Are you ready for the newest interpretation of the world of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead? Or what about a new first-person survivor shooter? Why not both? Today we will be covering the unexpectedly wild ride, Overkill’s The Walking Dead.
Where other first-person zombie shooters promise you victory so long as you have the necessary firepower to obliterate your enemies, Overkill reminds us of the most fundamental rule in Kirkman’s universe: shoot em in the head. Zombies can take a beating, even going as far as getting blown in half, but they will continue to come after you until their brains meet the pavement.
Luckily for us, making that kind of introduction is fairly easy thanks to the steady controls, much like the ones we are used to in other FPS games. It seems kind of obvious when you say it out loud, but zombies are strongest in groups– and their numbers can swell up in an instant. We had the chance to experience the horde of dead while defending our camp, navigating through an expedition for supplies, and scouting the territory of the human opposition: The Family.
As far as game mechanics, the human enemies are far more dangerous thanks to their guns. You need to use stealth to take them down. I don’t know if they become zombies after a while, mostly because they killed me just as fast as I ran into them. Sound is probably the most important utility. It has the potential to draw in both the living and the dead, but the dead are especially drawn by the sounds you may accidentally make: car alarms, radios, gun fire, etc.
But you might be wondering: are there any variety of zombies? That appears to be the staple that most defines this kind of genre, from Killing Floor to Left 4 Dead to Hunt Showdown to Vermentide to Payday (you get the point). The answer is yes. You will encounter the average grunt anytime, but there are also fallen US soldiers and Police in riot gear. Also remember that one bloated zombie from season 2? Yeah, the big bloats are in here and they blow up too! Those are the main enemy types that we have seen so far.
The world building and level design are pretty spot on, and it even feels grittier than most adaptations of the series. Even the guns have a fine rusty coating on them. Though, I will say that there are some really weird places for traps laid out from map to map. Who puts a bear trap in their kitchen? Well, the joke was on me; I fell for it! Besides accidentally bumbling into traps like that, we did find some scripting issues that very literally killed us. Gas canisters can explode if you shoot them – but that can also explode if you hit them! In a hostage rescue mission, we made it to the final point, but a combination of lag and sudden bloater spawns held us in place just as gas canisters and zombie sickness exploded all around us. Our remains were somewhere in that Jackson Pollock of red.
It’s all a part of the mission. We collect missions by seeing individual quest givers in our camp, and they provide rewards that help us sustain and upgrade our base of operations. We can even recruit new members, presumably like in State of Decay when we have new facilities. I am also relieved that we have mission variety. What makes me nervous is that we are not provided much ammo at the start of the missions, but you can purchase mods for your weapons at the home base. Why not bullets?
Overall, we had a good time! Times were tough when lag became an issue, and you knew that was the case when everything seemed delayed or frozen in place – and then suddenly everything around was either dead (for real this time) or blown up. There is a difficulty setting for when things get kind of tough, but having a full party is the way to go. We two-manned a zombie siege, and that proved that even normal can be hard. The asking price appears to be double what the devs usually put out there for their games, but I think the game is worth it. It has some kinks that can get patched out for sure, but I believe we have a 9 out of 10 game here.
Check Out the Overkill’s The Walking Dead Beta Impression Video:
OVERKILL’S The Walking Dead will arrive on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One on Feb. 6, 2019, in the Americas and Feb. 8, 2019, in Europe and other territories. Console pre-orders are available now digitally and at most major retailers.
For more information, visit https://www.overkillsthewalkingdead.com,
Xbox One Beta Impressions
I like to think of myself as the average Joe who grew up alongside video games. I have fun playing strategy games, RPGs, shooters, sandboxes, the whole shebang! Every game provides an experience whether it strikes you as profound, mundane, or someplace in between. I'd like to weigh in my two cents before you spend a single penny.
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