Turn-Based Tactics Dead Season - zombie turn-based tactics

[Infinitron]

Spoiler

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2666550/view/4199117159745409473

Announcing Dead Season, coming in 2024
A Brand New Turn-Based Tactics Game

I’m excited to finally reveal my game, Dead Season, to the world! It’s a brand new turn-based tactics game set in a post-apocalyptic zombie world, slated to release in 2024. I'm Pavel Kharev, the founder behind Snail Bite, an independent game studio based in the Netherlands, and solo developer of Dead Season.

Overrun by the relentless scourge of the undead, the world as we know it has crumbled. Amidst of all that chaos, a group of unlikely survivors band together with one goal: to outlast the Dead Season.

You control a group of 4 survivors in their struggle to survive the zombie apocalypse. Scavenge for items, complete objectives, and strategize to endure against undead hordes through narrow escapes and close calls, but beware: the noise attracts more danger. Can you escape the outbreak's grip?

I’m eager to share more about the game over the coming months. So keep up to date with all the news on our social media channels below, or by clicking the ‘Follow’ button on the Steam page!

 

[9ted6]

Kinda just looks like a jankier Urban Strife IMO. Need to see more of it.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Zombies have never seemed like a great fit for TB tactics to me, though the only one I’ve actually played was Dead State (which did nothing disabuse me of this notion).

 

[Strange Fellow]

why zombies



why always motherfucking zombies

 

[luj1]

looks like a jankier Urban Strife

Yup... Urban Strife clone

 

[luj1]

Zombies have never seemed like a great fit for TB tactics to me

Horde AI that Urban Strife uses seems interesting tho

 

[notpl]

why zombies



why always motherfucking zombies

Is it always zombies? I feel like turn-based tactics games are mostly about soldiers fighting other soldiers, with one or two (rather notable) examples about soldiers fighting aliens. Don't recall a lot of zombie killing in that sphere.

 

[9ted6]

why zombies



why always motherfucking zombies

Zombies aren't the problem, it's that there's hardly any good zombie games especially in this genre. Best I can think of was Dead State and that was abandoned.

 

[PanteraNera]

Yup... Urban Strife clone

I would laugh my ass off, if it gets released before Urban Strife and actually is decent.

 

[luj1]

yeah me too

tbh im becoming disappointed with (lack of) character systems in Urban Strife... fucking show me some builds, enough ballistics

and i dont care when it releases, just be good

 

[Modron]

This is getting a demo in a week: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2666550/view/4150708537249813115

 

[lightbane]

It seems to have "special" zombies such as leaping ones, some that spit stuff, sturdy ones... So it's like LF4D in turn combat mode. That makes it better as zombies quickly get stale, barring stuff like zombie animals.

 

[PanteraNera]

 

[cyborgboy95]

Dead Season is Releasing on October 8th!
The dead are rising… The end is nigh.

Hello survivors!
I’ve got exciting news…
…but first and foremost I want to take this time to
thank you for joining me on the Dead Season journey so far.
Developing a game takes a lot of time, effort and energy. Your involvement and enthusiasm has been incredibly helpful! Whether you just played the demo and wishlisted the game, went out of your way to write down feedback, or joined the Closed Beta test back in July,
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Now for the actual news, the fruits of our labour are about to pay off:
Dead Season, the intense turn-based tactics game set in a grim post-apocalyptic undead world, will
officially launch on Steam on October 8th!
Prepare for unforgiving combat, where survival hinges on your ability to scavenge for resources, level up, and outmaneuver enemies.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Pre-Launch FAQ: Your Burning Questions Before the Outbreak!
Hey Survivors,

Less than a week until Dead Season is finally unleashed on the world, and I figured this might be the perfect time to answer some Frequently Asked Questions!

About the game:

What makes Dead Season, Dead Season?

The goal in Dead Season is to complete story-driven objectives that push you to escape dangerous situations using whatever weapons you can scavenge. As you progress, you’ll level up, unlock new abilities, and gain the skills needed to survive in increasingly unforgiving environments.

How long is the game?

First and foremost, you’re encouraged to do multiple playthroughs in order to play every level Dead Season has to offer. Additionally, game length will, of course, depend on the speed and difficulty you play at. My estimation would be between 6 and 12 hours of gameplay. If you play as a completionist on hard mode it could take you around 20 hours.

Controller & Steam Deck support?
After tinkering with the controls it works (I suggest using the trackpads!). Aside from that it runs out of the box. Currently there is no controller support, but I plan to do that after release.

Is there a campaign/story mode?

Absolutely! Dead Season is a single-player game that’ll have you embark on a journey through 16 missions as you tackle new and unique challenges along the way. Immerse yourself in the narrative through captivating motion comics that propel the story forward.

Are there multiple difficulty settings?

Yes, there are: Easy, Normal, and Hard.

Easy: Enemy threat reduced and 5 saves per mission*.
Normal: Moderate enemy threat and 3 saves per mission.
Hard: Increased enemy threats and only 1 save per mission.

*'Save per mission' creates a save state from which you can continue if you die.

Are there different characters and classes?

There are 4 characters: Holly, Matt, Paige and Travis. For each there are a variety of perks to choose from including unique ones.

Do permadeath & narrative consequences exist?

It’s vital to finish each level with the 4 protagonists alive. Though I understand that this may feel unfair at times – especially when you were so close to finishing the level – this is purposely done to fit the narrative and create a unique challenge. This also makes it differ from a lot of other games in the genre where you can rush missions with a single character.

Can you recruit and/or upgrade units?

While you can’t recruit new units, upgrading your characters is a key element of Dead Season. Using the aforementioned talent trees, you can determine the playstyle and purpose of each character. You can respec once per game using the ‘Phoenix’ skill, so if you want this, it will be a tactical decision by you!

Multiple endings?

While there is only one ending, there are multiple crossroads at which you unlock certain levels, encouraging you to replay the game to get the full experience.

Is there a randomised element to enemy placement or encounters?

In Dead Season every run feels different. Each search can lead to a different item, and every encounter is affected by your strategy. Enemy movement is based on what you do. This means no two encounters are the same, enemy location keeps changing, the percentage hit chance and jamming of the gun will force you to adapt, and every play-through feels fresh.

Release details:

When will it be released?

The game is releasing on 8th of October 2024! So: this Tuesday if you’re reading before Tuesday.

What is the price?

The game is retailing at 19.99 USD / 19.75 GBP / 19.50 EUR. With 10-20 hours of gameplay, I hope players will find it offers good value for the experience.

What platforms is the game releasing on?

The game is releasing on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store!

Conclusion:
Before I wrap up and head towards launch, I want to say: Thank you! All of you. Your incredible support and feedback during everything leading up to the Dead Season launch mean the world to me. Your enthusiasm and input helped shape the game into an even better experience. I’m thrilled to see how you’ll tackle the challenges and I look forward to hearing more about your strategies and survival stories. Keep the feedback coming, and thank you for being a part of the Dead Season community!

 

[PanteraNera]

And it is released:

 

[PanteraNera]

https://turnbasedlovers.com/review/...son Review: XCOM Meets Left 4 Dead? It always

It always seems like to me that there is a certain convention when it comes to zombie games. If in doubt, turn to a random page in the dictionary and name your game “Dead <Word>”. We’ve seen Dead Island, Dead Rising, Dead Space and even Dead Cells. That’s before we even try and work out how Valve’s new game Deadlock fits in.

Today, though, we’re going to be taking a look at the new turn-based tactical RPG Dead Season, the debut game from solo developer studio Snail Bite. Published by Iceberg Interactive, it will be available on Steam on October 8th.

Table of contents:

• The Beginning
• The Combat
• The Journey
• Final Thoughts

The Beginning​

Stop me if you have heard this one before. Four characters from a variety of backgrounds meet in a zombie apocalypse and have to hastily build trust and cooperate in order to try and make it out alive. At this point it’s very much a cliché of the genre and is going to throw most players back to fond memories of Left 4 Dead, one of the clear inspirations for this title.

Upon starting the game I was immediately introduced to Francis Travis, the biker of the group. On that note, if I ever hear of a zombie outbreak on the news I am heading right to the local bike gang as they seem to have an especially high survival rate in post apocalyptic scenarios.

A quick tutorial then introduces us to some key mechanics of the game. You are going to be controlling your group of 4 survivors in XCOM style tactical engagements, making your way across the city in search of help. In a slight departure from many recent zombie games, Dead Season makes an effort to streamline the mechanics that have become so prevalent in the genre to focus on trying to deliver meaningful missions.

Throughout your journey, you will not need to worry about crafting (there are a couple of attachments for weapons, but it’s minor), food, or ammunition. You still do have to scavenge, as your gear can break between missions and you will constantly be on the lookout for new weapons to keep the group armed. Just be aware this is more of an RPG-lite experience than a survival one and is certainly not trying to be a turn-based competitor of Project Zomboid or Terminus: Zombie Survivors.

As for any sort of goal, it’s mostly to survive and seek safety. Between missions the narrative will play out through black and white motion comics which are a nice stylistic touch. I would have loved to see these get the full voice acting treatment as I never really felt truly connected to my little group. The game’s requirement that every mission must be finished with all characters alive would certainly be much easier to get on board with if I had a genuine investment in the survivors.

The Combat​

The story is the standard zombie apocalypse affair and mainly serves to shepherd us from one map to another where we will be cracking some skulls, so let’s dive into the combat. The game works on a simple 4AP system. Each character has four action points a turn that can be spent on either moving, shooting or melee.

There are some traits or items that can temporarily increase this number, and some special actions like barricading will take up the majority of your turn, but it’s an easy-to-understand system that generally works well, although some players are certainly going to feel it’s rather sluggish.

While looking into this game, I did note that one of the complaints many people had prior were relating to low hit chances, and I am pleased to say these have been raised for the full release. It’s good to see the feedback taken on board because I certainly would have struggled more with this title if I was missing more often than not. The sound design also deserves a nod as every weapon swing that connects will be greeted with a satisfying meaty thud, usually alongside an exploded head.

