Watch Your Back - Zombies

A fast-paced zombie survival game where you have just five shots. Aim smart, reload at the right moment, survive endless waves, and chase your highest score.

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Inspiration

We wanted to capture the tension of classic top-down arcade games: simple controls, immediate danger, and the feeling that one good decision can save a run. That idea became Watch Your Back - Zombies, a forest survival game built around just five shots.

What it does

Players move through forest arenas while zombies emerge from the trees. Movement sets the hunter’s facing direction, so positioning matters when firing. The shotgun holds five shots, and each cartridge pickup provides one full reload. Players can defeat every zombie to earn a bonus and an extra life, or find an exit and escape early. Each level brings a new arena and a tougher encounter.

How we built it

We built the iPhone and iPad game in Swift, using SpriteKit for gameplay and SwiftUI for menus and overlays. Seeded generation creates the forest arenas, while separate rule components handle shooting, ammunition, scoring, and progression. We also added saved runs, sound, haptics, and Game Center leaderboards.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was making the forest feel dense without making combat confusing. Trees needed to provide cover while keeping nearby threats visible, and generated layouts needed reachable exits on different screen sizes. We refined foliage fading, collision, and exit behavior through repeated testing.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of how much tension comes from the five-shot limit. Players must decide when to line up a shot, use a cartridge, or escape. We’re also proud that the arenas feel different while preserving a clear, fast arcade loop.

What we learned

We learned that simple mechanics depend on precise rules. Limited ammunition is only satisfying when aiming, enemy attacks, pickups, and exits behave consistently. Separating those rules from the visuals made the game easier to test and improve.

What's next for Watch Your Back - Zombies

Our next step is to build a 3D version with RealityKit. We want to bring more depth to the forest, characters, and encounters while preserving the five-shot decisions and fast arcade gameplay that define Watch Your Back - Zombies.

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