DEADCRAFT focuses on the story of its main character, Reid, but the lives of NPCs such as Vernon, who asks Reid for help, are also woven into the game’s overall narrative.
When creating the story, we took care not to make Reid and other characters virtuous heroes. After all, a sense of morality would limit gameplay options in the lawless lands of the apocalypse. In DEADCRAFT, the player is able to go so far as to engage in villainous activities such as stealing resources and money from the weak, so we made sure to not portray Reid as a just hero. For this reason, Reid, Vernon, and other characters are each motivated by their own selfish needs and desires.
When creating the world of DEADCRAFT, we wanted to avoid relying on elements of devastation, ruin, and wastelands that are associated with post-apocalyptic environments, and focus on creating a more original world that would stand apart from other games. One way we accomplished this is by setting the game decades after the spread of zombies, a time when humanity has learned to make use of the walking dead as a resource. Surely in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce, people would turn to plentiful swarms of zombies.
For example, soldiers in the game adorn their armor with zombie parts, and the currency traded in the game, zol, is made from processed zombie bones. And of course, players will get to experience Reid creatively utilizing zombie parts in his crafting as well!
Akira Kurochi
DEADCRAFT Director
*Screenshots captured from a game still in development.