Outbreak: Shades of Horror - Next-Gen Retro Survival Horror
Created by Dead Drop Studios
Survive the opening hours of an undead outbreak alongside a wide cast of survivors in this online co-op retro survival horror nightmare
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Shades of Horror Development Roadmap Update! Start Enjoying SoH Content Soon!
21 days ago
– Fri, Mar 29, 2024 at 12:25:23 PM
Hello Survivors!
Today we are excited to share the content roadmap that we promised for Outbreak: Shades of Horror.
As all of you may know, the video game industry is going through a crisis. There have been countless stories of mass layoffs and studio closures. It's a very difficult time to be in the games business, and like many other studios, we are also trying to keep the lights on and keep delivering wonderful games to our community!
You may have noticed that as work on Shades of Horror has progressed, we have also announced a number of other releases and side-projects such as the Epic Games Store versions of our legacy titles, DINOBREAK, Railbreak, and our upcoming three part visual novel, What Lydia Knows. These sorts of releases are absolutely key to our continued existence in an ever-scarier market.
The question we've been asking ourselves is: how do we survive and also deliver on Outbreak: Shades of Horror as promised?
Over the past several months, we have taken a good look at Outbreak: Shades of Horror and made several adjustments so that we are both able to launch a fantastic project for our backers and continue to remain solvent in today's market conditions.
Without further ado, here are the details we'll be sharing today!
The most major change to Outbreak: Shades of Horror is its release format.
The game will now be released episodically. There are a few advantages to this approach that we think you will appreciate, and it will also ensure we deliver the game at the quality threshold our backers and customers deserve. As our first episode release is not the full game, we will be initially launching the game at a lower MSRP than previously announced. All of our supporters who backed to receive a copy of the game on any platform will receive this initial version of the game when it launches on Steam Early Access.
Although the starting price of the game will be lower than originally suggested, we will be giving our backers some pretty cool bonus content! Each episode of Outbreak: Shades of Horror will include one scenario as well as new Operation Rabid Wolf mode contents. In addition, our backers will have access to a side-campaign known as The Trials of Hank, where players get to see what their favorite drunken mercenary is up to during the events of Shades of Horror. This content is a timed exclusive for Kickstarter backers for six months, and once that exclusivity window has passed, non-backers will be able to purchase it as DLC; Kickstarter backers will not pay extra for this content.
After the first episode's release, you can expect to see a new Shades of Horror episode roughly quarterly. With each future episode, a new scenario, a new entry of The Trials of Hank, and new Operation Rabid Wolf content will be added on top of additional features such as new characters, outfits and more.
The price of the game will also increase for non-backers as this new content is released until we reach our final MSRP with our final scenario.
Next, we have some updates on features we promised during our initial Kickstarter campaign.
As of now, we are unable to deliver an orchestrated soundtrack as previously intended. While the game will still feature some absolutely incredible music, we’ve prioritized what we feel will help us reach the vision we promised our backers.
Although Outbreak: Shades of Horror will still feature robust single player and online co-op multiplayer, local split-screen co-op multiplayer is no longer something we will be able to support at this time.
The ability to transform into a zombie as your infection rate increases is the cornerstone around which Shades of Horror is designed and will still be included. In order to accommodate the game’s shift to an episodic launch, we have changed how it will be introduced into the game.
Upon the release of our first episode: when your infection meter reaches 100%, you will receive an automatic game over.
The zombie class that your Survivor will transform into will now be determined by your character's class, and you will now only physically transform once you hit a 100% infection rate. As a result, it is no longer planned for Survivors to gradually mutate into zombies.
In order to give this feature the proper care it needs, it will be something that is developed after the full release of the game.
If you backed at a level where you are creating an NPC, playable Survivor, or storyline, we will be contacting you to determine where your character will show up in the game. Although we don’t have an exact timeframe for you today, we are excited to bring your characters and stories to life in Cypress Ridge!
In regards to physical rewards, Limited Run Games will still be fulfilling physical copies of the game as well as collector's editions, t-shirts, and bundles. These rewards are still slated to be shipped by November 2025!
