The idea of having to survive in a post-apocalyptic zombified nightmare should appall just about everyone, but these days it seems quite fashionable to speculate out loud what would happen if one were indeed placed in such a situation. This has allowed for an explosion of zombie survival MMOs like Day Z and the shockingly bad and similarly titled The War Z (Currently re-titled as Infestation: Survivor Stories), and now Swedish developer Rigid Soft are joining the flesh-eating fray with their upcoming Lifeless.
The premise for Lifeless should come as no surprise to anyone. A global pandemic has rendered much of the world population into decaying but functioning zombified atrocities, and a select few must find ways to survive.
Rigid Soft have promised to deliver an “innovative approach to the zombie MMO with a myriad of unique features intorduced to the genre for the first time.” These include the ability to craft objects such as improvised weapons, fortifications and so on out of wood, stone and metal, the ability to fortify any building in the world with traps and reinforcements, and the ability to freely explore the world, making allies or enemies out of fellow players or three factions roaming the land for dominance. The innovative nature of these features is certainly questionable, considering that other zombie MMOs, especially Sony’s upcoming H1Z1, feature all of them as well.
Lifeless also allows for leveling up of one’s character through skill points, which can be spent on a number of currently unknown traits.
Being an MMO, Lifeless does not have a monthly subscription fee; instead, Rigid Soft have chosen to sustain their servers and ongoing development through microtransactions, allowing players to use real world money to purchase basic materials and weapon skins. The developers have strongly emphasized that game-changing elements, such as guns, cannot be purchased in this manner, as they don’t want Lifeless to adopt a pay-to-win model.
The Early Access Alpha can now be purchased from their website, with two versions available: a $25 basic version and a $40 Deluxe Edition which contains in-game currency, some exclusive cosmetic items, and early access to new maps.