tons of atmosphere, depth and content. It’s a game we wanted to be suitable and fun for anyone… we started with a simple control scheme and stripped out movement, allowing anyone to jump in and play. But we also wanted a game with depth, something even a gamer could enjoy, so we added lots of weapon strategy, and the ability to cycle between six weapons/abilities in battle, which adds a new, different dynamic from just moving and shooting.

CA: How long does it take to bring a game from an idea to a fully realized title?

Jamie: With N.Y.Zombies it took a very long time because Miles had to custom build the engine from scratch. The entire process took over a year, although we weren’t working on the game full time. In more realistic terms, it would probably take anywhere from 4-6 months for a well-built game, and that’s with a four man team, and a mix of part and full time work.

CA: What was the best game you’ve ever played and why?  What do you consider to be the most important elements of a great game?

Jamie: The game that has kept me entertained the longest has been both games in the Dawn of War Series for the PC… love the content and theme, and the gameplay is something so different and immersive then most RTS’s. As for the most important elements, I don’t know if you can narrow it down to just one. You need good or interesting graphics to get people into your game, and amazing gameplay to keep people playing…

Miles: Also the Dawn of War series… the universe is very gritty and the games definitely do it justice.

CA: There are a lot of zombie killing games out there.  What makes N.Y. Zombie different?

Jamie: Its atmosphere and lighting, its sheer variety of stages, its emphasis on weapon load out and the fact that you carry 6 at once, and its unique mix of casual yet deep gameplay. Also we are one of the few full 3D games that place this many zombies coming at you at once (20-40)… compared to other popular FPS’s like Zombie Infection or NOVA where you see at most 4-6 enemies out at once.

Miles: The ability to play the game according to your play-style and trying to find what works. For example, if you want to tank, you can spend your money on health and armor. If you prefer to try to blast masses of zombies at once, you can specialize in grenades/mines/molotovs. If you like high damage, single target weapons like rifle, you can buy some disruption abilities to buy yourself time to wreak havoc.

CA: What were the challenges you ran into when designing this game?  How was writing a game to work on the iPhone?

Miles: The main challenge was optimizing the engine to handle huge masses of zombies. Since we decided to have a stationary character and so many equipment slots, it was crucial to try to keep the players immersed and on their toes to overcome the lack of movement… and the best way to do that was to have much, much more than the typical 4-6 enemies you see in most 3d games.

CA: Four brothers working on a game together, sounds awesome how has it been so far?

Jamie: For the most part, great… we have our differences in opinions which can create a rocky road sometimes, which is compounded by the fact most of our communication is done via email and AIM, but its been good. I really look forward to a time where we are all doing this full time in official Foursaken Media offices.

Miles: It’s been great because we each have different skillsets, which mesh perfectly considering what it takes to develop a video game from scratch. Like Jamie said, the fact that we’re doing everything remotely can cause a few issues, but things will be even better once we get offices.

CA: The iPhone and the Wii have both transformed games in the past five years.  Where do you see gaming headed in the next five?

Jamie: Well, looks like for the next few years you’ve got everyone trying to copy Wii with the whole interactive gaming thing. After that, with Sony and Nintendo already taking steps, I would expect to see 3D be a much bigger part of gaming. Other then that, I think we’ll just see more and more power crammed into smaller and smaller devices.

CA: Finally, what else are you working on?

Jamie: We just released a cinematic trailer for our next game, Bug Heroes, a hybrid dual stick shooter/RPG/castle defense game. I know, the mix of genres sounds like a stretch, but it actually works really well together and ends up being quite intuitive and fun. Check out the trailer here:

and follow Foursaken Media on twitter for future updates and info.

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