Thanks, Melbourne!
Our team have arrived back from PAX Australia tired but happy, so this is just a quick update to say thanks to everyone who came by our booth to play our scavenging demo.
The response we had was overwhelming (some of you waited in line for nearly 2 hours!) and we couldn't be more grateful.
We also got some great feedback about what people want more of – turns out people love firearms – so we'll be folding that feedback in over the next few weeks as we settle back into development for the full game experience.
The booth itself was a collaboration between our visual development team, ExpoNet, and Good Day Club. We wanted to lean heavily into the nostalgic vintage theming for the booth, as a nod to our 1980 setting (complete with readable newspapers).
Turns out the curtain (which we were required to have because of the restricted rating) drew a lot of intrigue...
And we couldn't resist seizing a photo opportunity ourselves.
We've got a few PAX videos in the pipeline, including our next dev diary and player reactions, so keep an eye out for those over on our YouTube page.
There are also some early media responses too, if you're keen for a deeper dive:
MiniMapAu: "If you are the kind of person that delights in extremely stressful moments in games, (like me) then you’re gonna have a good time. The levels are structured like little puzzle mazes, with backtracking, locked doors, and environmental obstacles, causing you to spiral through the level while trying to avoid the undead foes. Combating the zombies with a weapon is effective, but with every weapon only having a limited amount of durability, you’ll be armless before you take them all out. I learned this the hard way." Read more here.
Checkpoint Gaming: "As a total wimp, I found Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days to be just the right amount of terrifying. There were only a couple of moments when I needed to let out a little scream, such as when a surprise fast-zombie sprinted at me from off-screen. It seems like it will scratch that survival rogue-like itch, letting you get a bit further along with each trip to a ghoul-infested location." Read more here.
Gamoneer: "I, for one, can’t wait to delve into this game and experience the visuals and audio that will hopefully make this journey memorable." Read more here.
Daily Straits: "The unexpected success of “Into The Dead: Our Darkest Days” at PAX Australia has left the PikPok Games team delighted and motivated." Read more here.
NextPlay Australia: "Previously the Into the Dead series was a first-person shooter combined with the endless runner genre (think Temple Run). Our Darkest Days retires that format and adapts a 2.5D sidescrolling allowing for fresh and captivating gameplay bringing the series to new heights." Read more here.
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We're pretty happy with that response.
A little rest for us, and then onwards.
