The second
DEADCRAFT DLC, “Jessie’s Wasteland Wares,” is a standalone mode starring the character Jessie, who appears as a supporting character in the main game. In this mode, she runs a shop to earn money for her beloved Miss Duna.
The second DLC was created all at once during the final stages of development, and I think it turned out great due to our staff being more experienced from working on the main game. The systems of the main game lent themselves well to the store-management gameplay of the DLC. I decided to make Jessie the main character of the DLC because I wanted to create a fresh experience that was different from the main story.
However, I was worried that the combat would be monotonous and players might get bored quickly since Jessie only has one weapon and can’t use special zombie abilities. However, we were instead able to create a combat experience that is about managing a fight with a limited skillset, and it turned out to be pretty fun in the end. In the main version of the game, guns can only hold a limited number of bullets at a time, but giving Jessie’s shotgun infinite ammo was key to this new gameplay experience.
I also want to highlight a special feature separate from the core gameplay. There is an item called “Instant Camp” that allows you to camp out in the wilderness, but we changed it into something different in the DLC. I had a lot of other priorities, so when I first saw the new Instant Camp, I wondered, “Is this really something we should be spending time on?” Now I feel everything worked out wonderfully, and I hope you check out the new Instant Camp. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Hisashi Fujii
DEADCRAFT Producer
*Screenshots captured from a game still in development.