Mystery adventures face a delicate tonal balance. Many detective games favor dark realism or psychological horror, which may not appeal to players looking for a lighter experience. At the same time, a strong comic tone can make it harder to preserve the intricate plotting and satisfying logic that mystery fans expect. Zombie Police sets out to combine engaging deduction with humor, charm, and accessibility.
Tsuyoshi Manabe, CEO and game producer at Lobstudio Inc., approached this challenge with Zombie Police: Christmas Dancing with Police Zombies. Developed collaboratively by Lobstudio and ALTERCIWS, the game pairs rookie detective Yasu Tamura with Akemi Kabane, a brilliant, free-spirited zombie detective. The result is a lighthearted comedy mystery that still challenges players to think carefully about its cases. In this Q&A, Manabe discusses the project's origins, lessons from the first game, and the future of the Zombie Police series.
Q: Zombie Police: Christmas Dancing with Police Zombies combines grounded detective work with a comedic buddy-cop dynamic featuring a zombie partner. Where did the idea for this unusual combination come from?
Tsuyoshi Manabe: The mystery games I love are fundamentally grounded in reality. I felt that adding a cute zombie as the rookie detective's senior partner would open up far more possibilities for the story and its presentation. Above all, I wanted to create a bright, upbeat comedy mystery with a pop sensibility.
Q: Balancing lighthearted comedy with gripping suspense can be difficult. How did you keep the humor from undermining the deduction or the story's tension?
Tsuyoshi Manabe: The comedy and the deduction are closely connected: the case moves forward because our zombie detective can gather evidence and question people in ways no human could. Even so, solving the mystery still requires serious thought. The first Zombie Police game ended up being more difficult than we intended, so for the next title, we plan to adjust the balance and make the overall experience lighter and more approachable.
Q: The game includes features such as "Pre-Deduction Notes," which help players review the investigation. Why was it important to make the mystery accessible to newcomers?
Tsuyoshi Manabe: As I mentioned, we set out to create a comedy mystery that felt as bright and approachable as possible while still offering a substantial mystery. There was room for improvement in this area, but by making the information available for players to review at any time, we wanted them to focus on the deduction itself rather than struggle to recall details.
Q: While developing the first game, what were the most significant lessons your team learned about deduction difficulty and story structure?
Tsuyoshi Manabe: We learned that asking players to reach the correct answer only after fully understanding the logic of the case was more demanding than we had expected. At the same time, despite its short length, we were able to give the story a cohesive and complete arc. In the next title, we aim to create an even more tightly connected storyline.
Q: Since the original release, Zombie Police has expanded to new platforms. How did player response shape what came next for the series?
Tsuyoshi Manabe: Player feedback has always been a source of encouragement and motivation for me. Zombie Police was Lobstudio's first title, and its positive reception on Steam helped make the Nintendo Switch release possible. It was always a project I wanted to continue, and that support also helped make the sequel possible. We owe all of that to our players.
Q: You are currently developing the next Zombie Police title. How do you hope to evolve the series, and what can fans expect next from Yasu and Akemi?
Tsuyoshi Manabe: We intend to continue Zombie Police as one of Lobstudio's flagship IPs. We love Yasu and Akemi's lively banter and comic chemistry just as much as our players do, and fans can expect their relationship to remain at the heart of the series. Our goal is to grow the IP and deliver an even more polished Zombie Police experience with each new title.
Zombie Police shows how an unusual character pairing can give a grounded mystery a brighter, more playful identity. Manabe's reflections also point to the team's next challenge: preserving the series' balance of comedy and deduction while making the experience more approachable.
With a sequel in development, the team aims to build on the first game's reception and keep Yasu and Akemi at the heart of the series.
To learn more, visit the official Zombie Police website: https://www.zombiepolice99.com/