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God Save Birmingham brings 14th-century zombie survival to gaming with Early Access launch

Saturday, 10 May 2025 4:31AM UTC

Ocean Drive Studios' new survival horror game reimagines medieval Birmingham overrun by zombies, offering historically authentic environments and physics-driven gameplay in an Early Access release ahead of a full 2025 launch.

A new survival horror videogame, set against the backdrop of a zombie-infested 14th-century Birmingham, is stirring excitement in the gaming community. Titled God Save Birmingham, this project from South Korea's Ocean Drive Studios invites players to experience a meticulously recreated medieval market town, brimming with historical detail and an undead menace.

The game's premise is stark and engaging: "Doom has come to Birmingham, and you are the last soul alive." This tagline sums up the urgency of survival amidst an undead plague. Players must navigate the challenges of scavenging for food and water, crafting tools, and utilizing an innovative physics engine to fend off hordes of zombies. The physics-based mechanics allow for creative strategies, such as using furniture as improvised barricades or toppling objects to hinder the undead, creating a dynamic gameplay experience.

As it stands, the game is poised for Early Access release on PC, with the official launch on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox slated for later, potentially in 2025. The Early Access version will offer a condensed experience, featuring approximately a quarter of the full town, allowing players a taste of the game's immersive environment. Developers have indicated that they will collect player feedback during this phase to enhance and refine the overall experience before a full rollout.

The appeal of God Save Birmingham lies not only in its survival horror elements but also in its historical authenticity. Developers have committed to recreating Birmingham's architecture, typical household items, and even the food and tools from the medieval period to enrich the gameplay. The aim is to provide gamers with a vivid portrayal of life during that era, underscoring the stark contrast between day-to-day existence and the chaos of a zombie apocalypse.

Interest in this unique setting taps into a broader trend within the gaming world, especially following the resounding success of titles like The Last of Us, which monumentalised the survival horror genre. This surge has sparked mainstream media interest, including a significant reach on platforms like YouTube, where gameplay trailers have garnered hundreds of thousands of views within days of release.

While Birmingham is not frequently portrayed in videogames, the city boasts a strong connection to the gaming industry, particularly through Codemasters, known for its racing games. The development of God Save Birmingham marks a notable venture, as it embraces a setting that has often been overlooked but rich with potential for storytelling and interactive experiences.

As players await the Early Access launch, anticipation builds around the deeper campaign mode slated for future updates. This narrative-driven aspect promises to enrich the survival experience, delving into the stories of Birmingham’s inhabitants as they grapple with the implications of life during a cataclysmic epidemic. The developers have expressed enthusiasm about engaging with both gaming and history enthusiasts alike, providing a unique fusion of themes in a truly immersive format.

Ultimately, God Save Birmingham not only positions itself within the popular landscape of survival horror but also offers a fresh perspective on historical narratives through gaming. As the project continues to evolve, it presents an exciting opportunity for players to explore the intersections of medieval life in a way that few games have dared to attempt.

