Zafehouse: Diaries

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Zafehouse: Diaries
Zafehouse Diaries banner.jpg
Developer(s) Screwfly Studios
Publisher(s) Screwfly Studios
Platform(s) Windows
ReleaseSeptember 28, 2012 [1]
Genre(s) Strategy
Mode(s) Single-player

Zafehouse: Diaries is a turn-based strategy video game in which the player must guide the survivors of a zombie apocalypse to safety. It was released in September 2012 by the Australian independent developer Screwfly Studios, a start-up company formed by two former magazine editors.

Contents

Gameplay

Zafehouse: Diaries is a turn-based strategy video game. The player's primary emphasis is on guiding survivors of a zombie apocalypse to safety. This is achieved by guiding the survivors to a helicopter at a certain point during play or by repairing a car and driving away. The takes place in a town which is randomly generated at the beginning of play. The size of the town and the buildings located within change with each new game. [2] [3]

The game's main screen consists of a map of the town. When the player clicks on a building which contains survivors a clipboard appears on-screen so that the player can issue commands to the survivors. [4]

Development and release

The game was created by Logan Booker and David Kidd, a pair of Australian video game magazine editors who formed Screwfly Studios to produce Zafehouse: Diaries. [5] The initial version of the game, simply titled Zafehouse, was created by Booker, who was an editor of the video game magazine Atomic . Zafehouse took a week to create and was used as the basis of an article on game development published in Atomic. [6] The game features no graphics or animations. Buildings in the game world are represented by buttons and the game is navigated through a series of lists and menus. [7] This game is played over a period of 72 in-game hours, the player progresses one hour at a time. [6] Zafehouse was the product of Booker's interest in the interpersonal relationships of characters in zombie films, such as 28 Days Later , as opposed to the more visceral action games with post-apocalyptic settings. [7]

Despite the simplistic nature of the game's interface, gamers displayed an interest in the project, surprising Booker. This resulted in him enlisting Kidd, a former PC & Tech Authority magazine editor, to help him build a more complicated version of the game.

Legacy

A sequel, Zafehouse Diaries 2, was announced by Screwfly Studios in November 2016. [8] The game was released on Steam in June 2017. [9]

See also

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References

  1. Kidd, David (2012-09-28). "Zafehouse: Diaries now available!". Screwfly Studios. Retrieved 2014-10-30.
  2. Kennedy, Kevin (2013-08-03). "[Ghosts Of Gaming Past] A Review Of 'Zafehouse: Diaries'". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved 2014-08-29.
  3. Livingston, Christopher (2013-08-03). "Now Playing: an incompetent post-apocalyptic social worker in Zafehouse Diaries". PC Gamer . Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  4. Florence, Robert (2013-01-15). "Wot I Think: Zafehouse: Diaries". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved 2014-08-29.
  5. Hollingworth, David (2013-08-29). "Aussie made Zafehouse: Diaries gets greenlit on Steam". PC & Tech Authority. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  6. 1 2 Hollingworth, David (2008-08-13). "Engine Room presents... Zafehouse!". PC & Tech Authority. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  7. 1 2 Lien, Tracey (2013-01-29). "Zafehouse: Diaries — Survival ain't easy". Polygon . Retrieved 2014-08-29.
  8. Connolly, Alex (2016-12-05). "Five Alive – Zafehouse Diaries 2 In Development". Stately Play. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  9. Screwfly Studios (2017-06-17). "Zafehouse Diaries 2: Available now!". Steam. Retrieved 2017-08-19.