Z-Run Coming to PS Vita This May

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Z-Run Coming to PS Vita This May

Hello there! This is Alexey Menshikov from Beatshapers, and we’re proudly announcing Z-Run for PS Vita, coming to PlayStation Store this May. We moved back the launch date since last summer’s announcement in order to make our game bigger and better. Our previous games on PS Vita include StarDrone Extreme, BreakQuest, Furmins, and dozens of PSP minis — along with the recently announced PS4 title, Ready to Run.

Today, we’re presenting a gameplay tutorial trailer with the awesome song “You Better Run,” made especially for the game by The Spin Wires band.

The world has been overrun by flesh-hungry zombies, and you’re stranded in the middle of a post-apocalyptic city with no way out. Are you going to just stand there and get eaten, and turn into a brainless creature, too? Not likely.

In Z-Run, you never stand still. Anyone who does winds up dead. Stay on your toes if you want to stay alive. The city is a mess after the zombie apocalypse struck, so you need to be agile as well as fast while you attempt to sprint through the crowds of undead assailants. Falling over an obstacle or running head-long into abandoned cars is a sure way to get caught by the legions of zombies.

Z-Run on PS VitaZ-Run on PS Vita

But you’re not expected to go in empty handed. An arsenal of weapons is available for collecting, including guns, bats, planks, wrenches, and even an electric guitar that will help you fend off the flesh eaters and keep on running.

Be careful how much you exert yourself, though. This is a big city, and it’s packed with hungry zombies. Every move you make, punch you throw, or guitar you swing will cost you energy. Find yourself exhausted too quickly, and you’ll be an easy meal for an army of undead attackers.

There are multiple routes you can take as you sprint through the city, and exploration is an essential part of survival during the undead armageddon. Campaign mode tasks you with working your way through the debris-strewn streets in an effort to find your way out with at least a few limbs still intact. There’s also a survival mode included, which keeps on going until the living dead finally get to feast. The more you unlock in the story, the more you get to test your skills in survival mode.

As your character increases in level, you can begin to add to your stamina, allowing you to attack and dodge more, as well as recover more quickly. You can also begin to upgrade your weapons, ammunition, and inventory to help you keep on running for longer.

Z-Run is coming in early May of this year to PS Vita.

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66 Comments

5 Author Replies

  • Looks fun, but I’m getting to the point that I really wish indies would take the one team member who recommends Zombies out back; and beat him senseless till the word Zombie causes him/her great pain to even use the word.

    Indies are the hope of originality, so why keep falling back on such an over used and boring concept.

  • Glad to see it coming! Are there going to be any extra character costumes/skins available or maybe potentially have that feature later if not upon release?

  • It’s so sad, the Vita has so much more potential. But Sony wonders why it sells terribly, I wonder.

  • I like the look, but watching the gameplay gave me this ugly “Temple Run with Zombies” feeling, like it belongs on a phone and not on my Vita.

  • When is the Vita Slim coming? I’ve been waiting so patiently.

  • Here’s some though Love:

    I get the idea and the concept of the game sounds great, but seeing the game running, looks awful, not even close on how dynamic should it be.

    Why do you have roll when you can simply slide by the car? Make the character make combos with the stick? I feel it too stiffy, please work little bit more to bring it to the VITA standards.

    Other than that like I was mentioning the concept sounds great.

  • Ughh…..no character development, running on a fixed track, awkward looking controls….ughh….just ughh

  • I don’t post to criticize games on Vita because my expectation for it are obviously far lower than what I like to see on my PS4. However, Z-Run is highly disappointing as a Vita title. This belongs on smartphones. It would be a nice change of pace from Subway Surfers and Temple Run, but it doesn’t have the lasting appeal that it should have if it’s going to be on Vita. Additionally the price should be what the norm is for similar game types on smartphones – $1-$2, but I expect Z-Run will be priced much higher, at $5-$10.

    Now, I’m not one of those misdirected people who somehow thinks that fewer indie games means there will be more AAA games. I know that isn’t the case. And, I like indie games. It’s just… this game makes more sense on my S4 than my Vita or console. I’m not necessarily criticizing the game itself or saying it shouldn’t be made and sold.

  • Alexey Menshikov

    Thanks for the comments guys.
    Well this is not mobile title: 2 playable characters, 30+ levels, separate survial mode, 12 weapons and attacks. We have up to 50 zombies on some scenes – only latest mobile can do it.
    We actually have character development with points – this is just first tutorials levels. Dynamics is just right – trust me you die VERY fast even on this speed.
    And we are planning to add more content and improve the gameplay with more characters and zombies after release.
    Actually next blog post intended to be about what inside the game:)

    Have a great week end.

