Pixel Productions Inc., a design company for Eagle/Gryphon Games, is launching their own Zombie Themed board game on Kickstarter April 21, 2015. Chris London of Zombie Mutation™ says, “It combines action, killer graphics, a little dash of evil and of course lots of zombies for a game that is wickedly fun.”
It’s safe to say the team at Pixel Productions Inc is a group of true board game geeks representing the Pacific Northwest. The team is composed of Paul Quinn, Chris London, Shannon Crutchfield, Kevin Williams and Dillon Quinn who are all Starbucks drinking, microbrew loving, Walking Dead watching Oregonians.
When asked what inspired them to create this game, Head Geek In Charge, Paul Quinn simply stated, “our love of zombie fiction and our desire to make all work fun.”
Most would think working on board games for a living is probably enough fun for a career choice and Paul did confirm that game design is certainly enjoyable, “just not as enjoyable as designing games for ones’ self.”
The game takes about 2-5 minutes to set up and though it is somewhat complex with many components it is pretty easy to learn and play. In Zombie Mutation™ the goal of the game is to work your way through a multi-level game board playing as one of six characters collecting supplies, survivors and battling hordes of zombies in an attempt to make it to the rescue heli-pad alive.
As the game rules state, Zombie Mutation™ allows for semi-cooperative or completely non-cooperative game play. Read into that what you will. Players can work as teams starting on top of one of three, dimensional buildings included in the game box racing down to the main game board and then up to the roof of the hospital. Another option is to play free-for-all in which case zombies are often the least of the players’ problems.
In Zombie M
utation™, dying is a very real possibility, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the game ends. In this game Heroes can become Zombie Heroes who’s goal becomes seeking out and killing the living.
In a short synopsis the game probably sounds similar to many other zombie games.
When asked what makes Zombie Mutation™ different Kevin replied, “you’re going to find certain similarities between all things zombie. To clarify, there are certain rules that as zombie fans we all accept such as; zombies eat brains. You will also find certain similarities between different games such as; the rolling of dice, drawing of cards, etc. What you will find in Zombie Mutation™ is how wickedly human nature will impact your game play.” Shannon jumped in to add, “one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is totally screwing over your friends.”
Has the zombie theme peaked? Is the market too saturated?
This team thinks not. “There are certain genres that stand the test of time, vampires and zombies have been fan favorites for decades. People want zombies and as long as we can put a unique and creative twist on it – it should be successful,” states Quinn.
Play testing indicates they’re right. During game development Pixel has put the game through extensive play testing to ensure that the finished product exceeds quality standards and more importantly that it’s actually fun to play.
Recently the team demoed Zombie Mutation™ at an International Table Top Day event held in Portland, Oregon where the game was very well received. Actual player comments submitted to Pixel included:
“Great zombie game! Like the color coded zombies.”
“This is a fun game. I like that you can play as a team or solo.”
“Plays like a video game.”
“Love the flavor… I’ll be watching for this game on Kickstarter.”
This isn’t Pixel’s first rodeo having worked on literally hundreds of board games, but it is their first venture into bringing a game to market entirely on their own. The game has a lot of components, includes three dimensional buildings, over 100 molded zombie figures, six molded hero figures and comes with a substantial set up fee for manufacturing which is why they are seeking funding on Kickstarter.
Pixel is adamant about putting money back into the game to improve the end product. They will be having plenty of stretch goals to improve the detail in molded figures, add weapons, and personalize the game.
They are also offering the opportunity for a chance to get in the game. One lucky winner will have their likeness added the actual production game.
You can read all about the game at https://www.zombiemutation.com
Make sure to check out their Kickstarter campaign on April 21, 2015 to see what else they have to offer.
