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- Ninja Killer: Zombies Run is a 3D side- scroller running game. It is an adventurous Ninja game with beautiful environment. One Ninja, one sword and lots of zombies. Defend yourself by killing the coming zombies using the sword at right time and clear up all the blocking zombies, travel as long as by avoiding the obstacles.
- In today's popular media you can encounter zombies at every turn, but one of the most innovative uses of the zombie trope came from an app. Uses a zombie survival story as a.
On Friday, I completed my last training mission for the Android version of the Zombies, Run! 5K Training app by Six to Start. While this is supposed to be an 8-week training program, I’ve been at it since mid-October. Having completed the program, I wanted to give some of my thoughts on the experience.
Became the highest-grossing Health & Fitness app on Apple's App Store within two weeks of its initial release, and has drawn praise for the way its immersive storyline makes running more fun and academic attention for its genre and mHealth applications. Aug 07, 2020 TIME - 'Takes all the fun of a zombie game and funnels it into a fitness app.' WALK, JOG, OR RUN ANYWHERE Zombies, Run! Works anywhere and at any speed. You can jog in a park, run along a beach, or walk along a trail. It even works on treadmills! YOU ARE RUNNER 5 Hundreds of lives are counting on you.
Overall, I loved it!
Imagine taking an audiobook about a zombie outbreak, and attaching a step-counter/GPS tracker to it. That’s what the app is at its core.
Story
You play the silent hero, Runner 5. The adventure opens with you in a helicopter bound for the Town of Able. While en route, your helicopter is shot out of the sky, and you are forced to make your way to the settlement with the help of Able’s radio operator, Sam. Once you make it to town, you meet a diverse cast of characters who you “interact” with throughout the 8-week plan.
The bulk of your interactions take place with Sam and Maxine, the town’s doctor, who also serves as your training coach while you build stamina and prepare to take your place as one of the town’s Runners. The Runners are a group of people who are sent out on missions outside the guarded walls of town to run messages, look for survivors, gather supplies, and occasionally serve as decoy bait to lure zombies away.
While managing a zombie outbreak is bad enough, you still have the lingering question of who would shoot down a helicopter from the middle of the zombie-infested countryside, and more urgently, who is stealing supplies from the town’s quartermaster.
I found the story very immersive. It brought me back to my old radio drama days from high school, with well-acted characters and sound effects to help you believe that you are being chased by zombies. The creators took time to ensure the voice acting was well-done as you rely on the characters to help you experience the story. There is no narrator telling you a story, but instead the story unfolds around you while you run.
Despite the fact that this is a training app, there is a surprising amount of story given to you. You learn a bit of the backstory of the main players, and there is a lot of world building going on about life and the history of the zombie outbreak. You learn a little bit about the politics of the various surrounding towns, and you get swept up in the human drama. Indeed, your final mission is not just a 5k run, but a race against the clock to make a critical delivery to someone you’ll never meet but means the world to a close companion of yours.
The App
I found the app easy to use and well-designed. As I mentioned above, the app is basically an audiobook and a step-counter. There is a bit more to it, but those are just extras that help with customization. The app tracks your progress in one of three ways – a GPS tracker that lays out your run via a Google Maps integration, a step-counter if you want to use a treadmill, and an estimated distance tracker for use on rowing machines and ellipticals (how many minutes it takes you to go 1-kilometre). I chose to use the step-counter feature despite using an elliptical, which meant my in-app distances were skewed, however I corrected the distances with the tracking done by the elliptical itself. I also used my Fitbit to track caloric expenditure and heart rate, since they were calibrated to my height and weight.
The best part about the app is that you can choose to use an external audio player when the app isn’t talking to you. I used both Stitcher and Spotify and found that the integrations were smooth. This allows you to listen to music on the run. When the training app needs to deliver information to you, it pauses what you are listening to and continues the story, before switching back to your preferred audio. Even taking phone calls mid-app worked well. There was only one time where my music didn’t start back up after I took a phone call.
