Fun with walkers! — Hands-on preview of OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead

Get ready to fight your way through some walkers in this new Walking Dead game from Overkill. I played through some four player co-op through the Georgetown level, and I really enjoyed my time in this game.

The Walking Dead lets you pick from four characters–Heather (the scout), Aidan (the tank), Maya (the healer), and Grant (the sniper). As you create a team, you build your loadout–choosing from different melee options, guns, and tools–I picked the wirecutter, which allowed us to get through a chainlink fence early on in the level. Ammo is incredibly rare, so it was imperative that I made good use of my melee. We made our way through Georgetown before we ran out of time. When a generator was down, the team had to explore the area for fuel cans and fuses to get it up and running again. These simple little puzzles, while common in this genre, still grant a level of satisfaction.

As a huge Left 4 Dead fan, I can’t help but draw comparisons between L4D and The Walking Dead. This game plays a lot like L4D, but in a more realistic apocalyptic society. You are not the only four survivors–instead, you find yourself pit against other humans as well as the walkers. In addition, the humans pose a lot greater threat than any walker–they’re smart, and they have weapons. In addition, the walkers pose a much larger threat than the infected in Left 4 Dead. While there aren’t any special walkers to speak of (it does not seem zombies are going to be puking bile on you in this game), every single walker can pose a threat as they grab you and attempt to bring you down.

Because of this change in gameplay style, The Walking Dead requires a lot of group strategy. We died immediately in our first game after one of the team members jumped on a car, setting off the alarm, drawing all of the walkers to our location. While the walkers aren’t too dangerous one on one, in mass amounts they almost guarantee death. (Especially because the noise of the guns attracts even more walkers! It’s a gruesome catch-22.)

Walking through a level feels like you’re actually exploring the world of The Walking Dead, as it fits the show’s tone perfectly. You’ll traverse empty streets, explore abandoned houses and apartments, and use any scraps you can find along your journey. However, you do not need to be a fan of the Walking Dead to enjoy this game–anyone who enjoys a good co-op zombie shooter will enjoy this gore-filled romp.

This game made me rediscover my love of killing zombies, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the full game this fall. OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 6th in North America, and November 8th internationally. Stay tuned for more E3 coverage here on Gaming Trend.

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