Let’s Talk Walking Dead
In 2012, Telltale Games released an episodic/seasonal video game based on The Walking Dead that captured the hearts of the gaming world. It brought The Walking Dead to a whole new medium. TWD was already a successful comic book and TV series, but now…it was a video game. This took the universe of TWD to a whole new level with a unique design and, from the perspective of the main protagonist, Lee Everett, gave the player the power to choose morally how they would navigate the zombie apocalypse. It was a beautiful game that went on to win several awards with multiple seasons. While the Telltale games were great, they weren’t using The Walking Dead universe to its fullest potential.
Enter OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead.
“Inspired by Robert Kirkman’s original graphic novels, OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead is a four-player co-op multiplayer shooter in which players must band together on a variety of missions and raids to find survivors, secure supplies and stay alive. Use stealth to evade enemies tactically, or dismember walkers limb from limb with brute force and firepower. Each of the game’s four playable characters has their own special abilities, skill trees, squad roles, play styles and background stories.”
On Nov 6th, OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead comes to PC, PS4, and Xbox One as a welcomed release. This is the game fans of The Walking Dead have been craving. It has all the elements to bring The Walking Dead universe to life.
Strength In Numbers
The world of The Walking Dead is a harsh and cruel place. Naturally, your chance of survival is much lower alone than if you’re working with a team. At its essence, OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead is a co-op zombie survival game. Gamers can play with friends, working together in order to survive the various challenges of life in the zombie apocalypse whether it be hordes of zombies or enemy factions. And, though your chances of survival are much higher when working as a team, you’re not required to play with others. The game will adapt, but the developers have said it wont be by much – the game will still be difficult. This game captures the necessity of planning and working together to devise tactics for survival. There is no room for error. You must pay attention. You must plan ahead. This is not a play in the background sort of game. You can’t just go in with guns blazing and expect everything to be okay.
Guns make noise.
Noise attracts walkers.
A lot of noise attracts a lot of walkers.
A lot of walkers is bad…very, very bad.
This is why tactical co-op will be incredibly necessary for playing through OTWD. On the subject of multiplayer, it’s important to note this is not a competitive game whatsoever. Players are meant to work together as would be expected in a real zombie apocalypse scenario. There is no friendly fire. Sorry trolls.
The realism of the gameplay mechanics doesn’t stop there. Weapons will degrade with time. A silencer on a firearm will eventually wear and then break. You cannot expect to kill a zombie with just a shot to the arm – you have to kill it with a headshot or they will just keep on coming.
Living, Breathing Worlds
The gaming world today is filled with possibility. Developers can practically do anything with what is available through technology. Video games have reached a point where high-quality realistic visuals are expected from them. This is present in OTWD and takes the realistic nature of the game even further. The graphics of OTWD are gritty, dark, beautiful…and bloody. Oh yes, there will be blood.
Not to take away from the uniqueness of OTWD, but it is reminiscent of the Left 4 Dead series in which you had 4 unique characters to choose from. In OTWD, you have 4 characters – Aidan, Maya, Grant and Heather. All of them have a specific purpose such as healer, scout, tank and tactician. These class choices are perfect to build the ideal team for zombie slaying fun.
Lifeline Content
There are a few things to know about post-launch. In an interview, Producer Almir Listo referred to the initial release as “just the beginning.” What does this mean? Well, Listo stated there will be much more to come in terms of both free and paid updates, such as additional missions and cosmetic content. He also added, “micro-transactions is a big no for us.” During the life of OVERKILL’s previous release, Payday 2, micro-transactions were introduced and, unsurprisingly, the fans did not respond positively. Listo stated they heard the audience and reversed their actions, making the content free. It was a breath of fresh air to hear a developer say they listen to the fans and make the appropriate changes.
From Page to Game
Fans of The Walking Dead universe have reason to be optimistic about OVERKILL’s release because not only was The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman involved in the process of the development of the game but Kirkman has also given his stamp of approval to include the game as canon. That’s kind of a big deal.
The intention of this article is not to bash on the Telltale series at all; they were beautiful games. They are a useful reference point because they were the first to introduce the gaming world to The Walking Dead universe. That being said, all gamers are different. We are all unique in our preferences. OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead is shaping up to be a game that can satisfy a myriad of preferences in one fell swoop. Based on what we’ve seen so far, it is sure to be an incredible experience from beginning to end with plenty of additional content to come.
Recent Comments