One note of caution is that the first 3 or so weeks of the app are free to use, but you need to pay a nominal fee ($5.49) to unlock the rest of the missions. While this might be annoying, or a bit of a barrier for people, I liked it because a.) I’m in favour of companies making money off of users to keep creating good content; and b.) letting you use the app for free lets you test it out. By the time I was ready for week 4, I wanted to find out what happens next, and I thought a buy-in of around $5 was worth it to continue on the adventure. The full (non-training) app uses a subscription model, but still allows you to trying things out before you need to unlock the full app.
Training
I found the 8-week program to be a little easy for me, but using an elliptical meant that there was only so much crossover I would experience. If I were to have tried running, I suspect the app’s difficulty would have been scaled more appropriately to me (and my knees would have taken a beating). But the main purpose of the training is similar to most other “couch to 5K” training programs – get you moving a couple days per week while the difficulty is slowly ramped up. I appreciate this approach, as it is enough to challenge you, but easy enough to keep you coming back for more.
To keep the difficulty scaled for me, I would often run through rest breaks, and I ensured that I kept the resistance level at a good place to maintain a heart rate of around 140bpm. To ensure I was running fast enough, I monitored the elliptical’s RPMs, and used the following markers:
- 40-50rpm: slow walk/rest
- 50-60rpm: brisk walk/warm up
- 60-70rpm: steady running pace
- 70+: hard exertion/sprint
Before each mission, you can review what the day’s exercise routine will look like. The training sessions involve a combination of walking and running periods, and some sort of ancillary movement to develop your leg muscles, such as knee-ups, skipping, and body-weight squats. Some days are straight training, where you get little story development, but learn more about the people you are interacting with. However, some training days morph into mini missions where you need to divert due to zombies or pick up critical supplies nearby. One time, you even risk you life to help a downed runner in the field. This is probably what kept me so engaged. If it were just a disembodied voice telling me when to walk and run, I doubt I would find it very engaging and would have likely lost interest quickly. However, because the training prompts are integrated into a narrative, and the characters are cheering your development on (because you are expected to take you place as a member of the community), it breaks the monotony of running up into more interesting chunks.
I’m not entirely sure to what degree I improved my cardiovascular health. Because I didn’t feel like I struggled with the difficulty, it’s hard to measure my progress. The best I can estimate is that my running distances did increase over time, even if you were to control for the duration of walking in the training cycles and the differences in run duration from week to week. Despite having not measured with any amount of accuracy what my abilities were pre-Zombies, I’m fairly confident that I am in a better state of cardiovascular health having completed the training program.
Final Thoughts
If I have one complaint, it’s that the narrative move from the training app to the full app ends up restarting the story a bit. The first mission in both the training app and the full app is the same, meaning your story doesn’t really continue after the training app. I suspect that once you start running the story missions, things will feel more integrated, but I was a little sad to have to “meet” Sam and Maxine for the first time again after having “developed” a relationship with them while I trained. This is a relatively small nitpick on my part because narrative and story are important to me, but it’s not something that takes away from the experience.
I have already recommended the app to friends of mine, and I officially recommend it here. I got well more than $5 in value from the app’s minor cost. This is a well-made app that is easy to use, and integrates well into my exercise routine. It makes exercise fun and engaging and the story is compelling enough to keep me coming back for more punishment. If you are looking for a way to help you commit to a cardio routine, but you are starting off from scratch, this is a great option if you don’t mind running from zombies.
Stay Awesome,
Ryan
Factsheet
Developer:
Six to Start & Naomi Alderman
Based in London, UK
Six to Start & Naomi Alderman
Based in London, UK
Season 8 Release:
15 May 2019
15 May 2019
Original Release date:
27 February 2012
27 February 2012
Platform:
iPhone + Android
iPhone + Android
Website:
zombiesrungame.com
zombiesrungame.com
Abel Runner's Club subscription (Month/Year):
USD: $5.99 / $34.99
EUR: €6.49 / €37.99
GBP: £5.49 / £31.99
Prices may vary by region
USD: $5.99 / $34.99
EUR: €6.49 / €37.99
GBP: £5.49 / £31.99
Prices may vary by region
Description
With the launch of Season 8, Zombies, Run! brings new stories for beginners and veterans alike, along with a major redesign.Zombies, Run! is an ultra-immersive running game and audio adventure for iPhone and Android, created by Six to Start and award-winning novelist Naomi Alderman. Over five million players worldwide run to the perfect mix of heart-pumping audio drama and pulse-pounding songs from their own playlists.