  • I’m sorry, but this looks terrible. The animation looks choppier than some games I have on my old three year old Android. It’s a neat idea, but the execution needs a lot more polish. Maybe it’s too early to judge, but depth of gameplay doesn’t look too great either.

  • sorry but what the others have said is what I’ve been saying for a year and a half now. I bought a portable PS3, not a stupid Iphone or a tablet. And this LOOKS like it belongs on a tablet for $5 or $2…. I’m getting sick of this, following PS on twitter, EVERY WEEK it’s a new INDIE junk. Indies are fine I guess if you’re a kid or dont’ take much to keep you entertained……

    I got my Ass. Creed white Vita bundle a yewar and a half ago and since then I’ve got a total of SIX actual Vita games. Six….. actual games on cards. Now I’m not into every kind of game or I’d have more, for instance I dont’ have any sports. But still the choices are STILL kind of lacking. I’ve only got another 5 or 6 games on my wish list. and yes I do have some PSP games downloaded and mobiles like chess and Super Stardust Delta, but the choices are still kind of lacking.

    Get with it sony. You made a portable PS3, not an ACCESSORY for the PS4……

  • Fun on the go i like it

  • oversevethousand

    As unprofessional as this trailer seems, I actually really appreciate the authenticity of seeing someone playing the game rather than being shown bits of cutscenes and artwork that say nothing about gameplay, so props for that.

    Moving on, the first thing I notice is the sound. Does the game actually have any and it’s so bland you don’t want us to hear it, or are we going to be hearing that song constantly? Neither sounds too appealing, but I think I prefer the former.

    Also, a 3D endless runner with more free movement isn’t something you see too much of, so I’ll be watching this, but do you stay at that speed forever? I don’t think I could stick with this if you’re stuck in slow motion forever.

    • Alexey Menshikov

      You can sprint faster but die even faster
      Music is made for trailer surely
      Its not an endless runner, its action game we have side turns and 30+ levels as I said with the progression

  • The first few seconds of this video made me think of Pepsi Man a Japanese Playstation 1 Promo video game

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdqW9PAv5_M

    If Pepsi man had a sequel I guess it would look like this… lol…

    Looking forward to the game. I thought pepsiman was entertaining enough…

    Just please make it a bit more faster, Your game looks as if the character is not running but more like fast walking in regards to the speed that he is moving in so it makes it feel slow….

    • Alexey Menshikov

      It is fast walking and you can sprint but trust me – even with that speed you die pretty fast.

  • REALLY SONY? Temple Run 2 and Subway Surfers look waaaay better than this, not to mention its free. This is an insult to the Vita’s capabilities.

  • “And we are planning to add more content and improve the gameplay with more characters and zombies after release.”

    So basically instead of fixing the game or improving it before it’s released you’re going to do a bunch of unnecessary additional micro transaction DLC. You should concentrate on fixing the game before it’s published. 2 initial generic playable characters is not acceptable. Minimum should be 4. If you insist on doing a fixed track fixed runner then a straight line is just plain boring. Add the ability to shift onto side streets. You could turn down an alley to an easy run or to an unbeatable horde. At least it would give the player some kind of choice in the game

    And I agree with what was said earlier – enough with the zombie games

  • And for the love of god character development does not mean stat boosting. It means give people a reason to give a damn about whether the on screen character lives or dies. Gender alone does not distinguish playable characters. We just saw this with Mercenary Kings. It’s lazy and unacceptable

  • Wow there is a lot of whiny babies in the comments today, is school off? This game looks like it could be fun on my commute to work, hope there is a demo to give it a try!

  • @Alexey, was Z Run inspired by Temple Run? Limiting the amount of slides sounds like a smart way to add a challenge. Love that indiies are working on the Vita platform

    • Alexey Menshikov

      Inspired by pepsi man actually, we have some side turns.
      The game is about killing zombies, not runnin on streets. You have to kill or you die faster, if you have to turn also – that would be gameplay disaster, we tried already

  • Normally, I’d try to stray away from negative comments, especially on a title I have yet to play, but this looks bad — horrifically bad. I don’t even want this for free. I hope this is an early build or something.

  • Horrible.

  • I’ve finished watching half of the video above and read the comments. This is not a game I’d buy for my Vita. It is a Runner which Should be honestly on Smartphones and agreeing with other posts I wouldn’t wait for Updates for a more complete game. If waiting before everything is finally released to “complete” the game and with more of a polished game than what I saw in the video then I’d say it’d be worth buying cheap. I do not need a runner with Zombies on my Vita.

