The infected in The Midnight Walkers are not just mindless zombies.
We never wanted to create enemies that simply inspire fear.
Instead, we wanted each one to carry traces of who they were before they turned.
So that when survivors face them, they can feel—"What kind of life did this person live? And how did it all fall apart?"
In this devlog, we’d like to introduce our latest zombie designs and the stories woven into them.
Why do they look like this? What moment marked their turning point?
1. Who Never Left the Hospital
The concept for the doctor walker began with a simple but chilling idea:
“A doctor who continues to see patients, unaware of his own death.”
A stethoscope still around his neck, a headlamp on his forehead, and a blood-soaked coat.
Their hands still search for patients or perhaps, prey.
They never left the hospital.
Even as the medical system collapsed, he remained by their patients’ sides, risking his life to save others.
But in the end, they became one of the first to be infected.
The hands once stretched out for healing are now a deadly threat.
Their white coat is no longer a symbol of care,
but a tragic remnant of how quickly this world crumbled.
2. A Tragedy in the Heart of the City
The woman walker was designed to feel like the most “urban” infected.
Barefoot after kicking off her high heels, dressed as if she was headed for a date, her hair slightly undone.
We didn’t want her to be overtly terrifying.
Instead, we wanted players to feel a realistic, immersive kind of horror.
She was just an ordinary office worker.
It was a Friday evening, and she had plans—finally.
Her last message read: "Almost at the subway~ :)"
But that night, the subway she arrived at wasn’t a normal one.
It had already fallen—overrun by the infected.
Even now, she wanders the city in that same outfit,
still trapped in that night,
as if searching for the person she was supposed to meet, following the footsteps of survivors.
3. The One Remembered by Her Scream
This zombie was designed not as a direct threat,
but as a screeching siren that draws in nearby walkers with her voice.
The focal point of her design is her mouth.
A torn jaw, swollen neck, and grotesquely widened maw—all meant to visually express the brutal violence of her sound.
But what we really wanted to portray wasn't just the sound—it was the story buried beneath her scream.
Was she once a performer, singing on stage?
Or a patient in a hospital room, screaming in pain?
She still seems to be crying out to someone, endlessly.
It might be a call for help, a scream of grief, or simply an echo of memory.
No one knows for sure.
But her voice has become despair incarnate.
4. The Steps That Never Stopped
When we first explored the concept of a “runner zombie,” we didn’t want it to just be fast.
We wanted it to have a reason to run.
So we thought of someone who would sprint into danger rather than away from it—
someone who would risk everything to save others.
A firefighter.
He was once a hero who rushed into flames and crumbling buildings to rescue those trapped inside.
Now, he runs just as fast—but toward survivors, to hunt them down.
His heavy fireproof gear still clings to his body,
but the flesh within is already twisted and warped, infected at a terrifying pace.
And yet he still runs.
The silhouette of a rescuer has become a monstrous blur of death.
The instinct that once drove him toward saving lives,
now fuels a relentless sprint toward ending them.
5. A Tragedy Without End
We will continue to show how people from all walks of life were dragged into the same despair.
Each resident of Liberty Grand Center had their own hopes, duties, and relationships—
but when the infection came, those lives were torn apart without warning.
Some were infected while waiting to be rescued.
Some got lost while trying to flee.
Some were turned while protecting someone else.
They are no longer human.
But within their twisted forms are fragments of who they once were.
What we’re creating isn’t just a roster of enemies.
It’s the unspoken history of Liberty Grand City.
And soon, you’ll come face to face with that history yourself.
6. In Closing
We plan to continue expanding the world of The Midnight Walkers
through unique designs and stories that carry the weight of this world’s fall.
Your fears, your sadness, your imagined stories—
they all help us shape this world into something richer and more haunting.
Join us on Discord and share your thoughts.
Tell us what kinds of walkers you’d like to see, what stories you want us to tell.
Let’s build it together!
Join The Midnight Walkers Discord
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2795540/The_Midnight_Walkers/