Kickstarter Spotlight: OZombie

Considering the way zombies are invading every part of American pop culture, it should come as no surprise that someone figured out a way to work them into a game set in the land of Oz. But when that someone is American McGee, the result isn’t going to be a simple mash-up. McGee and his company Spicy Horse Games have taken to Kickstarter to line up funding for “OZombie,” an action-adventure game that takes the beloved property and runs wild with it.

Using the L. Frank Baum novels as a starting point, “OZombie” reimagines Oz as an island in the Pacific. Though divided into four main countries that surround the Emerald City, the entire Land of Oz is starting to fall under the control of Dorothy’s old friend gone bad, the Scarecrow. No longer satisfied with merely having a brain, the Scarecrow has begun to transform the citizens into mindless OZombies who seek to promote conformity and stamp out creativity and imagination.

Players take control of the only person who can set things right, a new Dorothy who is the great-great-granddaughter of the original. She’ll be able to find some familiar allies like the Lion and Tin Woodsman, but others will be brand new – like a hulking mechanical T.O.T.O. McGee claims Dorothy will not only have to battle enemies with the help of her companions, but will need to “root out and destroy the damage to multiple cultural and political institutions to restore a humanistic civilization.”

It’s ambitious stuff, and it will come with visuals that definitely appear to be worthy of such lofty ambitions. Fans of previous McGee games like “American McGee’s Alice” and “Akaneiro: Demon Hunters” know that dark and twisted is a given, but the character designs and concept art also display a large steampunk influence. Baum probably never envisioned a take like this.

“OZombie” is being designed as a single-player game, but Spicy Horse is working on a multiplayer mode that unlocks upon completion of the main storyline. It’s built on Unity 3D, with a focus on launching on PC and tablets. The game will require a one-time registration but will function without an active internet connection and contain no DRM.

Stretch goals for the Kickstarter campaign include the opening of a mysterious box and the hiring of Grammy-winning musician and producer Chris Vrenna (who has worked with McGee in the past) to compose the soundtrack. An impressive array of real and virtual goodies has been created to reward backers, and McGee is taking the time to personally answer questions on the game’s comment board.

With backers already signing up by the hundreds in the game’s first day on Kickstarter, “OZombie” shouldn’t have much trouble getting funded. Check it out here and see if it convinces you to help Dorothy do something a little more meaningful in Oz than simply find a way home.