[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxhWQjylBdg?feature=player_embedded]
Fighting Fantasy re-launches on digital devices today with Tin Man Games proudly releasing Fighting Fantasy: Blood of the Zombies for Apple and Android smart phones and tablets.
It’s been 30 years since the publication of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, written by Fighting Fantasy co-creators Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary, Ian has written a new title; Blood of the Zombies. In this interactive adventure, YOU are kidnapped and imprisoned inside a castle in a remote part of Romania where a mad megalomaniac is running a secret scientific programme – injecting hundreds of prisoners with Zombie blood! Can YOU kill all the Zombies or will YOU be next in line to become one of them?
Using their critically acclaimed gamebook engine, Tin Man Games has taken the classic Fighting Fantasy solo adventure format and transformed it into an interactive digital experience with animated page-turning and dynamic links to enable the reader to choose their path through the story. Blood of the Zombiesfeatures an automated Adventure Sheet for player stats and objects found, and physics-based 3D dice for battles.
Neil Rennison, Creative Director for Tin Man Games, said: “Being huge Fighting Fantasy fans, it was important that we captured the nostalgic feeling of the series whilst also adding modern gaming components. The illustrations are now in full colour, and we’ve created an appropriately gruesome-looking book interface. We’ve animated the amazing front cover, bringing the main Zombie alive for the main menu! We also commissioned a soundtrack and sound effects to create added atmosphere to accompany Ian’s exciting interactive story.”
The Blood of the Zombies app makes good use of the latest smart phone and tablet hardware, using the increased screen space of iPad to read horizontally or vertically as well as being adapted to work on iPhone 5. The app also contains some extra features not found in the paperback due to book format limitations.
Ian Livingstone said: “Fighting Fantasy first launched in 1982 and I’m delighted that Blood of the Zombies will reach audiences of the digital age. Tin Man Games has done a brilliant job in developing the app. It’s not just a straight port of the book. There are two difficulty levels, things to unlock, stuff to collect and Easter eggs like hidden Martin McKenna artwork. I’ve also written 80 new gruesome death endings to add more variety to death-by-Zombies! And you can even cheat in a peek-around-the-corner kind of way as readers did back in the day with their ‘five-fingered bookmarks’. But it’s still going be a very tough challenge to kill all the Zombies.”
Tin Man Games has worked closely with Ian Livingstone during the app development. Neil Rennison continued: “It’s been an absolute privilege collaborating with Ian and a wonderful opportunity to not only bring Blood of the Zombies to the latest digital platforms, but to be involved in the 30th anniversary of Fighting Fantasy.” Tin Man Games will begin the development of Forest of Doom early next year, following the release of Steve Jackson’sHouse of Hell in December.
Fighting Fantasy: Blood of the Zombies is now available to download from the App Store and Google Play. There are also plans to bring it to the Amazon Appstore and the Nook.
Tin Man Games maintain a site dedicated to their Fighting Fantasy apps at www.FightingFantasyApps.com.
The Official Fighting Fantasy site can be found at www.FightingFantasy.com.
Tin Man Games also runs a developer blog at www.TinManGames.com.au.
