Nakwon: Last Paradise Caters Players Who Looked Forward To The Day Before

Kyoung-Han: I’m Jang Kyoung-Han. As the Director of Nakwon: Last Paradise, I’m responsible for shaping the overall direction of the game and overseeing its development process while discussing it with the dev team.

Kyoung-Han: We received various feedback, some aligned with our expectations, while others didn’t quite match. Feedback regarding the completeness of the service aspect (server lag, bugs, anti-cheat measures, missing core features, etc.) was expected during the pre-alpha stage and was planned to be addressed after the test, so it wasn’t a concern.

The most significant insight from this test was the players’ expectations regarding the zombie game. We intentionally made it difficult to kill zombies to immerse players in a situation where their lives are threatened by zombies. However, it seems that this direction didn’t align with players’ expectations. Many people hoped to be able to kill zombies to some extent in a zombie game, and they were disappointed when they couldn’t.

While our game isn’t about slaughtering zombies with firepower like Left 4 Dead or World War Z, we still thought that players should be able to kill zombies to some degree as they progress. So, we’ve decided to adjust our development direction accordingly and conduct R&D to make it possible.

Kyoung-Han: Here are the planned changes/removals (subject to change, of course):

• Gas field mechanic (BR circle) removal. It will be replaced with a time limit or similar mechanism.
• Elimination of the concept of zombies’ infinite revival. Zombies will permanently die, but they will respawn from the surroundings throughout a match to maintain in-game tension. In Nakwon, players can never take their safety for granted.
• Adjustment of zombies’ high health. Instead of making zombies easier to kill, we are conducting R&D on increasing their numbers to balance gameplay.

Kyoung-Han: Excluding basic convenience and problem-solving improvements, the most requested features were missions worthy of being the game’s main objectives and a mode without PvP. We’re aiming to develop these for the next round of testing.

Kyoung-Han: We are considering expanding the game vertically rather than horizontally, allowing users to explore more buildings and ascend more floors within the same area.

We aim to give each space or zone its own unique characteristics. This includes incorporating narrow, maze-like alleys, spacious and winding parks, and hazardous, dimly lit construction sites. Additionally, we are exploring the idea of providing fundamental differences by changing the map’s environment or characteristics each season for long-term variety.

Kyoung-Han: It’s difficult to provide a response regarding the business model as we haven’t fully decided yet. We will definitely not have any pay-to-win aspects. We’ve considered offering items that players might want (unique cosmetics) with in-app purchases. Nothing has been decided yet on that front, as we remain focused on strengthening Nakwon’s gameplay.

Kyoung-Han: Since there’s no separate server maintained continuously, the concept of private servers doesn’t exist. Our structure is different from games like Rust or ARK: Survival Evolved. Just like how you can’t operate private servers in Overwatch, it’s not possible to run private servers in our game either.

Kyoung-Han: Dave the Diver, Wakerunners, and Nakwon are all being worked on by separate teams, so there’s no overlap in development resources.

Kyoung-Han: We started with around 10 people, but recently we’ve grown to over 50. While we’re no longer a small team, we’re still not as large as those AAA projects. However, we believe our current team size is adequate for creating what we have in mind.

Kyoung-Han: Are they putting their expectations on Nakwon? While I’m not so sure if those who anticipated The Day Before are now looking into Nakwon, I believe they might find many aspects they were looking forward to in our game. There will be similarities and differences, but we’re committed to creating our own unique and enjoyable game. We hope they’ll take an interest and give it a try.

Kyoung-Han: Right now, we’re focused on our own community and our vision for Nakwon. We have a very engaged community that is constantly making suggestions for features and improvements, and our focus is on working with those players to make Nakwon the experience they deserve.

Kyoung-Han: Our community has grown steadily since we revealed Nakwon in the Fall.

Kyoung-Han: The upcoming schedule hasn’t been finalized yet. We’ll share the schedule through the community channel as it becomes more concrete through the process.

Kyoung-Han: We’re working hard to meet the expectations users have for a zombie game. While we’re striving to offer a new experience where you can hide and escape, we’re also diligently conducting R&D to inherit the fun elements from existing classic zombie games.

You’ll have the experience of fleeing or fighting against more zombies, whether with friends or foes. For those who anticipate zombie or survival games – when compiling your must-play game lists, we hope our game will be included on your list. Your interest and support are much appreciated.