Now in its ninth season on AMC, The Walking Dead would seem to be the perfect vehicle for a video game and, indeed, many studios have taken a swing at it. But Overkill Software’s action-take on the zombie saga, aptly called OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead, is not only the most compelling version of a TWD game to date but also challenges other industry zombie games for the crown.
How to Download OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead
You can download the game from Steam. To start downloading, click on the link below the review. If you like the Walking Dead series you should also download and check out the adventure games: The Walking Dead: A New Frontier or The Walking Dead: The Final Season. There is also an interesting mobile location-based game called The Walking Dead: Our World.
The Game Review
Drawing inspiration from the comic series of the same name, Overkill’s The Walking Dead emphasizes cooperative gameplay and survival against countless undead hordes. A first-person shooter that can be played in either a single-player or multiplayer experience, the game also sports a unique narrative that draws on themes found in the graphic novels and the show but which stands apart as its own thing.
Plot-wise Overkill’s The Walking Dead follows four unique characters, Maya, Aiden, Grant, and Heather, and plunges you into their experience of the zombie apocalypse. While not as narrative-focused as the Telltale games, this title promises that the story will still be front and center even if the gameplay is action-heavy and different from what people might expect.
This unique approach comes from the great license given to Overkill Software in how they approach the world of The Walking Dead. It also helps to make Overkill’s TWD a game unto itself and frees it from attempting to be one thing or the other.
Underlining its adult subject matter and violent nature, the devs do not shy away from violence and a varied depiction of human nature. Themes that have to be toned down for the television show, for instance, are explored in all of their visceral glory here. That said, players need not be familiar with the graphic novels or the television series in order to enjoy Overkill’s The Walking Dead.
Not quite a B-movie zombie horror like some of the Resident Evil titles, this shooter relies as much upon a horrific cast of humans as it does zombies for its scares.
That said, the extent of the science fiction in Overkill’s The Walking Dead is limited to the zombies themselves and you won’t find yourself encountering other “mutations” or some such nonsense. This open-world zombie game is a serious affair from beginning to end and it helps establish the mood that the game is trying to convey.
Graphically, the game is on par with many of its compatriots but is, otherwise, nothing special to write home about. In the audio department, however, the team excels at taking the sounds of the show and distilling them into a home video game. Chilling and scary, the zombies hisses and moans really help set the tone for the game and firmly situate it within the zombie horror milieu.
