Railbreak: Everything We Know

If you’ve been hunkering for another trip down the rabbit hole and into the world of infinite on-rails arcade shooters and 90s aesthetics, then you’ll be pleased to know that Dead Drop Studios is rustling up something fresh for its rather hefty light gun-centric portfolio. That’s right, the zombies are back — and they’re channeling their flesh and bones into an exciting new adventure for consoles and PC. So, if you have just about emptied your final clip and squeezed the last few drops from your arcade-bought soda —don’t sweat it, basically. As it turns out, there’s a prelude knocking about — Railbreak — and it promises to bring all the same bullet-raising chaos as its arcade-dwelling components.

So, what do you really need to know about the next link in the chain? Well, if you did miss out on Dead Drop Studios’ initial announcement, then be sure to read on for all the latest updates. Here’s everything you should know about Railbreak.

What Is Railbreak?

Put on your dancing shoes, because it’s time to hop on back to the 90s—a time during which arcades and on-rails shooters reigned supreme over the entertainment circuit. In Railbreak, you will have the opportunity to plunge into a zombie-filled metropolis as one of several characters, all of whom come equipped with a slew of weapons, skills, and traits. Will you survive the virtual streets while the whole world crumbles beneath your feet? Only time will tell on that one.

According to the Dead Drop Studios, “Railbreak melds a classic on-rails arcade experience with the cutting edge Unreal Engine 5. In this prelude to Outbreak: Shades of Horror, you'll get an opportunity to see the sights and sounds of Cypress Ridge and get chomped on by a zombie or four! Face the city alone, or bring a friend along with optional 2-player co-op supported across the entire game.” So, there you have it. It’s an on-rails shooter, and a prequel to the acclaimed Outbreak saga. Fair enough.

Story

Railbreak will take place in the city of Cypress Ridge, a metropolis lost in endless turmoil and under the thumb of an undead colony. Either alone, or with one additional friend at your side, you will need to take measures into your own hands and wage war with the zombies that have claimed the city for their own keeping.

“It's Saturday night in Cypress Ridge which means the city is in ruins, hordes of flesh eating undead are on the prowl, and you have the arcade all to yourself!” the blurb reads in part. “Grab your lightgun (or keyboard, mouse, or gamepad), select your survivor, and blast your way to safety as the city burns around you in this on-rails survival horror shooter. Oh, and don't forget to bring a friend for zombie fodder, er, we mean multiplayer experience!”

Gameplay

Gameplay-wise, players can expect to delve into all the familiar on-rails sorts of shenanigans, which, in short, means plenty of high-octane action, high-stakes scoreboards, and arcade modes to indulge in either alone, or with another gun-toting zombie slayer in the game’s co-op mode. It’ll also feature a story mode, which will include a total of six unique scenarios, as well as a collection of playable characters to tailor to your own play style.

“Featuring a wide cast of survivors each with their own loadouts and traits, you'll find plenty of replayability in this absurd take of a survival horror game in a survival horror game,” the blurb boasts. “A full story mode experience awaits across six scenarios. Bonus modes include Score Attack, and the endless Onslaught Mode that keeps ratcheting up the difficulty until the undead finally seal your fate.”

Development

If you haven’t had the chance to plunge into Dead Drop Studios’ works yet, then you might be surprised to know that this isn’t exactly the team’s first rodeo. In fact, the studio has released a number of on-rails shooters over the years, all of which have come bundled in a jack-of-all-trades sort of case file known as Outbreak. To put it simply, Railbreak will serve as the prelude for Outbreak: Shades of Horror, yet another upcoming shooter set around the apocalypse.

As it stands, Railbreak is set to launch across next-gen consoles and PC on December 22, 2023. Can’t wait that long? You can check out some of the pre-launch footage over on the studio’s Twitch channel here.

Trailer

Hungry for a few more bites? As luck would have it, Dead Drop Studios did actually release a trailer for Railbreak a little ways back. Need we say more? You can catch a glimpse of what’s to come in the upcoming on-rails shooter in the preview embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

The good news is, fans won’t have to wait all that long for the release of Dead Drop Studios’ latest game, as its currently due to hit the slate on December 22, 2023. It’ll be coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. To get ahead of the curve, you can go ahead and add it to your wishlist on Steam here.

When it comes to editions, Railbreak will launch with just the one: the standard version, which will be available both physically and digitally via the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam.

Interested in staying up to date with Railbreak? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over at Dead Drop Studios by following the official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its debut, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Railbreak when it releases on consoles and PC? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.