A free, low-poly zombie survival game ain’t something you see often in the store (Excluding those asset pack re-releases and short-lived attempts). You’d wonder why the current game is one of the most popular f2p games on Steam.
The graphics is also unique that it isn’t like any of those generic pixelized textures that look gritty. They’re plain, smooth and simple, something that isn’t an eyesore.
Low-poly models is enough to stand out from many games who would spend weeks trying to make realistic/high detailed models, also perfect for a solo indie dev. This also results in being very friendly for all modders who aren’t too talented in modelling. I’m sure the new game is still low-poly enough to make modelling still easy.
Sadly, this game is frequently overlooked as some ‘Minecraft + DayZ combination’ cause of the block headed players/zombies, though I don’t think it’s been said as much as before. It’s still unique in terms of design.
That’s the art style to answer your question.
As for content/gameplay-wise, all you need to worry about is to not make it too much like the other known titles. We’ve already passed having a unique art style, but not to try to make it a reskinned walking/shooter simulator.
The workshop is a very popular feature of the game. I’m sure the new game would have it, and a lot of people would be pleased for the freedom to create and produce mods for use in the game.
With how the characters look, I’m sure it would be fitting to have enemies with various abilities and make them more relevant than hostile players. That’s what some post-apocalyptic survival games failed at; to make challenging opponents.
Though difficult to make it unique, we gotta make sure the survival experience is engaging, less stale and an important aspect of the game. Things like making the use of the wilderness; it’s not just chopping trees but gathering basic resources to gear you up for the more urban locations that have enemies. Make it as a relevant option for survival for sustainment from fresh food and useful vegetation/animals. Other than that, just make survival relevant compared to the current game’s PvP-influenced state.
Lastly gameplay mechanics. We’ve already seen confirmed features that would be added to the game and some well-written ideas in this forum. I hope they would make the game stand out from other games or atleast not make it a generic game
That’s all for me.