Kickstarter

Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative project and currently one of the largest websites of its kind in the world. Kickstarter was originally used to fund Akaneiro: Demon Hunters which later led to it producting a fund for OZombie.

Kickstarter Information

OZombie is a narrative-driven action-adventure game set within an alternate version of the Oz universe created by L. Frank Baum. The game's themes and characters are inspired by Baum’s deeply imaginative books (all 14 of them!) then filtered through the story and art treatment you've seen applied to our other games like Alice: Madness Returns and Akaneiro: Demon Hunters.

• OZombie will be first and foremost a single player game. You'll play as Dorothy and be able to persuade many of the captivating fiction’s familiar characters to join your hunting party
• OZombie will also support a multiplayer mode, which you can unlock after finishing the single player experience. In multiplayer you'll be able to select from a range of player characters and enjoy competitive features like Raids and Tournaments.

The game will:

• Feature a variety of perspectives and game modes with an emphasis on role-playing, tactical combat, exploration and story telling.
• Be developed using Unity 3D technology
• Be delivered to most platforms Unity3D can target, but initially launch on Linux, Mac, PC (Windows) and latest-gen tablets.
• Be localized for play world-wide (EFIGS and more).
• Support offline single-player mode, though you'll need to complete a one-time online registration when you first start.
• Contain NO form of DRM.

Fight the Scarecrow's demented minions and restore the ruined world of Oz to its former glory.

While inspired by Baum, our Oz will be a non-conformist version, distinct from both his original, and ALL subsequent adaptations (including American’s Oz project, which Atari killed nearly a decade ago). Honoring Baum’s sublime vision, Oz is a real place, rather than a young girl’s dream. That idea was an MGM invention.

Our Oz is mystical, filled with magic, enchantment, and a vast collection of unique “Ozite” artifacts. It also contains adapted and evolved hardware imported by visitors from other lands, usually represented in a style called "steampunk," which has its own particular look and feel.

The Land of Oz, as in the books, is divided into four diverse countries, with four distinctive populations – Munchkins are in the East, Winkies in the West; Gillikins in the North and Quadlings in the South. At the center of Oz you'll find the legendary Emerald City, the capital and home to the ruler of Oz. Beyond these native territories and the deadly deserts that surround them are many more lands to be explored.

Our Oz, distant and remote, is an island set in the Pacific Ocean. Freed from the constraints and conventions of Western culture, we can explore themes of society and self-reliance in a sort of 'clean room' environment. Dorothy will arrive by boat, a refugee from a world on the brink of ecological and societal collapse.

As a kid I was a huge fan of Robert Heinlein’s stories. There are several "Heinlein themes" that I like and want to explore: Individual liberty and self-reliance, the obligation individuals owe to their societies (and vice versa), the influence of organized religion on society - and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. Hence, "zombies" are destroying Oz in a mindless (heh) fashion, without thinking of the future consequences of their actions. The fact that they are "zombies" or that their leader is obsessed with "brains" is less about the traditional "brain eating" concept of zombies and more about mindless conformist behavior.

The Immortals of Oz will play important roles in the larger narrative theme - Ak, the Master Woodman and Bo, the Master Mariner - represent various aspects of nature and balance in Oz. When Dorothy arrives, Scarecrow has already managed to murder Kern, the Master Husbandman, god of farming.

After converting most of the Land of Oz to his faction, Scarecrow now seeks to destroy the remaining Immortals. He fights to free Oz from "lazy magic" and to begin a new era where "life matters because there is death." His idea of utopia is one where creativity, passion and imagination are evil and should be repressed. Mindless repetitive activities and Luddite prejudices align with his goals. Happiness comes from conformity.

The OZombies sing a siren's song (do a dance, cast a spell, worship an object?) other Ozites cannot resist. By the time Dorothy arrives most Ozites have forgotten why they still bother to resist - defeat seems inevitable, things are too far gone and hey... being an OZombie isn't all that bad.

Scarecrow has infected a larger society in which survival has become the only value; do anything to survive is the mantra that all his followers conform to and perpetuate. So killing him is neither victory nor resolution. Dorothy will have to do much more -- build communities and persuade allies to root out and destroy the damage to multiple cultural and political institutions to restore a humanistic civilization. The return of individual integrity, responsibility, and non-conformity is arduous and dangerous.