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Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/doom-come-viral-reason-zombies-31542790 - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://thinglabs.io/god-save-birmingham - An open-world zombie survival game set in 14th-century Birmingham, England. Players must scavenge, craft, and fight to survive in a meticulously recreated medieval market town. Developed by Ocean Drive Studio, the game is expected to release in 2025, initially on Steam Early Access, with PlayStation and Xbox versions to follow at full release. The Early Access version will feature a small part of the town, allowing players to explore and survive in a compact yet immersive setting. As development progresses, the entire town will be made available, offering a larger playground for zombie-slaying adventures. A campaign mode is also planned for future updates, promising to add depth to the survival experience. The game emphasizes survival, requiring players to scavenge for food, water, and other essential resources, craft tools and weapons, and manage their needs while evading the horde. The physics-based mechanics allow players to use the environment to their advantage, such as pushing over objects to trip zombies or using furniture as makeshift barricades. The game is developed using Unreal Engine 5, allowing for high-fidelity graphics and detailed environments. The developers have also expressed interest in releasing the game on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Early Access will allow the developers to gather feedback from players and refine the game before its full release.
https://oceandrive.studio/2025/01/23/introducing-god-save-birmingham-and-2025-plans/ - Ocean Drive Studio introduces 'God Save Birmingham,' a zombie apocalypse survival game set in a medieval European town. The game aims to recreate a historically accurate 14th-century Birmingham, focusing on realistic depictions of churches, manors, village centers, and other infrastructure. The developers strive to present a grounded, realistic picture of day-to-day life in that time and place. They are working to recreate typical household items, food, and tools of the time to convey the textured feeling of surviving a disaster scenario back then. The developers plan to release a video soon to share their progress and showcase the game through game shows or other channels, allowing people to experience it for themselves. They believe there are fans of both zombie fiction and medieval history who will appreciate the game. While still in the early stages, the developers look forward to the day when players can explore the world they've built and provide feedback to make 'God Save Birmingham' even better.
https://www.gamespress.com/Ocean-Drive-Studio-Unleashes-Medieval-Zombie-Horror-with-God-Save-Birm - Ocean Drive Studio announces 'God Save Birmingham,' a medieval zombie survival simulator set in 14th-century Birmingham, England. The game is inspired by 'Project Zomboid' and transports players to a plague-ridden city overrun by the undead. The announcement includes an early gameplay trailer showcasing the progress achieved by a small team in a short period. The game features realistic zombie survival simulation, physically comedic moments due to the game's realistic physics engine, historically accurate environment with authentic architecture and atmosphere, and survival gameplay where players scavenge for food, water, and other essential items. The game is available for wishlisting on Steam, and the studio invites players to join their Discord channel and follow the game on Twitter for updates.
https://www.gematsu.com/games/god-save-birmingham - 'God Save Birmingham' is a survival crafting video game developed and published by Ocean Drive Studio. The game is set in 14th-century Birmingham, England, where players must survive an undead plague in a meticulously recreated medieval market town. Players manage their needs, master physics-based mechanics, and evade the horde for as long as possible. The Early Access version will focus on a sandbox mode utilizing a small portion of the town, with the full town available at official release and a campaign mode coming later. Key features include surviving an undead plague, foraging for supplies, crafting tools and weapons, and exploring a carefully reconstructed 14th-century Birmingham. The game is available for wishlisting on Steam.
https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3827247/survive-a-14th-century-open-world-zombie-plague-in-god-save-birmingham-trailer/ - 'God Save Birmingham' is an open-world zombie survival game set in a medieval village, developed by Ocean Drive Studio. The game transports players to 14th-century Birmingham, England, where they must survive an undead plague in a meticulously recreated medieval market town. Players must forage for supplies, craft tools and weapons, and hunt for food, water, and shelter, with only their wits to protect them. The game features physics-based mechanics, allowing players to stack furniture to barricade doors, leap low fences to trip up undead foes, and sever limbs to reduce the undead to angry, wriggling torsos. The Early Access version will contain about one-quarter of the entire town, with the rest coming between the Early Access and full releases. The developers plan to spend another year or so after the Early Access release creating story-driven elements that allow players to explore the stories of Birmingham’s people as they fight to survive in a world gone mad.
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/i-am-so-here-for-this-zombie-game-set-in-a-medieval-market-town/ - Ocean Drive Studio is developing 'God Save Birmingham,' a zombie survival game set in a medieval market town. The game aims to provide a historically authentic and realistic experience, transporting players to 14th-century Birmingham, England. The developers have been working on the game for only five months, with a small team of two in the first four months and now a team of six. With a bigger team, they hope to ramp up development to bring the playable version of 'God Save Birmingham' to players as soon as possible. The game is available for wishlisting on Steam, and players can follow the development progress through the studio's updates.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative includes recent updates and upcoming releases, indicating current relevance. However, it lacks specific dates for the Early Access launch, which might slightly reduce its freshness.

Quotes check

Score: 0

Notes: No direct quotes were found in the narrative.

Source reliability

Score: 7

Notes: The narrative originates from a well-known local publication, which generally enhances reliability. However, the credibility of specific details about the game's development and release plans could be further verified.

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: The concept of a videogame set in medieval Birmingham is plausible and aligns with current gaming trends. The involvement of a real studio and the mention of planned releases on multiple platforms support its plausibility.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is largely plausible and current, with a reliable source. The absence of quotes and slight uncertainty about specific dates are minor drawbacks, but overall, the content appears accurate and well-supported.

God Save Birmingham
survival horror
video games
zombies
medieval history
gaming community