The actual gameplay video of the open-world survival simulator “God Save Birmingham” has been released, allowing players to get a first look at the game mechanics.
Developed by OceanDrive Studio, a subsidiary of Kakao Games, “God Save Birmingham” is set in a 14th-century medieval English village where a zombie apocalypse has taken place.
Players become the only survivor in the village and they must fight zombies to stay alive. The game is classified as an open-world survival simulator, with its focus more on survival than on simply killing zombies.
The development team have aimed to recreate everyday items and food from the time period, such as bread, cheese, eggs, turnips, wine, and chicken, which players can use to aid their survival.
The game utilizes Unreal Engine 5 to implement realistic graphics and physics, which enhances the gaming experience. This is showcased in the gameplay video.
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In the video, players can be seen entering ruined houses in the village to gather food. The interface is simple, with only gauges indicating hunger, thirst, confusion, exhaustion, injury, and intoxication visible in the top left corner. Nothing else is displayed by default.
The character’s movement is also influenced by these elements. For example, if the character has a leg injury, they will limp; while if they are hungry or exhausted, their movements become slower and more awkward. Once such a condition is resolved, the gauge disappears.
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If there is an action that needs to be taken, the central icon changes, and the player can interact with objects. Pressing the menu key brings up various types of information. The menu allows players to see nearby objects and their inventory, which is organized by weight. Each item can be used in different ways.
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For instance, food can be eaten, dropped, or thrown, while a pot can be used to add ingredients, eat, empty, or hold. Chairs can be sat on or disassembled in order to obtain wood.
Utilizing nearby objects is one of the key aspects of the game’s fun. Players can move furniture if they want to block doors to prevent zombies from entering, climb chairs to reach higher places, or move ladders to cross over to another building. Players can even use collected materials (wood and nails) in order to block windows. The developers have made nearly every object in the game usable in this way.
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Although the game is usually played from a third-person perspective, it switches to first-person when interacting with objects.
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The game’s standout feature is its realistic physics engine. For example, the zombies can trip over objects on the floor, struggle to get up when knocked over, and a scene even shows a zombie knocking over a ladder placed on the second floor, causing it to fall. The developers have also planned to make a player’s speed and jump height depend on the weight of the items being carried, while weather and the environment will have an impact as well.
The zombies in this game do not appear to identify the protagonist by sight. For example, they do not attack when the protagonist is directly in front of them. Also, it seems that the zombies’ weak points are their heads. The protagonist can perform attacks on a zombie’s head, finish them off by cutting their neck, or approach them from behind, choke them, and then strike their head to finish them off.
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“God Save Birmingham” will be participating in the North American game show PAX East 2025, held at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center starting on May 8th. The developers will present an exclusive demo at the event, showcasing the improved gameplay and providing an opportunity for the development team and visitors to communicate directly.
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