This is Dorothy's challenge. This is YOUR challenge.

This is me with RJ Berg on a trip to meet Chairman Mao. RJ is a founding partner in Spicy Horse and has been my creative partner since we were teamed up at Electronic Arts over 14 years ago. Apparently, Mao is dead.

At EA, RJ and I worked together to create the world, characters and narrative for American McGee's Alice. When development on Alice finished EA fired RJ (after 15 years of employment) and allowed the game's developer, Rogue Entertainment, to go out of business. In protest I quit my position at EA and went independent with RJ. Since then we've worked on crafting stories for games like "Grimm," "Alice: Madness Returns," "Akaneiro: Demon Hunters" and other Spicy Horse projects. We collaborate on all things story, but tend to divide our efforts between major story elements and arcs (which I largely drive) and dialog (which RJ largely writes). This collaboration has served us and our products well.

When it comes to themes, a lot of my "narrative voice" comes from my own youth, which might be described as "troubled." Fortunately, RJ understands quite well the parts of my past that drive the dark inspiration for stories like "Alice." It's against this backdrop and via this creative collaboration that I feel mine and RJ's best storytelling is done. Following in what's become a tradition for our games, OZombie will encourage players to explore themes and challenges related to independence, personal identity, coming of age, trust, overcoming adversity, and perseverance.

Spicy Horse Games was founded in 2007 and has developed a diverse collection of games across PS3, 360, PC, Mac, Linux, web and mobile. Almost all of our games have contained a "twisted fairytale" theme because it's a narrative and artistic domain we feel comfortable exploring. With a focus on interesting projects and high quality of life for our employees, we've managed to attract and retain some of the best and brightest artists, animators, programmers and developers from around China and the globe.

Spicy Horse has the longest and most distinguished tenure of all the indie Western development studios in Shanghai. We have established a reputation for delivering unique games, built a positive development culture and proven that indie development in China is not only possible, but highly rewarding for everyone involved.

Mysterious, maybe a little ominous, The Box is rumored to hold secrets related to OZombie and/or Alice: Otherlands. Only American knows for sure. Pandora and Jim's attempts to open The Box resulted in pain and frustration. What they didn't know is that only a magic number can open The Box. That magic number is 6000. When our campaign hits 6000 backers The Box will open and its secrets, whatever they may be, will be revealed. The Box will then be free to choose another owner and to hold a fresh cargo of secrets.

• 1^st Stretch Goal - 6000 Backers, we will open the Box!
• 2^nd Stretch Goal - 11,000 Backers, Chris Vrenna joins to compose the soundtrack!
• 3^rd Stretch Goal - Defined as the campaign progresses.

These items can be purchased in addition to your tier pledge. In order to do so, simply add the amount of the item (plus any shipping) to your pledge amount. When the survey comes around at the end of the Kickstarter, you'll be able to indicate what the additional monies are for.

• Single Player Game (addl.) - $15
• "Which Witch?" Poster: $25 +$5 intl. shipping
• Cloth Map of OZombie Land: $30 + $5 intl. shipping
• OZombie T-shirt: $30 + $5 intl. shipping
• Limited Edition Dorothy Figurine: $45 + $12 intl. shipping
• Limited Edition Tin Woodman Figurine: $45 + $12 intl. shipping
• The Art of OZombie: $65 + $10 intl. shipping
• "Back to OZ" Canvas Poster: $75 + $10 intl. shipping
• "China Town" Canvas Poster: $75 + $10 intl. shipping
• "Rose Kingdom" Camvas Poster: $75 + $10 intl. shipping
• Limited Edition Physical Box with Game: $75 + $10 intl. shipping
• "Dorothy Meets the Tin Woodman" Canvas Poster: $100 + $10 intl. shipping
• Emerald Glass Steampunk Goggles: $150 + $20 intl. shipping

Updates

Updates on Kickstarter are used to update a projects process and display the development which has taken place. In the case of OZombie, it has been used for interviews, concept art and progress on the games development itself.

