American McGee's Shanghai-based studio Spicy Horse has taken to Kickstarter to crowdfund a new project built around the classic Wizard of Oz tale, with the famed designer's macabre take on the colourful L. Frank Baum Universe.

Dorothy's great-great-granddaughter joins forces with Tin Woodsman and Lion to battle Scarecrow's mindless army for control of Oz.

OZombie is a narrative-driven action-adventure game set within an alternate version of the Oz universe created by L. Frank Baum. The game's themes and characters are inspired by Baum’s deeply imaginative books (all 14 of them!) then filtered through the story and art treatment you've seen applied to our other games like Alice: Madness Returns and Akaneiro: Demon Hunters.

While inspired by Baum, our Oz will be a non-conformist version, distinct from both his original, and ALL subsequent adaptations (including American’s Oz project, which Atari killed nearly a decade ago). Honoring Baum’s sublime vision, Oz is a real place, rather than a young girl’s dream. That idea was an MGM invention.

Our Oz is mystical, filled with magic, enchantment, and a vast collection of unique “Ozite” artifacts. It also contains adapted and evolved hardware imported by visitors from other lands, usually represented in a style called "steampunk," which has its own particular look and feel.

The game is targetting PC, Mac and Linux initially, with hope of extending to other Unity3D-supported platforms, and will feature an offline single-player component, as well as an online multiplayer offering, with the base offline game being DRM free.

The project has a US$950,000 goal, however stretch goals are being marked by backer number targets, rather than additional funding totals. At 6000 backers, they'll open a mystery box, and at 11,000 backers, Chris Vrenna (of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson Fame, and the memorably Doom 3 theme track) will join the team to compose the game's soundtrack.

Watch the pitch video below, and head over to the Kickstarter page to get on board.