  • Wow Ive been gaming since Atari 2600 and before, 35ish years and I have say that this is pretty bad. Ive seen better on PS1 and PS2. Its all on one street?
    If a team of more than 2-3 people made this… Its cringeworthy

  • This game could be fun,has a nice concept but it looks more like a potential wasted…these poor animations are a joke and the gameplay looks frustrating which is a really bad thing….I hope you guys are releasing this game as a free to play or that this is a pré-alpha gameplay of months ago.

  • @ 14 Jyuri000 – Pepsi Man is better in every aspect except the graphics,damn thank you for bringing such memories game was fun…for real if Z-Run was the sequel to Pepsi Man it would be a shame to its memory.

  • Guys, it’s Ukraine… studio is just about making money…
    Agree, looks like it was inspired by temple run, yuck.

  • @15 I’m with you dude you right,an insult to us!

  • I’m tired of complaining about Vita repertory being mostly indies instead of AAA as PSP used to be… so, although I don’t like it, I got used to the idea.

    But that doesn’t mean that this lack of respect of a game gets to be even put on sale. It’s a Temple Run-Into The Dead fusion … which I already have in my cellphone… for free… with better graphics and physics.

  • hmmmm from the looks of all this, it looks like more and more people are finally sick of crappy indies and want real games on their vita (which is a REAL console, not a fracking tablet).

  • SonicTheNanobot2

    @15 I am so tired of people on every frigging vita article blaming Sony for every single game on the vita that they don’t like. If the game is not made by Sony or the creation of the game is not directly influenced by some policy or something made by Sony, then the quality and type of the game cannot be blamed on Sony!

    I’m so irritated by this that I feel the need to make an in depth analysis of WHY this kind of comment does not deserve to exist (which I’ll make in my next few comments). Skip to conclusion if you care some, but not enough.

  • SonicTheNanobot2

    LONG EXPLANATION:

    People who blame Sony for a game existing on vita, in cases like this where it is CLEARLY not Sony’s fault this game exists are arguing in the most shallow and unthoughtful manner possible. Step back and think about it. The vita is a platform that is fairly open to publishing. Not the most open, but open enough to make people feel free to try (unlike the PS3 when Dev kits cost 20k). The only way that Sony could have any real say in this game is by either supporting or opposing it more than normal. The former would mean that they really see something special in the game, and care more about it than other projects. Here, that is clearly not the case, unless I am missing something. (In which case, the commenter should POINT OUT the connection, and WHY it is an issue to be blamed on Sony)

  • SonicTheNanobot2

    For the second case, which is supposedly the “desired” case of the people who want this to happen, I cannot begin to fathom the “qualification” that would merit this game to be blocked from production. The game isn’t hideously broken, like “gray’s incident,” and the only real opposition to it is because it seems bland and like a phone game. Both of which are completely and totally SUBJECTIVE categories. As stated by @14, it reminded them of Pepsi man. Is Pepsi man then a mobile phone game? I could go on, but really.. Disallowing “mobile phone like games” would be one of the most arbitrary and hurtful qualifications that someone could make. (Oh and in terms of “originality” we’d also have to have disallowed publishing just another zombie game with an old dude, like that Last of Us game.) I wouldn’t be able to enjoy jet pack joyride on my beautiful vita display if that were true. There is no reason for Sony to disallow the publication of this game.

  • SonicTheNanobot2

    CONCLUSION:

    I am NOT making a personal attack on @15 or ANYONE who has made this kind of comment. You HAVE a right to not like this game. You HAVE a right to show your opinion. But when, on every single vita announcement page there is this misplaced contempt to Sony, it undermines everything.

    When I can go to a page EXPECTING something as baseless as this argument, it is truly an impediment to meaningful discussion. When EVERY game is blamed as the “reason the vita is selling terrible” It just creates a negative atmosphere that is counter productive to everything.

    I am not completely right on every account of what I say. I do not hold my opinion to be law. I may be posting too much. But as a one time expression of something meaningful, I hope it does some good.

  • @1 you hate zombies doesn’t mean everyone hates zombies, but nice try

  • SonicTheNanobot2

    OT: (just as detailed for you, developer <3, because I took up so much of your forum)

    Here's how I feel about the game so far

    -The tilting of the screen doesn't feel right when you run. (unless that is only when you use tilt controls, in which case the screen staying the same would be more natural)
    +I like the stamina idea, and I hope that drives the game.
    -When the character crashes into the car at such a slow speed, the way that you take damage feels unnatural and breaks immersion. If anything you should loose stamina from it.
    =The graphics look fine, but the animation should be made smoother over time (patches, before release).
    +the overall game play seems to work well, and the sound effects are fun. It may not be the most original, but it still has good potential.