Update #1: Scarecrow - The Building of a Bad Guy

What's the most important thing to establish when creating a new game? When I first started thinking about reviving the idea of a game based on The Wizard of Oz, it was necessary to create a narrative that would clearly separate it from previous versions (like the MGM and Disney films or "American McGee's Oz," the game project canceled by Atari). Narrative and storytelling is where I almost always begin my game concept exploration and the protagonist and antagonists - along with their motivations - are the first parts of the story I tend to establish. This time around I knew Dorothy - or some close facsimile of her - would be our heroine. So it was while working to identify our bad guy and his drive that I spent most of my time in early story development.

Who could make a good bad guy? The world of Oz is filled with many dangerous and wicked creatures. Some of the witches are labeled outright, "wicked." These characters have been explored thoroughly in books like Wicked, so I felt a fresh, new bad guy was what we really needed. Because I also wanted to use the game to examine ideas related to conformity and religion and society gone bad, a villain with obvious links to these themes was required. The witches were out, the Gnome King's attempt had already been foiled and other contenders just didn't make a lot of sense - a Menacing Munchkin Mastermind? Nah.

Scarecrow stood out like a ... well, like a scarecrow in the middle of a field of potential bad guys. With his legendary lack of brains he seemed the perfect candidate for a dictator bent on enforcing mindless conformity. A series of concept images inspired by this basic character description are displayed here. They appear in order of their creation - with the first being used to refine the direction for the second and so on. Early versions placed emphasis on traditional "zombie" aspects and also leaned heavily towards a steampunk style. These elements were removed and more focus given to a more traditional use of materials - hay, worn fabric and a wooden frame. A bulging brain also emerged, displaying an interesting contradiction to the idea of this Scarecrow villain as "brainless."

In final form, the forth image portrays a Scarecrow who, despite his previous lack of brains and the Wizard's gift of "bran, pins and needles" (the placebo brain given to him in the books), now sports an impressive cerebral bulge. The needles are now used as a form of armor across a frightening frame of hay and cloth.

Looking at this new version of Scarecrow I see a story emerge. Here's a character that was once king of the Emerald City, ousted in a coup, and eventually exiled to a life of solitude, despite being described as "the wisest man in all Oz." There's a lot of frustration, misunderstanding and rage contained within his life's journey. After enduring such insults, who can blame him for wanting to retake his rightful position and establish an Oz where his intelligence and rule will never again be questioned?

Where will we go with Scarecrow in the game? One idea I'd like to explore is that Scarecrow is opening up a "6th sense" for his followers by painting a new organ on their bodies. How this sense will work, where the organ will be attached or how this relates to Scarecrow's desire to convert Oz into a world of mindless automatons is not yet clear. Exploring and solving those questions come during the next phase of design...

From Shanghai with Love,

- American

Update #2: Why Not Alice? What's Her Future?

I won't stop trying to make new Alice games. As you can see from all the early pre-production work we were doing on Otherlands, we're still happy to devote resources and time to developing new ideas around Alice's story. That will continue long into the future.

We're still having meaningful and productive conversations with EA regarding Alice. Truth is, it's an important bit of IP for them and for us (and for you!) which means that negotiating a deal is going to take time. This is normal. Think about it this way - it took over 12 months (yes, 12 months!) to negotiate and close a deal for "Alice: Madness Returns." This time around, we started talking with EA about a new "Alice" during GDC 2013 and those talks are still ongoing. Everyone involved in the talks knew about the upcoming Kickstarter campaign and has worked towards getting something in place that would could link with the campaign. Who knows? We might still get there before this campaign ends, but past experience has taught me not to bet on things like this.

What's certain is that your support of OZombie today will help put Spicy Horse in a better position to tackle another Alice game in the future. Our work on "Grimm" is what convinced EA to fund "Alice: Madness Returns," so it stands to reason that our continued development of technology and content helps prove we're still able to make good on any designs for a new Alice game. So, if not for the sake of OZombie today, then think about supporting Spicy Horse in general for the sake of a new Alice game sometime in the future.

- American

Update #3: Chapters - The Backbone of the Story

Chapters divide the game into chunks of story, each with clear beginning, middle and end. These chunks will frequently span more than one physical location in the world of Oz. We're thinking about presenting Chapters as sections of gameplay you can finish in roughly 1 hour. This way an entire, self-contained section of the narrative can be delivered within that time and space. This sort of format might be described as "episodic," though we've not really gone as far as to suggest that OZombie will be an episodic game (yet).