Speaking of release dates, let's talk specifically about the release timing for Outbreak: Shades of Horror.
The first episode of Outbreak: Shades of Horror will be available via Steam Early Access in Summer 2024. It will include six playable Survivors: Lydia, Miranda, Michiko, Tucker, David, and Jacqueline. We are very excited that you'll be able to play a piece of the game much earlier than expected, and we will of course be listening to your feedback and making adjustments based on your thoughts!
We put together a handy dandy image below so you can see our plan for episode release timing as well as the content that will be included with each!
We expect you all to have a lot of questions about the state and future of Outbreak: Shades of Horror, and we are happy to answer everything that we can! We also showed off a current build of the game on yesterday's Twitch stream, so please take a look at that if you'd like to hear more and also see the game in action!
More updates for Outbreak: Shades of Horror will be coming in the future! Thank you for reading and for your generous support as always. We are still thrilled to bring this next-gen survival horror experience to you, and we can't wait for you to get your hands on the first episode!
Until next time, take care, Survivors!
Shades of Horror Development Roadmap Stream On Twitch TONIGHT @ 7:15PM ET!
22 days ago
– Thu, Mar 28, 2024 at 10:00:09 AM
Hello Survivors!
Just a quick note for today!
We invite you to join our Twitch stream TONIGHT, March 28th, at 7:15pm ET for a look at Outbreak: Shades of Horror and its development roadmap!
We'll be taking a dive into the current build of the game, sharing plenty of details, and answering your questions, so please come by if you can! We'll also be giving away games and playing some more Resident Evil 3 later in the stream!
If you're not able to join us tonight, no worries! We'll have the stream VOD uploaded on our YouTube channel once it's over, and tomorrow we'll have a big summary post right here on Kickstarter so you can pore over the details!
Until next time, take care Survivors!
'What Lydia Knows' Visual Novel Bonus Game Revealed: 'Outbreak RPG'!
23 days ago
– Wed, Mar 27, 2024 at 10:02:59 AM
Hello Survivors! Today, we're excited to bring you the first of a few major announcements this week.
If you watched our Twitch stream tonight, then you'll see we've officially revealed the bonus game included with Outbreak The FEDORA Files: What Lydia Knows!
We're thrilled for you to get your hands on the highly fan-requested Outbreak RPG! This fully featured bonus game is available immediately when you boot up What Lydia Knows, and the adventure changes every time you play.
Guide your party of Lydia, Hank, Ivy, and Elena through Cypress Ridge as they try to help Survivors and escape the city. Fight monsters in classic turn-based combat as you search for supplies and any signs of human life. Level up and upgrade your characters' weapons to defeat hordes of zombies. The Survivors you rescue will provide your party with unique perks and enhancements that you'll need to take full advantage of if you want to escape Cypress Ridge alive!
You can check out our new trailer for Outbreak The FEDORA Files: What Lydia Knows that we debuted today to whet your appetite before the game launches! We'll be sharing the games release date and platforms soon.
There are even more features and bonuses included in Outbreak The FEDORA Files: What Lydia Knows that we have yet to reveal, so we hope you'll be excited for more information in the future.
You can wishlist the game on Steam NOW so you can be notified when it drops! Wishlisting the game also helps us out quite a lot, so please consider telling a friend about it! We greatly appreciate any and all of your support.
That's all for today, Survivors! We will have more updates and announcements for you very soon, so stay tuned!
Railbreak VR & Tailbreak BackerKit Finale! Last Chance to Save and Get Goodies! Stream WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY with GIVEAWAYS!
about 2 months ago
– Mon, Feb 26, 2024 at 01:53:45 PM
Hello Survivors!
Our BackerKit campaign for Railbreak VR & Tailbreak is coming to an end at 11:59pm ET on February 29! That means time is running out for us to meet additional stretch goals and for you to get all kinds of goodies!
If we make it to $12,500 in total raised funds, we'll be adding an in-game developer commentary track DLC in additional to an extra story chapter for the Tailbreak DLC expansion! Then, at $15,000, we will be able to release Railbreak VR & the Tailbreak DLC for Meta Quest 3!