    I may not have a particular interest in this game, but I'm happy to see it exist, and I hope that it does well with the audience that is interested in it. I may play it at some point just to see what how it turns out.

  • This game reminds me of those chessy horror movies that are so bad their good. If its cheap i will check it out.

  • I admire the diversity of the PS Vita games but this is one that I will not partake in.

  • tusunami, WOW! For once you don’t act like you love and are going to purchase EVERY SINGLE GAME EVER MENTIONED IN THE BLOG. It’s good to be positive, but dang.. be honest if you’re going to post, like you just were in this comment. Well, the last hal f of your comment anyway. The first half was still kiss-arsey.

  • This game is more like what I wish Dying Light would be . . . with a combat system that rewards constant motion. It definitely won’t be Mirror’s Edge with zombies, but I’ll take a look.

  • As said by others earlier, it stats off with a good look and the feeling of potential, but after a little more watching you can see the lack of development, compared to other titles.

    Will look forward to wasting a couple hours enjoying it when it finally goes free on PS Plus, otherwise it will be another game yet untried.

    What I am not understanding, is the lack of these independent companies talking to bigger companies, to make more PS2 games HD available.

  • I got 10 to 1 , that NanoBot up there is just another log in ID for Thumbs of Steel.

    Let Sony defend themselves, and let the people complain, otherwise you open your own self up for criticism for doing it.
    Like having nothing better to do then hunt through forums at every chance you get, trying to defend the corporate logo because you think it entitles you to.

    Me on the other hand, I will take the 1st amendment.

    Speak up people, and don’t let censor ridden bots tell you that what you are doing is anything less than giving your opinion.

    We are the the ones with the power, since we are the ones who choose to buy or not buy their merchandise only by sticking together.

    I simply offer the suggestion that if you do have a complaint explain why in a coherent and less self involved attitude with other than what is being on topic.

    Much unlike this, or Nanbots statements about others.

  • I would be more concerned with things like say……

    The fact the Sony Online network had Tomb Raider for PSP available for download through the Vita, and yet somehow a couple weeks later and it is no longer able to be.

    Or the fact that Sony has been changing their online agreement and expecting you to change, although you had already agreed to past agreements, when you made your past purchases.

    It may be subject to change ,but that should not mean they should not have to honor previous agreements.

  • its a sad sad day for vita

  • atleast graphics could have been better i would have baught it

  • i still might though lol any idea of price

  • PrimeroIncognito

    Did all you little dweebs ever realize that if you don’t like something, you can simply not buy it? What’s with all the whining? You act like it’s being forced on you.

  • Primer, you’re an idiot. If people want to criticize something, that’s their right. Just as it’s your right to verbally insult everyone who posted before you, even though you almost definitely agree with them. And that’s what Makes you an idiot.

    TBH I feel bad for the developer. They surely put a lot of time and work into this game and were excited to announce it here, but unfortunately they made a bad game. I wonder if they already know that it isn’t good and it’s solely a cash grab. Why wasn’t this just made for Android and iOS like it should have been? And why doesn’t Sony’s QA filter stuff like this? Sony does a lot of good, but sometimes they just end up looking like Microsoft with their poor decisions that are clearly ONLY about money and not at all about quality content or gamers.
    Sony, can I make a Flappy Bird clone and put it on Vita? I bet more people will buy that than this.

  • i love the games you guys have been releasing but can we please get suikoden 2 and the other ones as well

  • @ PanTheMoron16

    Mmm hmm.

    Listen, Einstein. I never said that people aren’t allowed to criticize something. The point was just how stupid it is to criticize something as innocuous as a little indie video game, especially one that nobody has played yet. These little snots don’t feel threatened by this game being released, they just see an opportunity to troll. Troublemaking brats masquerading as concerned consumers. It’s dishonest and embarrassing.

    With your post at #8 (your statements regarding the cost of these types of games), you only revealed how little you know about the whole damn subject. You’re really out of your element here. You should learn more about the business side of things before you speak about it. You look silly.

    And no, I don’t agree with them. I haven’t played this game (nor has anyone else here), so I wouldn’t claim to know whether it’s good or bad. I wouldn’t judge a game by a single video, especially when it’s potentially showing an unfinished product.

  • PrimeroIncognito

    “I will take the 1st Amendment”

    Holy hell, what a goofball. Yeah, this is a real serious political issue here, isn’t it? Lives are at stake! The very fabric of our lives is under attack! How are we supposed to raise our children in a society filled with cheap indie video games! I’m calling my congressman right now! REVOLUTION!!!

    Oops, I mean reZolution, heh…

    Z-Run, reZolution… get it? Zzzzzzzzzz… zombie?

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