Edo Japan zombie roguelike Ed-0: Zombie Uprising enters Steam Early Access on April 4

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-03-17 02:20 JST)

D3 Publisher has announced Ed-0: Zombie Uprising from developer Lancarse. The game will release on PC (Steam) and is scheduled to enter Early Access on April 4.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is a roguelike action game that takes place in a fictional Edo-period Japan. The world has been overrun with zombies, but thanks to the Edo government’s isolationist policies of the time, Japan has managed to avert the zombie plague. But in 1853, the same year Commodore Perry first came to Japan in reality, this in-game Japan is attacked by a foreign ship ending their isolation. With Japan finally facing a zombie infestation, players will fight the hordes as either a samurai, sumo wrestler, or ninja.

The game’s world is generated randomly each time you play, and you’ll grab items and skills along the way while fighting the zombies. You start the game at your weakest point but gradually grow stronger while playing. From the trailer we can see the samurai using a number of sword techniques, the sumo wrestler fighting with open handed slaps, and the ninja performing acrobatic moves and ninjutsu. We can also see a bomb being acquired and used, and the samurai using a “Japanese Dogeza” bowing skill.

The game’s world has a distinct Edo-period look, battles taking place both outdoors and indoors. Enemy locations on the map are also random, so the same area might not have any enemies one time but be crawling with zombies another time.

There’s also a place that acts as your home base which can be upgraded. We can also see a bento (lunch) vender selling rice balls and a screen for donating items. And by meeting certain conditions, it’s possible to get upgrades like extra jumps and improved buffs from food.

When the game enters Early Access, all the core game mechanics will be implemented, and the samurai and sumo wrestler will be playable. The ninja is planned to be added in a later update. It sounds like the game will feature 3 main quests, 5 subquests, and 3 bosses, with around 10 hours of content. They also say there are over 100 different skills and items in the game.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising isn’t planned to officially launch for at least 6 months. The team plans to get feedback from players and add additional quests, playable characters, enemies, skills, and items to the game.

Ed-0: Zombie Uprising is scheduled to enter Steam Early Access on April 4.