If you choose to support Railbreak VR & Tailbreakon BackerKit, you'll be able to preorder exactly what you want with an early bird discount! That means you can get Railbreak VR & Tailbreak for below their final MSRP!
But that's not all!
As you may or may not know, there are a variety of tiers and add-ons available on our BackerKit campaign. Below are a few of the tiers that we think are super cool!
The Big T-Rex Collection ($65 USD)
Receive digital game codes for Railbreak VR and Tailbreak at launch including access to special game content DLC. This tier also includes a copy of the original non-VR Railbreak, Dinobreak, and the Railbreak Special Kickstarter demo that was private to backers of the Outbreak: Shades of Horror Kickstarter on your supported platform of choice. All non-Railbreak VR and Tailbreak digital codes will be delivered by end of April 2024. This collection is offered at a discount compared to the launch MSRP of all of these items.
Maximum Carnage Franchise Bundle - Includes 7 Physical Games + Trading Cards! ($179 USD)
This tier includes the following ALL SIGNED by the developers: - Gold Limited Run Trading Card from the Outbreak series - Silver Limited Run Trading Card from the Outbreak series - Outbreak: Contagious Memories - PS5 - Outbreak: Contagious Memories - PS4 - Outbreak: Contagious Memories - Switch - Limited Run Games Cover Variant - Outbreak: Contagious Memories - Switch - Amazon Cover Variant - Outbreak Collection Part 1 - Switch - Limited Run Games Cover Variant - Outbreak Collection Part 1 - Switch - Amazon Cover Variant - Outbreak Collection Part 2
(This tier also includes EVERYTHING from The Big T-Rex Collection)
Shipping is $10 in the United States. $15 outside of the United States. Physical titles will ship to you in April 2024. Trading cards may have different artwork than what is pictured.
Arcade Legend - Includes Signed Sinden Lightgun w/ Rumble + 7 Physical Games & more! ($399 USD, only ONE left as of this post!)
This title includes everything in the Maximum Carnage Franchise Bundle and:
An exclusive Sinden Lightgun with Rumble signed by the developers so you can take on Railbreak and Tailbreak in arcade style! The lightgun color will be random and may be different than the image.
You'll never find a better deal than this, and it's just for the BackerKit campaign!
Shipping is $20 in the United States, $35 outside of the United States. Lightgun and physical games ship in April 2024. Some digital games ship in April 2024, see the earlier tiers for details.
We will be streaming on our Twitch channel this Wednesday AND Thursday night at 7:15pm ET to finish out the campaign! You can expect multiple giveaways on both streams! We'll be going through Claire A in the N64 version of Resident Evil 2, and we'll even make our way toward the Dreamcast version of Dino Crisis! If you don't follow us on Twitch already, make sure to follow us there so you can see when you go live!
That's all for today, Survivors! Thank you for support! Let's finish out this campaign with a BANG so we can make Railbreak VR & the Tailbreak DLC expansion the best they can possibly be!
Railbreak VR Officially Coming to PSVR2! Let's Add Developer Commentary and an Extra Chapter to Tailbreak Next! Pledge Now!
2 months ago
– Mon, Feb 19, 2024 at 10:33:35 AM
PSVR2 support is just the latest stretch goal we've reached for Railbreak VR & Tailbreak! We already had dual wielding in Railbreak VR locked in thanks to the generosity of our backers.
Our next stretch goal is to deliver both in-game developer commentary DLC AND an additional story chapter for the Tailbreak DLC expansion! Let's do it! With your help, we can secure this awesome content; don't forget that content will be available in both Railbreak AND Railbreak VR's version of Tailbreak!
There's still plenty of time left before our BackerKit campaign comes to an end, so please consider checking it out and pledging today! You can even pre-order a Railbreak Limited Edition Sinden Lightgun via the add-ons option on BackerKit!
Thank you as always for your continued support! We will have much more information on Railbreak VR, the Tailbreak DLC expansion, and our recently announced visual novel soon! This all comes on top of more information regarding Outbreak: Shades of Horror coming in the future!