Season 8 of Zombies, Run was launched on 15 May 2019, introducing huge new features including New Adventures – a set of unique stories outside Zombies, Run! canon, ranging from epic thrillers and races against to exciting historical and scientific adventures – in-progress run saving, new Season 8 missions, and a major edesign to make the app faster and easier to use than ever.
Zombies, Run! can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store. A paid 'Abel Runner's Club' subscription is available to unlock unlimited access to all game modes and features. Existing players who previously purchased the app will receive the first three seasons for free and a significant discount on Abel Runner's Club membership.
History
Six to Start are the co-creators of Zombies, Run! and The Walk.Originally launched as a successful Kickstarter project in 2011, Zombies, Run! is the world's most popular smartphone fitness game, available on iOS and Android. Over one million players bought the app at a price between $3.99 to $7.99, with hundreds of thousands playing every month.
In May 2015, Zombies, Run! became free-to-play, with new players given unlimited access to the first four missions and the ability to unlock one additional mission per week. An Abel Runner's Club membership is available on a monthly and annual basis, which unlocks unlimited access to all missions and game modes.
As a thank-you for their support, existing players who previously purchased the app were given unlimited access to the first three seasons and all existing game modes. These players also receive a significant discount on Abel Runner's Club membership.
Features
- Walk, Jog or Run Anywhere: Zombies, Run! works anywhere and at any speed. Players can jog in a park, run along a beach, or walk along a trail. It even works on treadmills!
- A World Of Stories: With 400+ missions to date and new missions added every week during our annual new season release, players can enjoy a thrilling story every run.
- Zombie Chases: Our signature Zombie Chases simulate a incoming horde, and players have to increase their speed to escape. It's interval training.. with an exciting twist.
- Free Cloud Backup: All players have access to our free ZombieLink service, to backup their runs and track their progress online.
- Apple Watch and Wear OS by Google: Keep track of your vital stats with a glance at your wrist.
Videos
Zombies, Run! TrailerYouTube
To request a full HD version of this trailer, please email [email protected]
Screenshots
download all screenshots & photos as .zip (10.1 MB)
Selected Articles
- 'Instead of offering mundane fitness tracking, Zombies, Run! 3 makes a game out of being active.'
- Vignesh Ramachandran, USA Today - 'I think the Zombies, Run! team has succeeded in something no one has before, not even Nintendo; it honestly makes geeks get off the couch. Congrats, team. You deserve a cookie.'
- Mur Lafferty, The Escapist - 'A few weeks after my first mission, I was still motivated to get out and jog, eager to take on the next zombie threat.'
- Caelainn Hogan, The Washington Post - '[#2 Most Innovative Company in Fitness].. This Kickstarter-funded app is one part audio book, one part video game, and one party sneaky personal trainer.'
- Kate Rockwood, Fast Company - 'Zombies, Run! is a really cool way to get outside and exercise. If you've needed some added motivation, try the fear of an untimely and horribly gruesome death.'
- Adam Dachis, Lifehacker - 'How an indie took on Nike, challenged the rules of narrative design, and started the Kickstarter revolution.'
- Mark Walton, Gamespot
About Six to Start
Boilerplate
Six to Start is an independent game developer based in London, specialising in storylike games and game-like stories. Their latest games include Zombies, Run!, the world's bestselling smartphone fitness app, and The Walk, the first smartphone fitness game funded by the UK's Department of Health.
Six to Start is an independent game developer based in London, specialising in storylike games and game-like stories. Their latest games include Zombies, Run!, the world's bestselling smartphone fitness app, and The Walk, the first smartphone fitness game funded by the UK's Department of Health.
