Fntastic Announces its Asymmetrical Multiplayer Horror Game Dead Dozen

Who here remembers the custom Zombie mode from Halo 2, Infection mode in Halo 3 and Halo: Reach, and Flood mode in Halo 4? Those are some of the franchise’s most popular multiplayer game modes, and the independent game studio Fntastic is trying to bring them over to PC with the new horror game Dead Dozen.

Ok, claiming that Fntastic is trying to port Zombie/Infection/Flood mode over to PC is a bit of a gross oversimplification, but the basic gist of Dead Dozen is the same: players who take the role of humans must survive as long as possible, and players who play as zombies only need to kill the human players (and convert them into more zombies) to win. There are, however, many differences between Halo‘s Zombie/Infection/Flood modes and Dead Dozen, the most obvious being the setting, which is an abandoned Siberian research base in 1993. Furthermore, while the Zombie/Infection/Flood modes are merely custom Halo multiplayer matches limited by the games’ existing rules and mechanics, Dead Dozen seeks to create a survival horror experience. Human players (Survivors) will be able to barricade rooms and search the base for loot, while zombie players (Ghouls) can sneak up on Survivors.

Dead Dozen will not release for a while, but players can pre-purchase the game right now. Fntastic is currently selling two different versions: the First Infected Edition and the Limited Supreme Edition. First Infected Edition will give players access to the alpha test (scheduled for January 8th, 2018) and the unscheduled beta test, the full game, and exclusive “First Infected” skins for both Survivor and Ghouls. The Limited Supreme Edition comes with all of the above, exclusive “Supreme” skins, a digital wallpaper, an invitation to the developers’ Discord group, and a special thank you gift in the form of the player’s name/nickname in the credits and in an in-game location. The First Infected and Limited Supreme editions are currently priced at $14.99 and $39.99 respectively, but they will increase to $29.99 and $79.99 on November 30th.

Dead Dozen appears to be yet another game that seeks to provide an asymmetrical multiplayer horror experience, alongside the likes of Dead by Daylight and Friday the 13th: The Game. Only time will tell if it can deliver on its promises and provide a worthwhile experience gamers can enjoy for years to come.