How many Chapters we're able to deliver initially will depend on the amount of backing we receive. At a minimum we'll deliver enough Chapters to start and finish a proper intro to the characters, locations and struggles contained within the world of Oz. The timing of the release of chapters will also be something dictated by the amount of backing we receive. If we end up going over our target and making more than the "intro" chapters, then those additional chapters would likely be released as updates to the initial release. In that case, we might be looking at something more properly described as episodic. We'll see.

Because the overall size of the adventure will depend on how much backing we receive, it's impossible to state with certainty just how big the final game might be. We can outline some of the major moments you would see, regardless of how big the final product ends up:

• A beginning - Dorothy arrives in Oz by sailboat. She is shipwrecked on the shores of the Rose Kingdom. She's shocked to discover Oz has been transformed by war into a something very unlike the place described by her great-great-grandmother.
• The problem - Dorothy explores the nearby Kingdoms. She discovers each land of Oz being made to fight against every other Kingdom. Enforcement of conformity means inability to accept those who are different from you. In a world like Oz, where differences abound, embracing conformity means rejecting unity. It creates green vs. red, blue vs. yellow, Munchkin vs. Winkie, etc.
• The bad guy - From his ruling center in the Emerald City, Scarecrow watches over the mayhem. While the masses fight each other they are unable to unite in battle against him and his army. They are "free" from magic. Dorothy has a first encounter with Scarecrow or one of his minions. The threat and conflict is cemented.
• The allies - During her journey Dorothy meets and aligns herself with the Tin Woodsman and Lion. They've each amassed armies and are set on fighting for Oz. Dorothy also forms uneasy alliances with the wicked witches, nomes, gargoyles and others. Political intrigue unfolds along the way.
• The people - Ozites are mostly caught in the middle of this war. Like most people, they just want a peaceful life and to distance themselves from conflict and politics. Dorothy must work with her allies to overcome the initial resistance presented by the people of Oz.
• The resolution - Having explored most of Oz, formed allies with as many Countries as possible and prepared herself for the ultimate showdown, Dorothy will engage in a final battle with Scarecrow and his armies. Will her powers and the armies that follow her be strong enough to defeat Scarecrow? Or will her defeat forever doom Oz and the surrounding Kingdoms to a future of tyranny and slavery?

This basic outline would serve to guide our hero through the lands of Oz. As with all good narrative, the drama and engagement will flow from the characters that Dorothy encounters. A few, like Tin Woodsman, will be instant allies. Others will require more finesse on Dorothy's part before they'll join her cause. It's in overcoming these obstacles that our narrative will find its true voice. What sort of leader will Dorothy be? That's the question we'll want to explore.

• Notes on the theme Baum biographer Rebecca Loncraine points out that the story is a critique of power and shows how “easily people who lack belief in themselves can become willing participants in the deceptions practiced by manipulative figures who rule over them.”

What is 'magic' in this instance? The magic is belief in oneself. Without this belief a person has no magic, no ability to believe things that are impossible or to manifest realities that seem only like dreams. How do you strip a person of belief in himself? How do you restore that belief once it's been taken away?

- American

Update #4: The Figurines Are Here!

Sort of. The first pass of the sculpts are here. The preview of the Tin Woodman and Dorothy have been sent to and they are looking incredible. Hand sculpted and every bit as detailed as we could have hoped, these will be beautiful when complete.

Hope you like!

- Ophelea

Update #5: Zombies, What're They Good For?

There's been a fair amount of commentary on the idea of "zombies" in OZombie. The title is pretty in-your-face about the whole "zombie" thing, but as I've detailed on the Kickstarter page, in recent updates and in interviews, these are not your typical, shamble of the mill, brain-eating zombies. In this instance we're applying one of the alternate definitions of the word:

zom•bie [zom-bee] noun

1. the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose.
2. a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; an automaton.
3. a tall drink made typically with several kinds of rum, citrus juice, and often apricot liqueur.
4. Canadian Slang. an army conscript assigned to home defense during World War II.

