The Walking Dead Franchise has received mixed receptions in the video game market. Telltale’s The Walking Dead series provided gamers with choice-based gameplay and a comic book aesthetic that garnered positive reviews from critics. Activision’s The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct was a different story – receiving negative reviews for its sub-par gameplay and bland graphics.
Overkill Software, known for the Payday series, is hoping to rectify the shortcomings of Activision’s attempt by providing fans with an enjoyable first-person shooter set in the Walking Dead universe. The game has, mostly, been kept under wraps since its announcement in 2014, but a recent showing at E3, and a few story trailers released by the development team, have given gamers a glimpse at what to expect.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead Story
The story is set in The Walking Dead universe, a setting based in Robert Kirkman’s comic series of the same name, where zombies roam the earth. The undead are not the only dangers in this post-apocalyptic setting, as not all survivors are friendly. The game will follow four protagonists as they try to survive hordes of zombies and hostile humans in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. The playable characters are Heather (an optimistic kindergarten teacher), Grant (a hunter looking for his family), Maya (former surgeon and group medic), and Aiden (a brawler with a temper).
Overkill’s The Walking Dead Release Date
Overkill’s The Walking Dead is set for a November 6, 2018 release date and will launch on Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC. The new game in The Walking Dead franchise was first announced back in August 2014, featuring a simple, yet disturbing, reveal trailer on Overkill software’s YouTube page. The game was originally slated for a 2016 release, but has recently been delayed to 2018. The upcoming first-person shooter will be developed by Overkill Software and published by Starbreeze Publishing with 505 Games publishing on consoles.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead Gameplay
Overkill’s The Walking Dead will be an action first-person shooter with 4 player co-op, similar to the Payday franchise. Each protagonist will have their own play-style, skill tree, and a progression system, which will enable players to level up their skills and abilities. Giving each character a unique build ensures that players will have a specific role to play in the team – making each member an important piece of the survival puzzle.
Survival is a core concept of the game, as players will need to stick together in the harsh, zombie-infested environments. Aside from mowing down waves of walkers with bullets, players will also need to scavenge and craft items. The loot they acquire throughout their journey will enable players to create tools or open up new paths to explore. Camp defenses will need to be maintained, and can be upgraded to increase the group’s chances of survival against bandits and the undead.
Craft. Scavenge. Shoot. Repeat. Players will need to work together, fighting off zombies and crafting tools, to survive a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C.
Crafting will also be implemented on the game’s weapons. Players can modify weapons to suit their style of play. Like playing stealth? Then equip your pistol with a suppressor to move through the world unnoticed. Or, if you’re the guns blazing type, you can saw off the barrel of your shotgun to deal extra damage.
Players will utilize their character’s individual abilities to complete mission objectives together in a zombie-filled wasteland. Melee weapons, such as machetes and baseball bats, can be used to get up close and personal with hostile enemies. Or, go loud and shoot from a distance with pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles. Be careful though, as noise will attract more walkers and your suppressor’s durability can wear down over time.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead Trailers
The initial reveal trailer provided viewers with little information on the game – but set a disturbing and bleak tone.
To build up hype for the upcoming game, Overkill Software has released trailers for each playable character.
The team responsible for the game had released a developer diary detailing the environments of the game’s world. Expect more videos like this in the coming months.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead Developer
The game will be made by Swedish developer Overkill, who gave us the Payday series, another co-operative first-person shooter. The development team will also be in collaboration with Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s publishing company, and Kirkman himself has provided advice and feedback to the developers. Almir Listo is serving as brand Director for the game with Saul Gascon as producer.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead News
Despite being announced in 2014, most of the information surrounding the game wasn’t revealed until recently. Trailers were released throughout 2018, which gave viewers a brief look into each of the playable character’s personalities and backstories. Gameplay wasn’t revealed until E3 2018, where fans were finally able to see how the game’s mechanics would function.
There was a recent reddit AMA with the game’s producers, Almir Listo and Saul Gascon, where they answered fan questions and detailed more information regarding the game. During the AMA, Almir spoke to fans about the game’s mechanics, such as daily and weekly challenges for online play, and scaling difficulty. The difficulty will change depending on the number of players present. So, the more players there are in a party, the harder the difficulty.
Recently, Overkill released a developer diary detailing the environments of the game. Throughout the video, the team explains how much research and thought goes into building a world that feels lived in while telling a story through its environments. The developers mention how placement of items seen in the apocalyptic world helps tell a story of what there was before the zombie outbreak, and small little hints that detail the tragic fates of those who tried to escape it.
Expect more developer diaries for Overkill’s The Walking Dead while leading up to the game’s release on November 6, 2018.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead Price
The standard edition of Overkill’s The Walking Dead will cost $59.99 on Steam, Xbox One, and Playstation 4. The deluxe edition of the game will cost $79.99 across all platforms, and will include exclusive skins, items, artwork, collector cards, and steel book case.
