Crania Games, developer and publisher behind cult survival game "Roots of Insanity," turns its hit game into an asymmetrical multiplayer in "A Way to be Dead."
In "A Way to be Dead," up to five players face off in a 4vs1 format - with four players taking on the role of survivors while the fifth player takes on the mantle of Dr. Riley. The bewildered doctor hunts the group of survivors trying to survive in a zombie-infested hospital. As survivors die in the game, they continue playing on as zombies, stacking the odds against their former teammates who fail to save them.
A Spiritual Successor to "Roots of Insanity"
While it is not yet formally announced, the upcoming Crania Games offering, "A Way to be Dead," is poised to at least be a spiritual successor - if not a direct sequel - to the 'Roots of Insanity," whose remake was released in 2017. The game description confirms, however, that the upcoming multiplayer is set in the same universe as "Roots of Insanity."
Aside from both games being set at the zombie-infested hospitals, the "hunter" in "A Way to be Dead" is Dr. Riley: the same protagonist from "Roots of Insanity." In the 2017 survival game, the doctor struggles to survive while keeping his sanity. Dr. Riley McClein works to uncover the truth about the hospital, keeping off the undead attackers while dealing with sporadic epileptic attacks - further blurring reality in this survival horror game.
With "A Way to be Dead," Riley now hunts a group of survivors who wake up in a hospital and must work together to survive. Playing as the deranged doctor on the hunt, the survivors, or even as zombies would definitely offer varying objectives and perspectives to piece the infested hospital's puzzle.
Crania's Upcoming Slasher Multiplayer Game
Adding a psychological layer to the game, "A Way to be Dead" uses different pre-designed paths that are randomly chosen for each session, keeping games unpredictable and even more suspenseful. Its interactive environment also allows players to move closer toward their goal or prevent their opponent from reaching theirs.
Those playing as survivors will only be allowed to carry a single object at any point in time, limiting their capabilities and forcing them to work together with their fellow survivors - if they are to survive. Winning a session grants "Therapy Points" for the players, allowing them to "improve the character." Whether these are permanent aesthetics or performance improvements, remain to be seen once the game launches.
Lastly, matches are customizable to match the game's suspense and difficulty with the players' preferences. Crania Games announced the possibility of setting game parameters such as the time before lights turn off, the number of zombies in-game, loot spawn ratios, number of exits in the session, and more.
While the game remains to be released, fans can already add it to their Steam Wishlist on the "A Way to be Dead" Steam webpage. Additionally, Crania Games announced that players who already have "Roots of Insanity" can avail of "A Way to be Dead" at a special price upon its launch!
See the 4K official trailer for "A Way to be Dead" below:
