So for Z-FG there is 4 core songs that triggered the idea of the story, here I will break down those songs, this won’t have anything to do with the Original Z Characters, this will focus on 3 characters who are introduced in the game.
They are Graham Knight, Michelle Belcher and M̸͙͇̹̭̼̜͓̩͍̪̻̜͙̂̉̊̐r̵̨̙̱̝͖̺͇̬͍̣̿͝ ̴̨̝̻̩̫͔̘̈̈́̈͑D̴̲̤̭̤̬̂̀̄̀̃̄̊̂͑͌̕͘̚͝͝.
Track I Apology //Zombies//
Michelle, it’s the 22nd of July, today would have been our wedding anniversary.
I hope. Where ever you are… you’re happy now.
This war has taken from me what was home.
I’m so sorry my darling.
I can not continue this another day.
I see your face and no one surrounds me.
I see your face.
I see your face.
So this is where Apology helped me start the path to the game, Benn mentioned a while ago playlists were key, so I thought why don’t I mix Zombies & Z together in a playlist and little would I know two songs mixed together perfectly. The second track I will go to later
But this section is about Apology so I will continue from there.
So as you can see from the lyrics, we’re introduced Michelle and a unnamed protagonist, I’ve always wanted to find out about this character which left a canvas for me to continue the story of him and Michelle. He sees lost and he’s haunted by Michelle but I couldn’t find anything that linked back to Z that was until I had the playlist on shuffle and a song from Z mixed perfectly together Annihilovethehate. Funny thing I only just noticed as I’m writing this, looking at the tracklisting, the next song after Apology is WORLDS COLLIDE. Boy it will 😉
Track II Annihilovethehate //Z.2//
No this ain’t harmless,
No this ain’t trust,
I’ll follow you through these corridors,
The way you run and the way you hide,
Oh I wish that I could save,
Your reflection, reflection fades.
Oh I wish that I could stay,
I’m sorry.
And every time I close my eyes,
I see your shadow every single time.
And every time I go outside,
I hear you sing “you lie”, well you lied.
I can’t feel my soul, I can’t feel my soul, I can’t feel my soul, I don’t have a…
I can’t feel my soul, I can’t feel me soul, I can’t feel my soul. I don’t have a soul.
If this is future,
Then bring me past,
Cos’ I am wading through hellish floods.
And I am waiting,
Yes I will wait,
The mosh stand still at the barricades.
Oh I wish that I could save,
Your reflection, reflection fades,
Oh I wish that I could stay.
I’m sorry.
And every time I close my eyes,
I see your shadow every single time.
And every time I go outside,
I hear you sing “you lie”.
Every time I close my eyes,
I can see you standing by my side.
Every time I close my eyes,
I can feel you’re mine but you lied.
I can’t feel my soul, I can’t feel my soul, I can’t feel my soul, I don’t have a…
I can’t feel my soul, I can’t feel me soul, I can’t feel my soul. I don’t have a soul.
Do you dare to trust in me? Can your heart pretend belief?
Do you dare to trust in me? Does your heart beat?
Do you dare to trust in me? Did I promise anything?
Do you dare to trust in me? Your free.
Annihilovethehate is a song that feels like its about a man who is lost, haunted by love but each time he looks into the past, he finds nothing but her lies.
This is where the second part comes into play, as we end Apology this song came on and I hear every time I close my eyes, I see your shadow. This is where I started to plan the story out for the game, I had these two songs on repeat as I wrote the foundations for the story, the first word that came to mind for the protagonist was Knight. But it also linked back to a feeling I had about this song when I first heard this I was just with someone who I loved very dearly, I had got the best of hurt records album and I sat there hearing this song at the end, all I think about now is whenever I listen to this song shes there which hurts trust me, 7 years and it still hurts. But its that pain that fueled my ideas for the story of the game.
Track III
Dark Mirror
//Tragedy of Time//
Get out of my head… NOW!
[Verse 1]
And everything I do for you, is all in your name
The messed-up things you whisper me, are locked in my brain
You said you’d never let me go, when I’d start to fade
A puppet to enforce your will, I’ll never be sane.
It sounds so real to me right now, but I know your game
You’re just the lowest part of me, the dark I contain.
So get out!
Get out of my head!
So get out!
Get out of my head now!
[Chorus 1]
‘Cos I’m not the same as you, but that doesn’t matter now
I’ll never be like you, but that doesn’t matter now
And I’m not the same as you, but that doesn’t matter to you
And I’ll never be like you, but that doesn’t matter now.
[Verse 2]
I wish that I could see your face, a mirror might help
But my eyes are solidly black, the colour of Hell.
It sounds so real to me right now, but I know your game
You’re just the lowest part of me, the dark I contain.
So get out!
Get out of my head!
So get out!
Get out of my head now!
[Chorus 2]
‘Cos I’m not the same as you, but that doesn’t matter now
I’ll never be like you, but that doesn’t matter now
And I’m not the same as you, but that doesn’t matter to you
And I’ll never be like you, but that doesn’t matter now.
[Bridge]
I have fallen from grace, I’m a fucking disgrace,
I’m the reason that I can’t get out of this place!
I have fallen from grace, I’m a fucking disgrace,
I’m the reason that I can’t get out of this place!
I have fallen from grace, I’m a fucking disgrace,
I’m the reason that I can’t get out of this place!
[Chorus 3]
‘Cos I’m not the same as you, but that doesn’t matter now
I’ll never be like you, but that doesn’t matter now
And I’m not the same as you, but that doesn’t matter to you
And I’ll never be like you, but that doesn’t matter now.
The song feels like the negetive side of us all and when they fall for that side, they betray themselves like the bridge says I have fallen from grace, I’m a fucking degrace. They’ve realised what they had done and now they have to accept they won’t get out of it.
For Z-FG, I felt like the way the song is, its like Knight is screaming for Mr D to get out of his head, how everything he has done before Michelle was in his name and he will never be able to escape him. When he meets Michelle he realises that he’ll never be like Mr D. Whilst everything was meant to be perfect, Mr D would do everything he could to destroy them. But in the end, its Knight who destroys their happiness and he punishes himself for it knowing he won’t ever get her back.
Track IV
Into Dreams //Z.4//
Bring me your light and I’ll trade you my dark
Secrets and lies; fabrications of heart
We feel so small when we look to the stars
We pick out stars that we’d like to die on
Hoping, praying to the stars
Can’t you see how wondrous we are?
And you’re somewhere down there
Can’t climb up
And you were my King and I was your Queen
And we ruled a world; poorer than poorer can be
But I smiled when I died
Safe in the knowledge the life that I left was a lie
Oh it’s not fair we allow them to live
They never once thought of us as their kin
All of them wait on the edge of the hill
Poisonous statues, succumb to the winds
Hoping, praying to the stars
Can’t you see how wondrous we are?
And you’re somewhere down there
Can’t climb up
And you were my King and I was your Queen
And we ruled a world; poorer than poorer can be
But I smiled when I died
Safe in the knowledge the life that I left was a lie
It’s only a dream
And I am your King
And I am your King, and you were my Queen
And we ruled the world; darker than darker could be
(Is this just a dream?)
Ok this one really does bring back sadness for a time long since past, the song feels like the queen is talking about her past and how it was amazing at first but as time went on it lost its sweetness leading to their demise in which brings her happiness but she still dreams about what they had yet he’s thinking about her too…
In the story of Z-FG this song inspires a scene in which Michelle sees her killer, she knows she’s going to die and all she can think about is Knight, how he tried to warn her, how he was always there, how she wished she forgave him. But in her own mind she regretted it thinking he no longer cared. He did care, he still loved her but it was all too late and he finds her just a few hours after her death. And he too feels regret, he cries as he says I am your King, and you were my Queen And we ruled the world.