Yes, that's right. OZombie actually casts Dorothy as an army conscript assigned to Canadian home defense during WWII. You got me. This is the game I've ALWAYS wanted to make. She's drank too many zombies and lost her marbles - resulting in a psychedelic journey to an imagined world of Oz. We were going to call it "OZ-CanadianArmyConscript," but it just didn't have the right ring.

Seriously, the definition we're going for here is #2 - an automaton. Specifically, of the type found throughout our modern society. The person who goes about their daily lives oblivious to the political and financial forces that shape and determine the quality and content of life. "The Matrix" offered beautiful commentary on this concept - of an entire race plugged into a simulation of life, and of a certain number of people who would prefer the illusion to the reality. These are the kinds of zombies we're talking about.

I know the name is causing some confusion, but to be honest, I think that confusion only serves to prove the point. You're reading this because you know the truth, because you know there's another layer to the story. The knee-jerk reactions from readers in the comment sections on Eurogamer or Kotaku shows they haven't bothered to go beyond the headline. They jump to a lazy conclusion and deprive themselves from a deeper, more meaningful understanding. You can't force understanding and I don't think it's my responsibility to force a more "descriptive" title on the game for the sake of those zombies.

Beyond the metaphorical, there's the literal usefulness of the name "OZombie." It creates a clear and defend-able name space for the game, was available as a domain name and it's instantly recognizable and it's easy to remember. Even the current controversy around the name is useful because it's forcing people to talk about the project.

A zombie by any other name would smell as rotten.

But hey, we've said this was going to be an open process that you, the backers, would be involved in. What do you think? Are you not convinced by my logic? Think we should keep the name? Change it? If so, to what?

PS: Below you'll see an early concept image representing one idea of what happens when Scarecrow converts a Munchkin into one of his followers. This is a pretty literal zombie-fication.

-American

Update #8: Steampunk

When it comes to art direction I tend to prefer working on projects that push the boundaries visually while offering a chance to explore multiple styles in a linear presentation (ala "Alice: Madness Returns") or married together in interesting ways (ala "Akaneiro: Demon Hunters"). Expression across broad styles and tones also happens to make our artists here at Spicy Horse quite happy. They joined our studio for the promise of never having to render another fatigue-clad soldier or rocket-wielding mech. To date we've done a pretty good job of making good on that promise - and in return they've given our projects some really incredible art.

The original Oz books detail a Land of Oz that rivals Wonderland in terms of geographic diversity, surreal inhabitants, magical influence and mystery. And the Oz IP brings with it a legacy of imagery known the world-round: The broom riding Wicked Witch of the West, pinafore wearing Dorothy, and quintessential Yellow Brick Road. We all carry expectations for the visual representations of these things - linked to the books, the films or whatever imagery our imaginations provide us. Any attempt to improve or augment these standards is risky at best and sacrilegious if handled incorrectly.

Our approach to art direction with OZombie attempts to take all of this into account. It aims to present the diversity of domains and inhabitants with a range of styles - something like what we did in "Alice: Madness Returns." Places like "China Country" will maintain a unique and fitting style different from other places in Oz and without a hint of "steampunk."

When we do see steampunk it'll be in connection with the more technological races like the Tinkers or in association with Scarecrow and his army. The overall interface and branding for the game will also carry this style for the simple reason that it resonates with many people's expectations of the themes from the original books. Steampunk derives (at least in my mind) from a slice of Americana - of a technical and mechanical combination of gears and gauges that inspires memories of America at its technical peak. Oz shares this lineage so the marriage is right (at least I think so).

Assembled here are a handful of images meant to display the range of exploration we went through while in the early stages of pre-production. Dorothy 1 & 2 & 3 show a distinct difference in stylistic approaches - 1 being closer to a Victorian style (like Alice), 2 being what's more traditionally considered steampunk, while 3 heads in direction closer to sci-fi fantasy.

I'd like to think that in our universe of infinite possibilities there are realities where every one of these permutations are being brought to life - and versions we could barely imagine as well. Dorothy rendered in cheese and sausages! None of them is necessarily more "right" than another, but I think steampunk influenced is the one that's right for us in this reality.

- American