Steampunk Zombies and American McGee’s Adventures in Oz

If the name American McGee sends you into girlish tremors, or if you thought the Wizard of Oz was missing some steampunk zombies, then there is a Kickstarter you need to be introduced to. 

American McGee and Spicy Horse games are perhaps best known for the dark Alice series, including Alice: Madness Returns. This new project takes the classic world of L. Frank Baum’s Oz, and re-imagines it. OZombie is, as the Kickstarter puts it, a “narrative-driven action-adventure game,” where all 14 Oz books and subsequent adaptations of the work will be taken into creating the story. 

The story will follow Dorothy’s great-great-granddaughter (also named Dorothy) as she joins up with the Tin Woodsman and the Cowardly Lion to fight the Scarecrow and his OZombies for the future of Oz. The themes will focus on non-conformism and individual liberty and self-reliance, as the zombies in Oz are transformed to be that way by accepting Luddite desires and the ease of monotony rather than the thrill of creation — something deemed evil in this new world order. 

The concept art is fascinating, with a definite nod towards dark themes. Dorothy herself looks like a cosplayer’s wet dream. 

The project has set a goal of $950,000, and as of the writing of this article it has already received around $70,000 of that goal. McGee has teased that a box, visible in the Kickstarter video will be opened once they hit 6,000 backers, and that it will reveal secrets about Dorothy and her world. 

The game will feature a single player campaign, and once that campaign is completed, it will open a multiplayer world where players can select from a range of player characters and participate in guilds, raids and quests. 

Ozombie, if the goal is reached, will be available on Mac, Linux, PC and some tablets. If you’re interested in donating to the cause, you can do so until August 5. Backers of just $15 will receive the single player campaign and access to the pre-production forums. If you want to hear more about American McGee’s project, check out their site here.