Zombies & Battery playtest

About Zombies & Battery

As long as your heart beats, they can hear you.

The world has fallen, and the dead hunt the living by the sound of their heartbeats. All that's left is a government frequency broadcasting masking static, and a battery radio to pick it up. Trust a flyer promising a safe zone, climb into the camper van with your friends, and hit the road. As long as the battery holds, they can't hear you.

Your Battery Is Your Life

• While the radio static is on, your heartbeat stays hidden. When the battery dies, every beat rings out to the zombies around you.
• The battery drains only while zombies are nearby. Stick together and share the static's range to cut the drain.
• Recharge it inside the camper van, or spend it shocking vending machines into coughing up loot. Knowing when to save it and when to spend it decides who survives.

Survive by Sound

• Walking, sprinting, swinging and shooting all make noise. Crouch-walk, hide under the sound of rain, and sprint when thunder strikes.
• Toss an Empty Can to lure zombies away, or wind up the Boom-Boom MK.2, a noisy toy dog that marches into the horde and explodes.
• A silent Longbow, or a Revolver that hits hard and wakes the whole block? Every weapon is a trade with noise.
• Sneak up from behind for a Back Attack.

Zombies That Hear and See Differently

• Blind zombies follow sound alone. Sleepers wake to noise and never go back to sleep.
• Stalkers chase you until they drop from exhaustion. Spitters lob arcs of acid at wherever they heard a sound.
• Exploders swell up when hit and burst. Tentacle zombies stay rooted and drag survivors in from a distance.
• At the end of each region, a towering elite or a charging boss that smashes through barricades guards the gate keycard.

A Camper Van Road Trip

• Vote together on the world map: raid the next town, look for a gas station, or keep driving.
• The road runs on fuel, and you run on food. Hunger cuts your stamina, and an empty tank leaves you stranded.
• Story events wait on the road. Save a survivor fleeing a horde? Talk, fight or pay your way past a bridge checkpoint? Trade with a shady vendor, or rob him? Every choice has odds and a price.
• The camper van is your shelter between runs. Stash supplies, recharge the battery, and watch your friends through the laptop.

A New Town Every Time

• Every region is procedurally generated, with hospitals, marts, police stations, gas stations and incinerators in new layouts.
• To leave, unlock the gate from the Gate Control Room. Sometimes that takes a Control Room Keycard pried from an elite or a boss.
• Escort survivors who call for help to the exit and they'll reward you. Safes and vending machines hide the best gear.
• Day turns to night, and some days it rains.

Up to 4 Players

• Play solo or with up to three friends. Join through Steam invites or an invite code.
• Revive downed friends with First Aid. Even with death drawing near, you might have one last sprint in you.
• Stay inside one battery's static to keep each other's heartbeats hidden, and haul barricades to block the way.
• If everyone goes down, the run is over. Progress saves automatically on the world map, so the same crew can pick up where they left off.

If You Can Hold It, You Can Fight With It

• Axe, Shovel, a decorative Flamingo, Longbow, Revolver, Bear Trap. Anything in your hands can be swung or thrown.
• Gear up with a Football Helmet, Book Armor strapped together with belts, a Police Ballistic Vest or the Berserker set. Boost skyward with a Jetpack, or fire a Grappling Gun to string a rope to high ground.
• Grow stronger with rewards from the survivors you save: the Taekwondo Manual, the Parkour Manual, the Marathon Manual, and the Narotto Comic Book that teaches ninja tricks.
• Hide in a Disguise Box, and keep running on an Adrenaline Injection.

A Hand-Painted World

• Brushstrokes and hand-drawn outlines give the world a painted look. Customize your survivor's skin, voice, colors and accessories.
• The bandage looks like toilet paper? Trust the placebo effect. There's still something to laugh about at the end of the world.

From the game's Steam page.