Six to Start was founded in 2007. It's made treasure hunts and games involving millions of players for Channel 4, the BBC, and Muse, along with cutting-edge fiction for Penguin and Macmillan that's been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art. The company also conducts research and development for companies including Disney Imagineering, Microsoft, and the British Museum.
About Naomi Alderman
Boilerplate
Naomi Alderman is a writer, broadcaster, academic and technologist. Her most recent book is the international bestseller The Power, which is published in more than 30 languages, won the Baileys Prize for Fiction and was chosen as a book of the year by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times and President Barack Obama. She’s worked in games writing for 15 years, she's Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, she presents science programmes for BBC Radio 4 and writes Doctor Who stories for the BBC and Penguin. She is currently show-running the TV show of The Power for Amazon Prime Video.
Naomi Alderman is a writer, broadcaster, academic and technologist. Her most recent book is the international bestseller The Power, which is published in more than 30 languages, won the Baileys Prize for Fiction and was chosen as a book of the year by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times and President Barack Obama. She’s worked in games writing for 15 years, she's Professor of Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, she presents science programmes for BBC Radio 4 and writes Doctor Who stories for the BBC and Penguin. She is currently show-running the TV show of The Power for Amazon Prime Video.
More information on Naomi Alderman, including a full bio and photos, is available here.
Credits
Season 8 Cast
Alex Harland
Tom
Tom
Amy Rockson
Zoe
Zoe
![App App](https://lifehealthhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/fitness-game-apps.png)
Charly Afia
Frances
Frances
Daniel Dresner
Duncan Macallan
Duncan Macallan
Eleanor Rushton
Janine
Janine
Mamp pro serial number. Felix Trench
Phil / Callum
Phil / Callum
Jane Paul-Gets
Morag Brown
Morag Brown
Jennifer Tan
Jody
Jody
Miguel Pina
Casper
Casper
Niall Macgregor
Laird Reid
Laird Reid
Philip Nightingale
Sam
Sam
Robert Bradley
Lachlan Jones
Lachlan Jones
Rosalyn Mitchell
Ellie
Ellie
Rose Wardlaw
Shona Reid
Shona Reid
Sally Orrock
Maxine
Maxine
Sean Connaghan
Rory
Rory
Victoria Grove
Paula
Paula
Will Green
Peter
Peter
![Zombie Zombie](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Observer/Columnist/Columnists/2012/3/23/1332508151127/zombies-run-008.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=5d2d048b9aaaec28ee2720cfd37b8a90)
Crew
Adrian Hon
Co-Creator, Producer
Co-Creator, Producer
Naomi Alderman
Co-Creator, Lead Writer
Co-Creator, Lead Writer
Rebecca Levene
Writer
Writer
Mary Goodden
Writer, Story Editor
Writer, Story Editor
Elliot Gresswell
Writer
Writer
Run Zombie App
Matt Wieteska
Head of Production, Audio Director Battery time remaining v1 6 2.
Head of Production, Audio Director Battery time remaining v1 6 2.
Zombies Run App Treadmill
Mark Pittam
Sound Designer
Sound Designer
Steven Veltema
Senior Mobile Developer
Senior Mobile Developer
Guven Bolukbasi
Senior Mobile Developer
Senior Mobile Developer
Kascha Sweeney
Artist
Artist
Ranjani Natarajan
Senior Producer
Senior Producer
Lulu Kadhim
Producer
Producer
Ciaran Roberts
QA and Support
QA and Support
Sabrina Greenberg-James
Operations Manager
Operations Manager
Contact
Inquiries
[email protected]
[email protected]
Social
Twitter: @zombiesrungame
Instagram: @zombiesrungame
Facebook: facebook.com/ZombiesRunGame Paw http client 3 1 5 download free.
Twitter: @zombiesrungame
Instagram: @zombiesrungame
Facebook: facebook.com/ZombiesRunGame Paw http client 3 1 5 download free.