To truly add on to that feeling of guiding your ragtag band through a zombie infested environment, the vast majority of missions feature infinite spawns. I personally quite like this as a mechanic with the tone the game is going for. Many zombie games (especially board games) play with the idea of managing your time between handling objectives and keeping the horde at bay. It forces the player into tight decision making rather than clearing maps room to room like a squad of marines. Not exactly how I imagine a group of civilians acting.

The advertised noise system also plays a part here. Making gradual noise over different turns will bring additional zombies to the field and making too much noise in one turn will spur all enemies into an agitated rage giving them additional movement.

While I commend Dead Season for thinking about more novel ways to encourage strategic weapon use, I did find the secondary noise bar that builds up over time to be completely ignorable. Getting to use firearms more freely is easily worth an extra zed or two… until the gun jams anyway.

There are some features that are going to be a little more divisive. While you can, of course, see your own movement ranges, you are not given any indication of how enemies will act or how far they can move. This problem is especially noticeable when zombie variants show up or any zombies are enraged.

You can quickly learn that a regular zombie will move two tiles and plan your distance accordingly, but what about this slightly gassy-looking undead in a hazmat suit? Will he move differently? Attack differently? Have special effects on death? The only way to find out is by trial and error, which is something you really don’t want to be doing when one team member’s death is going to cause an immediate reload.

Finally I did feel there was a slight lack of variety here as far as tactical options go. Weapons have different ranges and hit chances but all feel rather samey (melee weapons are particularly guilty of this). There is only a limited selection of melee and ranged options across the game and almost all only deal one damage at best. There are some attempts to mix this up with the assault rifle firing three shots or the ability to dual wield pistols but your equipment choices will be generally lacking.

The Journey​

Dead Season will take you across sixteen linear missions as you traverse the city, totalling around 10 hours of gameplay. At four different points, you will be presented with a crossroad and an option of two missions. Each mission will see you doing more or less the same thing. Get to point X, or hold point Y, often a combination of the two.

The missions were fun enough, but I never felt there were enough different ways to approach a mission to justify playing this game back through a second time to view the four missions I missed. A couple of stealth missions are also thrown in for a bit of variation; however, these take place in a very limited environment where you are mostly forced down one route. I do appreciate the attempt to add some variety and break up the more combat-heavy sections, but I felt the stealth sections were more of a weak point that really needed a little more fleshing out.

After each mission, you will be awarded with a set amount of experience and the ability to upgrade your squad. There doesn’t seem to be any way to influence the amount of XP you are given for a completed mission. I understand in earlier versions of the game you were penalised if you didn’t get the whole squad out rather than outright failing but with the current iteration it feels rather unnecessary. You can then spend that XP to unlock perks for your characters and work your way through a skill tree.

In what feels like another missed opportunity, the skill tree is almost identical for every character, with only 2 of the 15 total perks being unique to each survivor. I constantly got the feeling Dead Season was trying to be 2 conflicting genres at once, on one hand it leans towards a more hardcore tactical experience with the unrelenting tone of the game and numerous “gotcha” moments. On the other hand, it’s a relatively accessible strategy-lite RPG with simplified character/combat mechanics and linear progression. Personally, I would have preferred to see it lean further in one direction.

Final Thoughts​

For all my gripes, I would struggle to describe Dead Season as a bad game. It looks good, it runs well and there is a decent tactical slant to the combat but, much like the last can of food in a postapocalyptic supermarket, this experience is only going to be treasured by those truly hungry. If you really crave some turn-based zombie action or want a more linear light strategy experience, there is some fun to have here. For those on the fence, it’s a far harder sell.

I hope the developer continues to add to this game from a gameplay perspective because what it does effectively is give me the same feeling I would get from a game of Zombicide: always teetering on the brink of being overwhelmed. It just feels like it’s missing a real hook to make players love it.

 

[Serus]

Someone took the bullet for the team?

 

[Nortar]

Someone took the bullet for the team?

There's free demo on Steam if you are interested.

The game is made by a single guy and it feels.
It looks ok, but gameplay is pretty shallow.

A group of 4 characters navigates through a zombie infested city.
The city is a number of stand alone maps.

Missions can be pretty complex with multiple objectives and scripted events - that's a good thing.
Between the missions the characters recover all their health.
Weapons is the only thing they carry over, all other items are lost.
There's no attrition or resource managing. No ammo.

No base buidling and crafting is limited to combining a pair of items.
Like you can attach a can to a gun to get a silencer that would last for 3 shots. That's it.

Sound system is your only incentive to use melee weapons instead of firearms with unlimited ammo.

The characters have 4 AP.
Any action - from moving a square or shooting a gun to barricading doors and rummaging through car trunks - cost 1 AP.

Progression system is not very deep either.
There are only 2 unique skills per character, everything else is the same for all.

It's well made for a 1 guy production, but unless you're starving for zombies there are better games to play.

 

[Serus]

Thanks for the info. Don't underestimate "1 guy productions". Knights of the Chalice 1/2, Grimoire, Tome4 (to a point) not to mention Dwarf Fortress were all made by one autist/neanderthal guy each.